Wellcome Collection homepage
All
Stories
Images
Catalogue
Events

Active filters:

GreenReset filters
404 results
  • DNA sequence of CCR5 Delta 32 gene mutation
  • Zika virus, illustration
  • Bacterial microbiome mapping, bioartistic experiment
  • Cross section through mycoplasma mycoides cell, illustration
  • 6-day old chick embryo viewed under a stereo microscope, LM
  • Paris quadrifolia L. Trilliaceae Herb Paris Distribution: Europe and temperate Asia. This dramatic plant was known as Herb Paris or one-berry. Because of the shape of the four leaves, resembling a Burgundian cross or a true love-knot, it was also known as Herb True Love. Prosaically, the name ‘Paris’ stems from the Latin ‘pars’ meaning ‘parts’ referring to the four equal leaves, and not to the French capital or the lover of Helen of Troy. Sixteenth century herbalists such as Fuchs, who calls it Aconitum pardalianches which means leopard’s bane, and Lobel who calls it Solanum tetraphyllum, attributed the poisonous properties of Aconitum to it. The latter, called monkshood and wolfsbane, are well known as poisonous garden plants. Gerard (1633), however, reports that Lobel fed it to animals and it did them no harm, and caused the recovery of a dog poisoned deliberately with arsenic and mercury, while another dog, which did not receive Herb Paris, died. It was recommended thereafter as an antidote to poisons. Coles (1657) wrote 'Herb Paris is exceedingly cold, wherupon it is proved to represse the rage and force of any Poyson, Humour , or Inflammation.' Because of its 'cold' property it was good for swellings of 'the Privy parts' (where presumably hot passions were thought to lie), to heal ulcers, cure poisoning, plague, procure sleep (the berries) and cure colic. Through the concept of the Doctrine of Signatures, the black berry represented an eye, so oil distilled from it was known as Anima oculorum, the soul of the eye, and 'effectual for all the disease of the eye'. Linnaeus (1782) listed it as treating 'Convulsions, Mania, Bubones, Pleurisy, Opththalmia', but modern authors report the berry to be toxic. That one poison acted as an antidote to another was a common, if incorrect, belief in the days of herbal medicine. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Neurons or nerve cells are the core components of the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system (CNS), and of the ganglia of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) controlling many motor and sensory functions of the body.
  • Salmon sea louse, fish parasite
  • Human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell, SEM
  • Myelinated nerves in a mouse brain, TEM
  • Human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell
  • Raw onion, illustration
  • Human heart (mitral valve) tissue displaying calcification
  • Cortical bone mapping of hip from computed tomography (CT)
  • Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) in the villi of the gut
  • Group A Streptococci are a species of gram-positive bacteria responsible for causing a number of pyogenic (pus-producing) infections including impetigo, scarlet fever and pneumonia. Further fatal complications arising from infection include the development of meningitis and sepsis.
  • Marijuana: Blue cheese strain
  • Woodlouse, SEM
  • Euphorbia nicaeensis All. Euphorbiaceae. Distribution: North Africa, Southern Europe to Turkey. Root extracts have been shown to have cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory action in experimental situations. Euphorbia species all have toxic sap, and had many names in early literature, eg esula, about which Culpeper (1650) says that '(taken inwardly) are too violent for vulgar use
  • Transverse section through mouse soleus muscle
  • Bacterial microbiome mapping, bioartistic experiment
  • Grass seed covered in bacteria from infected dog's paw
  • Cross-section through the optic vesicle (early eye), chick
  • Habenular nucleus of zebrafish, composition
  • Protea cyanoides L. Proteaceae King Protea Distribution
  • Aeonium undulatum cultivar
  • HIV enzymes: reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease
  • Illustration depicting semi-conservative DNA replication. A DNA double helix prior to replication is shown in the top left of the image. The sugar phosphate backbone and nucleotide bases are visible. Complementary base pairing of adenine with thymine (blue with green) and guanine with cytosine (red with yellow) is shown. During replication, a length of the double helix temporarily unwinds and separates into two strands. Free nucleotides bind by complementary base pairing to the recently exposed nucleotides on each strand which act as a template. Two new double helices are formed, each containing one original generation and one new generation strand of DNA. The sequence of base pairs in each double helix is identical to the original.
  • Mould on food
  • Human stem cell embedded in a 3D matrix, Cryo SEM