A new study into the grim and frequently heart-breaking history of childhood sickness and death has opened a window on to a surprisingly tender world of close families and devoted parenting in early modern England.
Dr Hannah Newton, an historian of science with an interest in how previous generations coped with childhood illness, digs up some 17th century tips for making medicine taste better and finds evidence for common sense and compassion among the doctors of the day.
An international conference taking place at Cambridge University later this week will reveal that for many centuries alchemy and medicine were deeply intertwined - both in theory and practice.
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