A 10-year project to study and digitise some 80,000 cases recorded by two famous astrological physicians opened a “wormhole” into the worries and desires of people who lived 400 years ago. This online article is an expanded version of the press release used to publicise the research project, and included interesting examples and digitised images from the case books, as well as a film featuring Professor Lauren Kassell, the lead researcher on the project.
From the Judges
This fascinating piece on the digitization of the records of two seventeenth-century astrological physicians was wonderfully rich in detail. Beginning with a strong and compelling headline, this story uses text, video, and images to create a complete experience with the newly digitized documents. It is an outstanding example of medical history made accessible and riveting. The story was a fitting tribute to the work undertaken by the researchers and is a wonderful way to celebrate the completion of the Casebooks Project, which took 10 years and digitized 80,000 medical cases. It would be hard to talk about this entry without acknowledging the striking presentation of the story. The images include woodcuts from the period and beautiful photos of the 400-year-old ink stained pages. The video brings another dimension, and the translations of some of the pages give us a sneak peek not only into the medical concerns of four centuries ago, but also a glimpse of how difficult the work to digitize them must have been.
