Wednesday 17 December 2008

The Celestial Bed

Due to an unpopular office move, I find myself having to wait for a shuttle bus in the freezing cold on a daily basis, but this morning I at least got some entertainment from Frances Wilson's article in the Literary Review on Lydia Syson's new book: Doctor of Love: James Graham and his Celestial Bed.Graham was a quack who opened a Temple of Health on the banks of Thames next-door to Garrick's villa, followed by the Temple of Prolific Hymen, where his celestial bed allowed 'the ton' to sow their wild oats for £50 a night in the hope of removing barenness and invigorating 'the bodily, and through them, the mental faculties of the human species'. Astonishing!

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2 comments:

Heather Carroll said...

Doctor of Love is a fabulous book!

Mrs Woffington said...

I knew I should have asked Santa for a copy! Well, maybe I'll get hold of it after Christmas - it sounds brilliant.