Victorian bodybuilders
The bodybuilding boom of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The popular series, billed as ‘the comedy podcast that takes history seriously’ is hosted by Greg Jenner and brings together the best names in comedy and history to learn and laugh about the past.

Dr Heggie, based at the Institute of Applied Health Research within the University of Birmingham, is an historian of modern science and medicine, with a particular interest in the history of nineteenth and twentieth century biomedical and life sciences

She has published books on the history of exploration and physiology, and on sports medicine, and many articles and chapters on a range of topics from Victorian nursing and public health to the lab/field divide in science. Vanessa is currently working on the history of physiology and scientific exploration.

Dr Heggie has been awarded a range of fellowships and awards, including a Mellon Teaching Fellowship and a Visiting Fellowship from the Sydney Centre for the Foundations of Science; she has won grants from the Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust, British Academy and Isaac Newton Trust.

She is a keen advocate of Public Engagement, and for five years blogged for the Guardian about the history of science and medicine.

You can hear her talking about her latest book on the Time to Eat the Dogs podcast, and discussing the awkward history of research in Antarctica at the International Metabolism Day 2023

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