Health and belief in the early 20th century: Fakir’s sandals
This theme shows us that magic, religion, superstition and science have always existed together, and were only separated in Europe in the last few centuries. In today’s approach to medicine, state of mind and belief can have a significant influence on an individual’s physical health.
Watch our Visitor Experience Assistant Jessica talk about these wooden spiked sandals from our collections. These sandals originate from India and were worn to demonstrate religious devotion.
Use the information and activity sheets to explore more deeply into the object’s history and health links. Both sheets are differentiated to three levels of ability for Year 9 History students.
