Quote Originally Posted by Sigurd View Post
I imagine nosy neighbors would cramp those hideous experiments and all...
Well, that would depend on a few factors:

How much noise is produced? Do the subjects scream a lot or are they unconscious? Are there sounds of explosions, noisy incantations etc.?

How much smell is produced? Sulfur, blood, excrement and what not. However, this should be contrasted against the general smell that cramped medieval cities would tend to produce (what with chamber pots emptied into streets).

How much waste is produced? Or: will there be many bodybags, and how to dispose of them - see also: smell. In a sea town a house by a cliff could be useful where you can dump the bodies right into the sea, provided that the currents support this and the bodies don't wash ashore in the harbor.