British Society for the History of Medicine
Web Newsletter November 2010
Poynter lecture 2010 -
Guildford 2011 Congress -
BSHM Officers reports
Affiliated Society Reports -
Book reviews
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British Society for the History of Medicine
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Poynter lecture, March 2010Promiscuous & Inattentive Proceedings |
French Dentist, by Rowlandson - Wellcome Collection |
Transplanting of Teeth, by Rowlandson - Wellcome Collection |
John Hunter, by Reynolds - Wellcome Collection |
Lecture held at the Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, Euston Road , London on 24th March 2010
A lecture and exhibition on 18th Century medical ethics and etiquette, featuring transplantation of live teeth from poor children, venereal disease, Sir John Hunter, JC Lettsom, and correspondence between doctors.
Richard Aspin and William Schupbach of the Wellcome put together an exhibition of relevant artwork and books from the Wellcome Collection; the lecturer Ruth Richardson was also involved in the choice of material.
It included the images above which are supplied from the Wellcome Library London
under licence Creative Commons by-nc 2.0. Image details are:
A French dentist showing a specimen of his artificial teeth and false palates.
Coloured engraving 1811 By Thomas Rowlandson (L0000328.)
A fashionable dentist's practice: healthy teeth are being extracted from poor children to create dentures
for the wealthy. Coloured etching by T. Rowlandson, 1787. (L0013320)
John Hunter (1728-1793), surgeon and anatomist. Oil painting after Sir Joshua Reynolds. (L0005712)
There were other cartoons by Rowlandson, books by Hunter, and a life of Hunter. There was also a fine painting showing Oliver Goldsmith's medical advice being rejected in favour of advice from an apothecary. Some of the books are available (from other libraries) in Google Books and there are quotations and links in the lecture report below.
Report by David and Barbara Hawgood.
The announcement of the lecture was "The modern discipline of ethics in Medicine and Surgery is regarded as postdating the Nuremberg Trials, and has become largely the preserve of philosophers. In the Georgian era, by contrast, doctors (some of them eminent) - and others - were ready to comment in public upon questionable medical behaviours. In this lecture Ruth Richardson will examine a range of British humanitarian commentary in the context of the Medicine and Surgery of the period."
By introducing the subject through the example of dentistry, tooth transplantation, venereal disease, and the life of John Hunter, with fascinating illustrations from the Wellcome Collection, Ruth Richardson gave a lecture of interest to all. The "etiquette" side was illustrated by letters between doctors about difficult cases. The ethical questions are both whether teeth should be taken from the poor and supplied to the rich, and also whether the recipients should be warned of the risk of infections like venereal disease.
Sir John Hunter was introduced through his famous quotation "Why think? Why not try the experiment?" which encapsulates his approach to medicine and surgery, through which he became the father of scientific surgery. Tooth transplantation was introduced through an exchange of letters involving Walter Farquar, asking whether the patient had venereal disease after receiving transplanted teeth. Hunter developed a practice transplanting teeth, in partnership with James Spence. The fee paid by the recipient was the substantial sum of ten guineas per tooth. The tooth usually came from a child paid one shilling. In 1778 Hunter wrote his "Natural History of Human Teeth". The full text of this book can be found on Google books; the section on transplanting teeth starts at page 230.
We next saw a letter concerning "Watson's case" where a young woman died from an infection following a tooth transplant.
In 1786 Hunter wrote "A treatise on the venereal disease" including an appendix "Of diseases supposed to be venereal
produced by transplanted teeth". A revised edition from 1853 is available on
Google books and in writing this report we found the relevant quotation, at page 504 of this edition.
He gives an account of all the cases he has seen and concludes:
"Let us sum up all the arguments in favor of the disease not being venereal. First, two patients, whose cases were similar
to the others in their origin, recovered without medicine. Secondly, they who seemed to be cured by mercury had not a
treatment exactly similar to those who were indisputably poxed. Thirdly, I consider it as impossible for parts to have
the power of contaminating which are not themselves diseased. Fourthly, the parts contaminating were never known
to have been contaminated themselves. But it must be nearly the same thing to those who want to have teeth transplanted,
whether my reasoning is just or not; for a disease in consequence of the operation most certainly has taken place;
and in some cases this has been worse, or cured with more difficulty, than the lues venerea in common; and whatever
the disease may be, I yet know of no mode of prevention, except the drawing of the tooth early, and that has been tried
in one case only, and in that case was successful."
