Head to Toe: Legs
In this episode we explore the history of the leg. There’s a lot of fashion in this episode, from the use of flannel shirts to cure gout to the erotically charged nature of the pale calfskin trousers of Tudor men. We even delve into how one man’s leg injury caused a black velvet slipper craze. We also explore the history of amputation – from the prejudices of Victorian society against the use of prostheses to the battlefield capture of the cork leg of a Mexican general.