concept

A young woman, perhaps Prudentia, warns an alchemist of the dangers of abusing fire: in the background fires rage in buildings and mines. Oil painting after Marten de Vos.

Athanasii Kircheri Soc. Iesv. Diatribe. De prodigiosis crucibus, quae tam supra vestes hominum, quam res alias, non pridem post vltimum incendium Vesuuij montis Neapoli comparuerunt / [Athanasius Kircher].

Actors on stage performing an ice-skating scene fall through a hole in the ice and through the floor of the theatre into a casino on the storey below them. Etching by George Cruikshank, 1844.

Two angels blowing trumpets, about to cause disaster at the Apocalypse. Woodcut, c. 16th century.

A young woman, perhaps Prudentia, warns an alchemist of the dangers of abusing fire: in the background fires rage in buildings and mines. Engraving by C. de Passe after M. de Vos, 16th century.

Lightning and stars fall on the earth on the day of Judgement; the sun and the moon hang simultaneously in the sky. Woodcut, 16th century.

A railway accident. Lithograph by Paul Van Rijssel (Paul-Ferdinand Gachet), 1879.

Des inondations d'hiver et d'été, ou, Traité de l'humidité par rapport à l'homme et aux animaux : comprenant l'histoire médicale de l'année 1805, celle du catarrhe épidémique actuel et des autres maladies régnantes, des avis aux habitans des pays inondés ou marécageux, et aux artisans qui travaillent dans l'humidité, sur la conservation de leur santé, et l'assainissement des terrains marécageux ou submergés et des habitations humides : précédé des moyens de réparer les dommages occasionnés par les débordemens sur les terres ensemencées, les prairies et les foins, extraits des Instructions rédigées et publiées par ordre du Gouvernement / par M. Chavassieu d'Audebert.

Wrong! : a carnival of human error : Friday 5 July, 19.00-23.00 : free event / Wellcome Collection.

Medicina de catástrofe : da exemplificação histórica à iatroética ... / Romero Manuel Bandeira Gandra.

The next pandemic : on the front lines against humankind's gravest dangers / Ali S. Khan with William Patrick.

Galleries and Reading Room

Library

Shop

Café

We’re undertaking some research with website visitors to learn more about how people find access-related information provided by museums. This survey shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your time!

Help us organize our website content.

Disasters

Images

Catalogue

Lightning and stars fall on the earth on the day of Judgement; the sun and the moon hang simultaneously in the sky. Woodcut, 16th century.

Wrong! : a carnival of human error : Friday 5 July, 19.00-23.00 : free event / Wellcome Collection.

Medicina de catástrofe : da exemplificação histórica à iatroética ... / Romero Manuel Bandeira Gandra.

The next pandemic : on the front lines against humankind's gravest dangers / Ali S. Khan with William Patrick.