A Night with Venus - a Lifetime on Mercury

Think carefully before attending this fascinating talk as a Valentine's warm-up: Kevin Brown, author and the curator of the Alexander Fleming Museum, will regale doe-eyed couples with every detail of the 'loathsome disease' that was the likely consequence of carnal pleasure in the 1700s. Once you'd contracted the pox (syphilis) the solution was a lifetime taking poisonous mercury - or any number of other painful treatments. Brown's cast of characters includes actress Sarah Siddons, Casanova, James Boswell and King George II. You (will) have been warned.