Con Artists

What do you think of when you think of birth control? Is it condoms, IUDs, the pill? What about vasectomies?From monkey testicles to possible cancer treatments to ties of honour, over the past 150 years ‘the snip’ has had a few variations and uses … not all of them scientifically sound. But what is it? And how did it come about?Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Georgia Grainger (https://twitter.com/sniphist) to discuss the vasectomy’s place as a contraceptive, as well as its relationship with eugenics and masculinity.*WARNING this episode includes mentions of mental illness, eugenics and themes of an adult nature* Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Pete Dennis. Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and archive clips from Singer Sewing Machines “Three Smart Daughters” advertisement, 1940, and Beich Whiz Bar “Party Magic” commercial, 1938. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Maj 202250min

Using leeches to suck the blood from patients, mercury pills, and removing limbs with NO anaesthetic - healthcare throughout history hasn’t been the most…appealing.But have you ever thought about the difference in how men and women were treated?From witch trials to hysteria to wandering wombs, today Betwixt the Sheets Kate speaks to Dr Elinor Cleghorn, author of 'Unwell Women' to find out about gender bias in medicine.*WARNING this episode includes fruity language and themes of an adult nature*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from Body-care and Grooming public video 1948, and Good Grooming for Girls, 1946 (GlamourDaze). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Maj 202240min

Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Was sex always just for the love of their country and the want of an heir, or were some royals into different kinks?And what about outside marriage? From an official mistress who does not have sex with the king, to one who put laxatives in her rival’s food, what does it take to get and keep this position?Kate is Betwixt the royal Sheets with bestselling author Eleanor Herman to find out the nitty gritty from the royal bedchambers.This episode includes archive clips from Sixty Glorious Years, 1938 and The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1933.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Matt Peaty.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Maj 202242min

Hidden in bedside tables or proudly displayed on mantelpieces, wherever you keep them (if you do), sex toys have come a long way since the first phallic-shaped object was found around 30,000 years ago.But before they were arriving through our post boxes in unmarked, tracked packages, what did sex toys look like? What were they made from? And why were doctors using them to treat... back pain?!Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by writer, sex and gender historian Hallie Lieberman to discuss the first dildo, the myth of the vibrator, and more…Find out more about Hallie's book, Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy, here.*WARNING this episode includes fruity language and themes of an adult nature*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from public vocational video from 1940. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Maj 202243min

Bedlam: a scene of uproar and confusion, a noisy situation with no order or, originally, the slang name for a mental hospital in London… which for a while also happened to be a popular tourist attraction.From chains on the wall to leeching - the history of mental health treatments is a lesson in questionable science and humanity.Bethlehem hospital, founded around the 11th century in London, is a study of this history.Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Catharine Arnold: journalist, academic, popular historian and author of ‘Bedlam: London and Its Mad’.*WARNING this episode includes adult themes and conversations about mental health*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Matt Peaty.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from an American public service announcement from 1952. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Maj 202238min

WARNING: This episode includes adult themes and explicit words.Why did Henry VIII want everyone to know about his wet dreams? What animal product were condoms made from? And was coffee really ruining the sex lives of wives?Suzannah Lipscomb from our sister podcast, Not Just the Tudors, joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to talk all things sex in the 16th century.Find out whether sex back then really was just to reproduce, the ‘discovery’ of the clitoris, and the truth about royal syphilis.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sounds and an archive clip from The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1933. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Maj 202245min

*WARNING this episode includes adult themes and conversations about mental health and drug use.*In 2020, the UK government revealed that 17% of the adult population of Britain were prescribed medication for their mental health. But when were these drugs invented? How were they tested? And how have they become, in some cases, ‘mother’s little helper’?From antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to stimulants and mood stabilisers - Dr David Healy takes us on a journey through the development and use of psychiatric - or psychotropic - medication, and how this development has in turn affected our diagnoses.David is a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, and is a professor of Psychiatry at McMaster University in Canada.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Aidan Lonergan.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and archive clips from Zoloft commercial 2001. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Maj 202240min

I’m something that you wear, I always come in twos, I get put on your feet. I’m not socks, I am … SHOES.Humans have been protecting their feet for a very long time.But over the years the types of footwear we choose have developed and multiplied. Each new shoe has a new use, and often a new social meaning.So what is the history of shoes? To find out about the masculine beginnings of heels, the reclamation of crocs, and the political ideals of docs, Kate chats to Elizabeth Semmelhack, creative director and senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from The Wizard of Oz, 1939. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Apr 202244min