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James Graham (sexologist)

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192:, designed to house the newly built Celestial Bed. His "wonder-working edifice" was 12 by 9 feet (3.7 by 2.7 m), and canopied by a dome covered in musical automata, fresh flowers, and a pair of live turtle doves. Stimulating oriental fragrances and "aethereal" gases were released from a reservoir inside the dome. A tilting inner frame put couples in the best position to conceive, and their movements set off music from organ pipes which breathed out "celestial sounds", whose intensity increased with the ardour of the bed's occupants. The electrified, magnetic creation was insulated by 40 glass pillars. At the head of the bed, above a moving clockwork tableau celebrating 51: 136: 247:
Graham published his first medical tract in 1775, and continued to promote his ideas in print throughout his life. His publications were distinguished by their flowery and hyperbolical rhetoric, and their humane and progressive views on war, slavery, women’s education, farming, religious tolerance
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Graham was soon in financial difficulties. He vacated the Adelphi Temple of Health in July 1781, and concentrated on trying to recoup his costs at Schomberg House. By March 1784 he was forced to sell most of his possessions. He returned to Edinburgh, to display the remains of his apparatus in a
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as well as electricity and magnetism, published marriage guidance material, gave medical lectures and sold medicines such as "Electrical Aether" and "Nervous Aetherial Balsam." He performed with the help of a succession of Goddesses of Health, displayed as models of physical perfection. A later
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Graham developed from the 1770s another therapy, which he called "earth-bathing" in a 1790 pamphlet. In 1786, he gave public exhibitions of earth-bathing in Panton Street in London, and lectured buried up to the neck in earth.
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The Temple of Health was a success and Graham became the talk of London, featuring in satirical plays, poems, prints and newspaper skits. During the 1780s he was publicly associated with society figures.
208:, a frank explanation of how to conceive which saw sex as a patriotic act and procreation as a national duty. Cold water washing of the genitals was recommended as essential to good sexual health, and 108:'s friend and collaborator, and he later wrote that it was in Philadelphia that he began to develop the prototype of his Celestial Bed. Leaving America around the time of the first rumblings of the 123:. Advertisements promoting cures using "Effluvia, Vapours and Applications ætherial, magnetic or electric" attracted his first celebrity patient, the historian 542: 547: 43: 532: 127:. She became the subject of scandal in 1778 when she married James Graham’s 21-year-old brother William, who was less than half her age. 144: 442: 239:
At the end of 1792, Graham began to experiment with extended fasting to prolong his life. He died at his home in Edinburgh in 1794.
151:. In May 1780, Graham opened his first Temple of Health, housed in the centre of the Adam brothers' speculative development at the 368: 326: 148: 362: 96:
In 1770 Graham left England for America, travelling around the middle colonies as an oculist and aurist before settling in
537: 471: 30:. A self-styled doctor, he was best known for his electro-magnetic musical Grand State Celestial Bed. Dismissed as a 74: 100:. He placed prosthetic eyes and performed cataract surgery. Here he learned the principles of electricity from 90: 285: 58: 73:, where he trained in medicine, but left medical school without taking a degree. Probably with the help of 496:"The Regeneration of the body: Sex, Religion and the Sublime in James Graham's Temple of Health and Hymen" 361: 216:
were castigated. Graham gave more discreet marriage guidance in a pamphlet called "A Private Advice."
527: 522: 155:. Here he displayed elaborate electro-magnetic apparatus, treated patients with musical therapy and 156: 109: 101: 93:. They had three children, of whom a son, James, a diplomat, and a daughter survived their father. 124: 438: 415: 189: 105: 405: 397: 331: 233: 495: 185: 152: 34:
by medical experts, Graham apparently believed in the efficacy of his unusual treatments.
23: 112:, he worked briefly in Bristol and then Bath before setting up practice in London, where 143:
During a research tour of Europe in the summer of 1779, Graham acquired a new patron in
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by Jacqui Lofthouse (London: Penguin Books, 1996). He is also a character in the novel
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Davenport, John. Aphrodisiacs and Love Stimulants. Kessinger Publishing, 2003. p. 59
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After travelling in Holland, Germany and Russia in 1776, Graham set up practice in
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Fads and Quackery in Healing: An Analysis of the Foibles of the Healing Cults
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The Facts of Life: The Creation of Sexual Knowledge in Britain, 1650-1950
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states that Graham's sexological views were quite typical of the period.
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From the mid-1780s Graham preached, and opposed the religious views of
196:, the god of marriage, and sparkling with electricity, were the words: 184:
In June 1781 Graham launched the Temple of Hymen in new premises at