The lecture next introduced J C (John Coakley) Lettsom who asked "If a live tooth might successfully be transplanted why not also a disease?" At this time 1 in 20 transplant patients suffered after-effects, and of these a quarter died. The title of the lecture is from writings of Lettsom in 1786 saying the disease was the result of such "Promiscuous & Inattentive Proceedings" and writing that Hunter bore some responsibility in Watson's Case.
The lecturer was also able to quote a patient's anguish at having submitted to having a tooth transplant
and suffering greatly as a result. Vicesimus Knox in an account of his life
"Winter Evenings" (facsimile and text available in Google Books). In a section (page 121)
"On injuring the health in attempts to improve beauty" he recounts the experience:
"The remedy was 'transplantation.' I submitted to extraction with a stoical heroism. A chimney sweeper,
who attended at my side,
parted with his best tooth for a shilling, and it was planted reeking with blood and warm with life,
in the socket whence my odious tooth with the black speck had been just drawn. I was now in a state of exultation.
I thought my gums might defy old age and decay, and gloried in the idea of having almost found out the art of
rejuvenescence. My triumph was but transient. A tumour and inflammation ensued. The pain I suffered
is not to be described; but I was still a heroine, animated with the idea that the pain was but for a short time,
and that the happiness would be for life."
"The disease still continued, and I lost several of my teeth and a great part of my gums and palate. My lips were
distorted, or corroded, in a frightful manner. The physician at last insisted on the necessity of my undergoing what
he called a salivation. He said my life depended upon it. I submitted, and preserved my existence; but how shall
I describe what I felt on looking into the glass! Every appearance of old age and deformity.
I will leave to your imagination the ideas of horror and grief which tormented my heart;
I gave up all pretensions to beauty, as indeed I well might; for my countenance was the picture
of every thing disgustful. Think of paleness tinged with a livid yellow, a shrivelled skin, distorted lips,
and toothless gums." . . ."It will contribute something to atone for my folly, if, by communicating the
consequences of it, I warn others from its imitation."
Ruth Richardson concluded by describing the advances in general ethics in this period, citing the abolition of slavery. She also drew parallels with modern ethical problems such as retention of organs of children at Alder Hey.
In the discussion following there were mentions of "Waterloo teeth", of the dentures found in St Brides' skeletons, and a question whether it was the symptoms of rejection of the transplant that looked like those of venereal disease.
The lecture, held every two years, is named after Noel Poynter, who was Director of the Wellcome Institute and one of the founders of the British Society for the History of Medicine.
The 24th Congress will be at the University of Surrey in Guildford, 31st August to 3rd September 2011, in association with the Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Society of Apothecaries
Office-bearers from September 2009 were:
President, Mrs Sue Weir, Secretary Dr Fiona Davidson MD MRCP DHSMAA, Treasurer,
Dr Tina Mathews, BM, FRCPath, DHMSA, Past-President, Dr David J.Wright, FRCA, FRCP,
Vice-President Adrian Thomas FRCR, Webmaster David Hawgood MA FBCS FSG and National Delegate to the International
Society, Geoffrey Davenport.
From March 2010 Mr Derwent Swaine became Treasurer
and Mrs. Liz Beckmann became Secretary-elect.
President's Report to Officers' and Representatives meeting, March 2010
Sue Weir thanked every one for attending the O/R Meeting. She said that the Belfast Congess had been fantastic and she thanked David Wright for his help with the changeover of the presidents. She said that she had attended a good International Meeting in Cyprus in 9th-12th September 2009.
Report: "Since taking office in September 2009, for which I am grateful to the Officers and Representatives of the BSHM, I have been planning the Poynter Lecture and the next Congress in 2011, which is to be held at the University of Surrey, Guildford. Preliminary notices have been sent out to all constituent societies with topics for papers.
The organisation of the Poynter Lecture has been in the capable hands of Dr
Fiona Davidson, to whom I am most grateful. Our Poynter Lecture speaker is
Dr Ruth Richardson, whose topic is the Georgian Era. Dr Davidson has
worked closely with Mr Richard Aspin at the Wellcome Library to organise a
special mini-exhibition of related items, in the afternoon prior to the Lecture.
As an umbrella organisation the BSHM needs to widen its range of people
involved and I am thus seeking nominations for the posts of Secretary-elect
and Treasurer, as the terms of office of those in post, are coming to an end.
The latter being the most imminent and I appeal to all Officers and
Representatives to "bite the bullet" and propose a member of their society for
these offices. They are not onerous, as the present incumbents will testify!
I intend to contact all the Societies during the coming year and encourage
them to come to the next Congress, to give a paper or make suggestions as to
how the BSHM can be more relevant to them and their organisations.
Again I thank Fiona Davidson for all her help and support and I look forward
to meeting everyone in March".
