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Psychotic visitors to the White House; an actor who specialized in playing Hitler
I’ve neglected to post news of two guest contributions I’ve recently made to the Wonders & Marvels history blog. One is about the history of the study of psychotic visitors to…
Read MoreMy forthcoming book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” is optioned to Mythology Entertainment
I’m happy to announce that Mythology Entertainment — the production and writing talent behind such films as Shutter Island, Zodiac, The Amazing Spiderman and the upcoming White House Down — has optioned stage and…
Read MoreTiticut Follies: A Notorious Documentary
Several years ago I finally got the chance to watch a documentary that had been in my thoughts for a long time. It was Titicut Follies, which the renowned filmmaker Frederick…
Read MoreA Pioneering Pop Psychologist
Years ago I read somewhere about an eminent experimental psychologist who suffered a mental breakdown, endured years of depression, and abandoned the laboratory to instead help lay people apply the…
Read MoreLou Gehrig, ALS, and the Patient Records Controversy
I recently wrote here on my thoughts about waiving considerations of privacy for medical patients who are long deceased and revealing their names and opening their medical records to journalists and the…
Read MoreHypnotism and Its Past
[In earlier posts that you’ll find here and here, I’ve written about my fascination with hypnotism and my interviews and encounters with hypnotists of various types. In this post, I continue the series…
Read MoreH.G. Wells Meets Josef Stalin
I recently read H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man and came away impressed by the author’s artistry in entertainingly moving a story along while including a serious subplot about H.G. Wells the role…
Read MoreWilde in the Streets
Here I present an oldie — an article I wrote 25 years ago for Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine. It was one of my first attempts to write about history and has always…
Read MoreA Murderer Trapped by Truth Serum
I recently wrote a post in the Wonders & Marvels blog about the history of truth serum. I didn’t have space in that post to mention an interesting article from the February 1960 issue…
Read MoreThere’s Gold in That Medicine
Gold has real medicinal value. It is used in implanted devices like pacemakers, and of course in dental work. Some people believe a controversial liquid suspension called colloidal gold may have…
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