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James Graham, son of a saddler, was born on 23 June 1745 in
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Dr. James Graham going along the North Bridge in a High Wind
386:"Ophthalmology in North America: Early Stories (1491-1801)" 26:
proponent of electrical cures, showman, and pioneer in
236:. At times he was confined to his house as a lunatic. 164:(then known as Emy Lyon), was employed as the goddess 507:
Doctor of Love: Dr James Graham and His Celestial Bed
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Scottish medical quack and sex therapist (1745–1794)
220:temporary Temple of Health on South Bridge Street. 200:"Be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth!" 480:. Charles C. Thomas Publisher. pp. 112–132 303:. Journal of Eighteenth Century Life 4: 43-49. 373:. Vol. 3. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 8: 330:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 89:, and in 1764 he married Mary Pickering of 409: 260:James Graham is the subject of the novel 327:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 277: 44:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 319: 317: 315: 313: 311: 309: 168:. His gigantic porters were nicknamed 363:"Sandberg, Samuel Louis Graham"  7: 204:At Schomberg House, Graham gave his 81:, Graham set up as an apothecary in 543:Health professionals from Edinburgh 77:, future author of the best-seller 57:, caricature portrait from 1785 by 290:. New York: Covici Friede. pp. 5-6 14: 139:Graham with some of his patients. 548:18th-century Scottish scientists 384:Leffler CT, et al. (2017). 369:Dictionary of National Biography 149:Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire 478:The Natural History of Quackery 390:Ophthalmology and Eye Diseases 324:Porter, Roy. "Graham, James". 248:and diet (he was a passionate 172:, after the Guildhall Giants. 116:consulted him about his gout. 1: 160:rumour stated that the young 533:18th-century Scottish people 344:UK public library membership 564: 301:James Graham, Master Quack 284:Fishbein, Morris. (1932). 433:Raffael, Michael (2006). 491:. Yale University Press. 473:James Graham Masterquack 402:10.1177/1179172117721902 299:Whitwell, W. L. (1977). 437:. Birlinn. p. 41. 500:Romanticism on the Net 470:Eric Jameson. (1961). 336:10.1093/ref:odnb/11199 202: 140: 61: 509:. London: Alma Books. 505:Lydia Syson. (2008). 206:Lecture on Generation 198: 138: 53: 538:British sexologists 502:23 (September 2001) 268:by David Donachie. 262:The Temple of Hymen 157:pneumatic chemistry 110:American Revolution 102:Ebenezer Kinnersley 141: 125:Catharine Macaulay 62: 22:(1745–1794) was a 342:(Subscription or 180:The Celestial Bed 106:Benjamin Franklin 79:Domestic Medicine 555: 458: 455: 449: 448: 435:Bath Curiosities 430: 424: 423: 413: 381: 375: 374: 371:(2nd supplement) 365: 354: 348: 347: 339: 321: 304: 297: 291: 282: 266:On a Making Tide 234:Joseph Priestley 131:Temple of Health 563: 562: 558: 557: 556: 554: 553: 552: 513: 512: 467: 465:Further reading 462: 461: 456: 452: 445: 432: 431: 427: 383: 382: 378: 356: 355: 351: 341: 323: 322: 307: 298: 294: 283: 279: 274: 258: 245: 226: 186:Schomberg House 182: 133: 67: 41:writing in the 17: 12: 11: 5: 561: 559: 551: 550: 545: 540: 535: 530: 525: 515: 514: 511: 510: 503: 492: 481: 466: 463: 460: 459: 450: 444:978-1841585031 443: 425: 376: 360:, ed. (1912). 349: 305: 292: 276: 275: 273: 270: 257: 254: 244: 241: 225: 222: 181: 178: 132: 129: 121:Bath, Somerset 114:Horace Walpole 75:William Buchan 66: 63: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 560: 549: 546: 544: 541: 539: 536: 534: 531: 529: 526: 524: 521: 520: 518: 508: 504: 501: 497: 493: 490: 486: 483:Lesley Hall, 482: 479: 475: 474: 469: 468: 464: 454: 451: 446: 440: 436: 429: 426: 421: 417: 412: 407: 403: 399: 395: 391: 387: 380: 377: 372: 370: 364: 359: 353: 350: 345: 337: 333: 329: 328: 320: 318: 316: 314: 312: 310: 306: 302: 296: 293: 289: 288: 281: 278: 271: 269: 267: 263: 255: 253: 251: 242: 240: 237: 235: 230: 223: 221: 217: 215: 211: 207: 201: 197: 195: 191: 187: 179: 177: 173: 171: 170:Gog and Magog 167: 163: 162:Emma Hamilton 158: 154: 150: 146: 137: 130: 128: 126: 122: 117: 115: 111: 107: 103: 99: 94: 92: 88: 84: 80: 76: 72: 64: 60: 56: 52: 48: 46: 45: 40: 35: 33: 29: 25: 21: 506: 499: 494:Peter Otto. 488: 477: 472: 453: 434: 428: 393: 389: 379: 367: 352: 325: 300: 295: 286: 280: 265: 261: 259: 246: 243:Publications 238: 231: 227: 218: 214:masturbation 210:prostitution 205: 203: 199: 183: 174: 166:Hebe Vestina 147:, mother of 145:Lady Spencer 142: 118: 98:Philadelphia 95: 78: 68: 54: 42: 36: 20:James Graham 19: 18: 528:1794 deaths 523:1745 births 358:Lee, Sidney 28:sex therapy 517:Categories 487:. (1995). 485:Roy Porter 346:required.) 272:References 256:In fiction 250:vegetarian 224:Last years 65:Early life 39:Roy Porter 37:Historian 190:Pall Mall 87:Yorkshire 83:Doncaster 71:Edinburgh 420:28804247 396:: 1–51. 91:Ackworth 59:John Kay 24:Scottish 411:5533269 153:Adelphi 441:  418:  408:  340: 476:. In 194:Hymen 188:, in 32:quack 439:ISBN 416:PMID 212:and 406:PMC 398:doi 332:doi 252:). 519:: 498:. 414:. 404:. 392:. 388:. 366:. 308:^ 104:, 85:, 447:. 422:. 400:: 394:9 338:. 334::

Index

Scottish
sex therapy
quack
Roy Porter
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

John Kay
Edinburgh
William Buchan
Doncaster
Yorkshire
Ackworth
Philadelphia
Ebenezer Kinnersley
Benjamin Franklin
American Revolution
Horace Walpole
Bath, Somerset
Catharine Macaulay

Lady Spencer
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
Adelphi
pneumatic chemistry
Emma Hamilton
Hebe Vestina
Gog and Magog
Schomberg House
Pall Mall
Hymen

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