Understanding of the mechanisms of the body and effective medical intervention had made little progress since antiquity, but in the mid-eighteenth century doctors enjoyed much confidence amongst the populace and could earn a good living.' At the same time, individuals of all classes took enormous interest in matters of health and felt themselves able to participate in their own diagnoses and cu...

In 1899, at the invitation of G. Stanley Hall, the great psychologist and President of Clark University, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, and four other European scientists of significant note, were invited to participate in the Decennial Celebration of Clark. Cajal, accompanied by his wife, arrived in Worcester, via New York, to much acclaim and praise in the local press. His three lectures, all delive...