Mrs. Sue Weir, 8th February 2010
On the 24th March 2010 the Officers and Representatives of the Society met at the Wellcome Conference Centre, in Euston Road, London. We all agreed that the Belfast Congress in 2009 had been a great success. Mrs. Sue Weir took up the baton of the next President and Dr Adrian Thomas relaxed as President-elect.
Two new appointments were made; Mr Derwent Swaine, the representative of the Medical Sciences Historical Society, was elected Treasurer to the BSHM, and Mrs. Liz Beckmann of Medical Imaging Group was elected Secretary-elect to the BSHM. Two new representatives for the Committee were nominated and chosen; Mr Simon Chaplin, as the representative of the Wellcome Library and Ms Julianne Simpson, as the representative of the Faculty of History of Medicine of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries.
Difficulty in contacting representatives has improved but is not yet perfect; telephone numbers, as well as e-mail addresses, would be very helpful, as representatives can then still be contacted if they have changed their e-mail addresses.
Once again we have to thank the Wellcome Trust and Library for providing us with the committee room for our Business Meeting, but above all for the lecture theatre for the Poynter Lecture and a pre-lecture, very interesting, mini-exhibition of related books and items from the Wellcome Collection.
Dr Ruth Richardson, a Visiting Professor to Hong Kong University in Humanities and an Affiliated Scholar in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, was the Poynter lecturer for 2010. The title of the lecture was Promiscuous & Inattentive Proceedings - The ethics and etiquette of patient care in the Georgian era. The talk was preceded by a mini-exhibition, put together by Richard Aspin, the Head of Research and Scholarship and William Schupbach of the Wellcome Library, with Dr Ruth Richardson. It showed paintings, cartoons, and rare books, all pertaining to the theme of her talk. There was also a small reception for BSHM members and guests prior to the Lecture. Mr David and Dr Barbara Hawgood kindly took notes about the exhibition and the Lecture, which are already on the BSHM website. [And are in this web newsletter.] It was a very successful half-day meeting and Lecture.
On the 22nd July 2010 I attended, on behalf of Mrs. Sue Weir the President of the BSHM, the Meeting of the Network for the History of Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics, HSTEMM. It was held at The Royal Institution in London and chaired by Professor Frank James. He called the meeting to discuss the 24th International Congress for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine to be held in the University of Manchester on 22-28th July 2013. This will be only the third occasion that the Congress has been held on these islands, the 2nd Congress was in London (1931) and the 15th was in Edinburgh (1977).
By coincidence we are now planning our 24th Congress of the British Society of History of Medicine 2011. It is to be held at the University of Guildford from Wednesday 31st August to Saturday 3rd September. Information about the Congress, submission of papers, and registration will be posted on the website.
Dr Fiona Davidson MD MRCP DHMSA
Secretary to British Society of History of Medicine, 28th October 2010
Treasurer's report April 2010, Year End Accounts 2009/2010, year ending 1st April 2010, are in a separate Word document.
Report of the National Delegate to the International Society for the History of Medicine (ISHM)
Apart from the President's address and opening papers on ancient medicine, in the Mediterranean generally and Cyprus specifically, the meeting addressed the theme of fire and light in medicine in a considerable variety of ways.
Fire included the therapeutic application of heat in various ways, such as in cauterization and the use of the heat of the sauna up to 80 degrees centigrade to destroy the typhus carrying louse in Finland in the second World War (see the paper by Dr Helene Laurent in the December 2009 Vesalius); and its pathological aspects, including burns, the problems caused by early firearms, and St Anthony's fire.
Light included lasers, sunlight treatment and divine light.
The British delegates, Christopher Gardner-Thorpe (with Katriona Munthe), Kenneth Collins and David Wright contributed several papers.
The President, Dr Alkis Pierides and his team, also organized a lively social programme, which included traditional Cypriot 'meze' style meals.
The financing of the journal Vesalius is to be looked into. It is proposed that the editorial board will have fewer and more active members and the choice of papers will be left to the English and French language editors. Only selected papers from the meetings will be printed; the rest of the proceedings will go in the website. Prizes for the best papers are proposed, in two categories (young researchers and professionals), though whether in the form of money, medal or diploma is not yet decided. A proposal to the administrative council to extend the official languages of the Society (restricted from the beginning to English and French) to include Spanish was rejected on the grounds that there would be lots of other claimants.
The 6th Meeting of the ISHM will be held in Barcelona on 7-10 September 2011. The 43rd Congress of the ISHM will be held in Padua in 2012.
Report for BSHM Newsletter September 2010
David Wright, on behalf of the Trustees of the John Blair Trust.
