Medical History

The story of diet drugs is one full of miracle cures that often don't live up to the hype or come with serious side effects.

The use of leeches is a blood-thirsty practice that's been helping us heal for millennia. Medicine has moved on since they were "used like aspirin" to treat conditions like obesity, but there is still a place for them today.

As Dr Grace Xu battles to look after Queenslanders on the healthcare frontline, she's inspired by a legendary nurse whose hospital ship went down during World War II.

Duncan Craib says he had never heard of glaucoma before he was diagnosed with the eye condition aged 49. Now, he's warning people over 40 to get regular eye tests.

A strong, shallow, offshore earthquake hits central Japan, killing at least one person and injuring more than 20 others, disrupting plans for holiday makers.

The peak body for doctors has supported the idea of a concussion passport for athletes who play contact sports after the death of a South Australian footballer at the weekend.

Johnson & Johnson agrees to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging talc in its baby powder caused cancer. 

ABC radio presenter Jules Schiller is wearing purple today to raise awareness of epilepsy. 

An international team of scientists sequence Beethoven's DNA from tufts of hair cut from his wild thatch in an attempt to find a genetic root of what ailed him.

Former Geelong star Max Rooke will be lead plaintiff in a landmark lawsuit against the AFL brought by players who claim to have been permanently damaged by concussions and other head knocks.

Archaeologists discover a pair of brothers who lived around 3,500 years ago had access to "brain surgery" after finding a square piece of bone missing from a skull.

The agency looks at ways to improve communication with motorists, after the ABC revealed many drivers were unaware their licence had been suspended on medical grounds.

The ABC has found seven drivers who say their licences were suspended on medical grounds, but VicRoads didn't tell them. They are calling for urgent changes to how VicRoads communicates with motorists.

Sister Elizabeth Kenny was a trailblazer who developed her own radical treatment for polio sufferers. Her hometown of Nobby is ensuring her legacy lives on.

The chance discovery of a mysterious "rattlesnake root" potion has brought to light the forgotten story of one of Australia's most spectacular pharmaceutical failures – from an era less bygone than first thought.

In the archives of the University of Adelaide is an exchange of letters between an infamous German geneticist and a famed British biologist that reveals much about how Nazi scientists were able to reinvent themselves after the war.

Opium for kids' toothaches, electrical therapy machines for baldness, and blood-sucking leeches were once touted as treatments for common ailments, and they are all on display at the new Cure All exhibition.

Dr Albert Foreman discovered a passion for medicine later in life. Now 91, the Darwin practitioner still feels he has more to contribute to the profession.

West Australian archaeologists investigating the history of Indigenous people medically incarcerated in leprosariums say they were subject to harsh treatment and discrimination over decades.

DNA analysis of seven people who died in the 14th century suggests the Black Death may have originated in modern-day Kyrgyzstan.

Without modern luxuries like anaesthetics, surgery in the past was a bloody, violent and largely unsuccessful affair.

Politicians answer to 20-year-old about why cost of living is so high on Q&A.

Ingrid Otaola Zarraga was wandering around the mangroves when she came across a small bottle that unearthed a big part of the WA town's multicultural past.

Plans to upgrade the Royal Flying Doctor Service's visitor centre in Broken Hill have been propelled forward, with the NSW government dedicating $5.5 million in funding.

Vulnerable Australians who have already been left waiting months to access their medical records to receive compensation will face further delays after Services Australia announces plans to scrap backlogged requests.