Mental Floss

HEALTH





Madame Restell as imagined in the March 13, 1847, edition of the National Police Gazette.

When Ann Trow Sommers first arrived in New York City in 1831, she had no idea how notorious and vilified she’d soon become. In a matter of years, she’d craft a whole new identity for herself as Madame Restell, a prominent and wealthy abortionist.

Simone Scully








It's not exactly the "safety in numbers" situation you might be imagining.

The facts on where it comes from, how it works, and whether it could happen with the novel coronavirus.

Ellen Gutoskey






IgorChus/iStock via Getty Images

If you find a tick on your body, don't panic—removing it the right way fast drastically reduces your chances of contracting any diseases it might be carrying.

Michele Debczak






Masakatsu Ukon, Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

Today's airplanes have high-tech air filtration systems that keep the air on your flight fresher than you might expect. But you should still take precautions to avoid germs before and during travel.

Carla Delgado
A doctor draws blood from one of the study’s subjects.

In September 1932, Public Health Service officials recruited 600 Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama, to receive treatment for “bad blood.” The men had no idea they had become unwitting participants in one of the most controversial medical studies in recent ti

Beth Colman