Witch Doctor
@witchdoctor.bsky.social
870 followers 30 following 330 posts
Socialist. Scientist. Professional drug expert. Amateur macabre medical historian. _____ Header image by George Wylesol. Nothing I do on here represents or is on behalf of my employer.
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witchdoctor.bsky.social
Preparing an all black series of #SpookyScience posts for #13DaysOfHalloween! 🖤
Reposted by Witch Doctor
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neolithicsheep.bsky.social
IF YOU SEE A BAT CRAWLING AROUND ON THE GROUND DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS, LEAVE IT ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO HELP IT CALL ANIMAL CONTROL. DO NOT APPROACH THE BAT, DO NOT TRY TO AID THE BAT ON YOUR OWN, AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY DO NOT BREASTFEED THE BAT. TELL YOUR FRIENDS.
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c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
I've been learning about the "SIN-EATERS", a religious practice in Ireland, Scotland & particularly in Wales.

A person dies & at the laying-out, a poor person is offered a small cash award to eat a meal that has been passed over the body.

In the meal are the sins of the dead person.
A cartoonish scene of a funeral with coffin, and a tray of cakes being passed to a man who seems angry to receive them.
"A Welsh funeral of 1814, showing the custom of passing food across the body of the deceased."
Hand-coloured engraving by I. Havell for The Cambrian Popular Antiquities
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amywilsonstorey.bsky.social
What did #18thcentury women wear when they were pregnant? What did a ‘good’ mother look like? Which fashion was both patriotic and recommended by midwives? For the answers to all these questions join me at the #IHR on 7th Oct archive.history.ac.uk/events/good-...
Duchess of Queensberry dressed as a milkmaid. She wears an apron and simple cap and carries a staff.
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namnezia.bsky.social
The Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio, built in 1637 at the original location of the University of Bologna. The university dates from 1563.
Disection table
witchdoctor.bsky.social
Where did you get this photo of me
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godysseypodcast.com
Paris' necropolis is a famed Labyrinth beneath the city, dating back centuries. Be mindful when going down: people who aren't careful can find unstable locales and go missing, in a fatal way. #WyrdWednesday
A pillar of skulls and bones in the Paris Necropolis
witchdoctor.bsky.social
Oh yeah, that’s the stuff 💛 🐝#GardenSky #Bees
A fuzzy bee covered in pollen, in the center of a yellow pumpkin blossom.
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c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
In honor of Spooky Season, let's talk about this little goth turtle, who looks prepared to go as an /actual ninja/ for Halloween.

This is, in fact, a Western Santa Cruz tortoise, from a subspecies of Galapagos tortoise with scientific name: 'Chelonoidis niger porteri'.
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witchdoctor.bsky.social
I was feeling rather hopeless for some time, but I’m now a volunteer firefighter and love being part of a team and a symbol of good in my community.
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mush-photos.bsky.social
A little budding Cortinarius violaceus, AKA Violet Cort, in dampened light growing from a bed of thick moss

📷 Canon R5
Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM
M, f/2.8, 1/13, ISO 400
Stack of 35 images
10/18/24
Northern Oregon Coast

#mushroom #fungifriends #mushrooms

🍄📷 📸🎞 🌿🌱 🟢 🍄 🍄‍🟫
Among thick moss that's mostly blurred out due to the cameras depth of field, in the center of the photo, a small uniformly purple mushroom grows. Its stipe appears slightly rough and very fibrous in texture. The cap appears almost like it's slightly fuzzy but is also soaking wet. Tiny droplets of clear water cling to the right side of the mushroom's stipe.
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chriswoodyard.bsky.social
#TheVictorianBookoftheDead
Motor hearse, 1905.
Many thought motor-hearse speed was disrespectful compared to the dignified pace of a horse-drawn hearse. "We don't want to hurry to the cemetery," is the universal remark of those who object to the motor hearse.
collections.mcny.org/CS.aspx?VP3=...
Byron Company motor hearse, c. 1905
Reposted by Witch Doctor
shakespeare.lol
Now you see, sir, how your fooling grows old, and people dislike it.
witchdoctor.bsky.social
So happy he was scooped up, though.

I wonder sometimes if it is bittersweet parting with your creations?
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monstergirltrish.bsky.social
I’ve finished another needle felted piece of terrain….all made from wool :-) It’s so satisfying!
A 3D needle felted landscape with a standing stone, river and waterfall A 3D needle felted landscape with a standing stone, river and waterfall A 3D needle felted landscape with a standing stone, river and waterfall A 3D needle felted landscape with a standing stone, river and waterfall
witchdoctor.bsky.social
I wanna share a bowl of figs with it 😩
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c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
You may think this is just a fox until:
*Sproing* go the big furry ears.

This is the aptly-named BAT-EARED FOX (Otocyon megalotis), native to the African savannah.

The Latin name means "dog-ear big-ears" & she's very sensitive about it, so NO GOSSIPING (she can hear you from a continent away).
a fox in a cage with a tree branch behind it
Alt: A bat eared fox approaches the camera and suddenly unfurls enormous bat-ears that tower over the head. It's a grey fox with buff chest and darker grey stripe down the nose. The slinking tail is dark charcoal like the paws.
media.tenor.com
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samillingworth.com
🪳 Giant stick insect found in Australian treetops

Meet Acrophylla alta, a newly discovered 40cm insect that might be Australia’s heaviest. Found high in Queensland’s canopy, it has stayed hidden until now.

🔗 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

#SciComm 🧪
Supersized stick insect discovered in high-altitude trees in Australia
The 40cm-long insect, named Acrophylla alta, weighs slightly less than a golf ball and may be the heaviest insect in Australia
www.theguardian.com
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c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
Combining all the terrifying aspects of a wasp & a scorpion, this male common scorpionfly (Panorpa communis) has a secret: that's not a scorpion stinger on his tail.

(📷: Charles J. Sharp)
A strange bug with a very long proboscis-like face, wide v-shaped wings, mosquito-like posture, and a scorpion tail in dark red.  An odd looking bug. There's greenery in the background, out of focus.

Common scorpionfly (Panorpa communis) male
Date	6 June 2014, 11:04:51
CREDIT:  Charles J. Sharp, Sharp Photography.