28 September 2010
Below are links to reports in this BSHM 2010 Web News. Note that some items are taken from advance notices of societies' events, rather than reports after the meetings. We have a separate page of current contacts and web links for Affiliated Societies.
The four collections of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) and Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) are held at the AMS Museum in Keogh Barracks, Mytchett in Surrey.
The museum tells the tale of army medicine and healthcare, human and animal, from the English Civil War to the current day as AMS personnel continue to serve across the globe as part of the British Army. The collections on display include uniforms and insignia, medical, dental and veterinary equipment, ambulances and much more besides. The museum is open Monday to Friday, 0930 - 1530. Admission is free. Website www.ams-museum.org.uk/
The society continues to meet 4 times a year in Bristol for presentations. It has about 35 formal members but usually about 30 people attend meetings.
We have started to have one evening for student presentations which have gone well and we also had external speakers. Topics this last year included the re-feeding programme and the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, the anti-vaccination movement, Chelsea Hospital for women, Dr Goodeve, The Bristol Eye Hospital in the interwar years and Rudolf Nissan. These should be published in the proceedings. Volume 5A of the proceedings came out at the end of 2009 and 5B is due out shortly.
The society is celebrating its 25th anniversary next year and plans to have its June meeting dedicated to presentations about past members.
The President is Mr Walford Gillison and the Secretary Dr Peter Carpenter who can be contacted on drpetercarpenter@hotmail.com .
The British Society for the History of ENT held its annual meeting in the ENT room at the Royal Society of Medicine on the 24th September 2010. We were delighted to have a number of speakers visiting from overseas. The meeting was Chaired by the President Mr Neil Weir. There were 30 participants including speakers who attended the meeting and the lives of a number of notable individuals from British ENT were discussed. Professor Robert Ruben from New York opened the meeting with a talk on Sir Morell Mackenzie. He was followed by Wolfgang Pirsig from Ulm who presented on Felix Semon. Albert Mudry from Lausanne talked about Joseph Toynbee, Richard Irving presented on the contribution of William Dalby to British Otology and Neil Weir discussed the famous Otologist Sir Terence Cawthorne. In addition there were five presentations from Trainees and a talk from Sue Weir outlining the Miles Formby Bequest. The next meeting will be held at the same venue on the 1st December 2011. The society has developed a new website www.historyofent.com/ and further details of our meetings will be detailed on this in the future.
The BSHPCH is a special interest group of the RCPCH and holds two meetings each year. It has more than 100 members and welcomes all those who have an interest in the history of paediatrics and child health, whether clinicians, historians, students, trainees or staff. Further details of the BSHPCH may be found at its webpage: http://www.gla.ac.uk/t4/childhealth/files/BSHPCH.html
The next meeting will be in Warwick on 6 April 2011 as part of the RCPCH Annual Conference.
The BSHPCH is offering a £400 prize for an original essay of up to 3000 words, on any aspect of the history of paediatrics and child health, in any period of time or place. The prize has been established in memory of Dr William Cadogan of Bristol (1711-1797) an eminent pioneer of child health care and father of infant care in Britain.
As well as the prize, the winner will be expected to give a presentation to the autumn meeting of the Society in September 2011. The closing date for submission of the essay is 1st April 2011 and the winner will be notified in May of that year. Further enquiries and submissions should be directed to the Hon. Secretary: Professor Dan Young, email: d.young@clinmed.gla.ac.uk.
A full programme of events was organised during 2009.
In February, Mark Jackson presented a paper entitled The History of Allergy and its Treatment.
The Society's Annual Spring Conference was held in March at the Castle Inn Hotel, Bassenthwaite, Cumbria. Papers presented included Peter Worling, Ane Breve Description of the Pest by Thomas Skeyne, Renzo Console, Ancient Pharmacy in Verse, Roger Mills, Life and Death of a Pharmacy, W H Jones, Joseph Swan of Newcastle, Briony Hudson, Pharmacy and Beatrix Potter, Christiane Staiger, Pharmacy in German Literature, Ainley Wade, The Martindales and the Lake District and Catherine Kay, Confessions of an English Opium Eater - Thomas de Quincey.
In May, Dr John Crellin presented a paper entitled Medicine and Pharmacy: a Twentieth-Century Postcard History.
In July there was an afternoon guided tour around Tunbridge Wells which included a visit to the tomb of Jacob Bell, founder of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.
An evening meeting in October featured a talk by General Alan Hawley on Disaster Medicine.
At the final meeting of the year in November, Anna Parkinson presented a paper entitled Nature's Alchemist: John Parkinson, Herbalist to Charles I
The British Society for the History of Pharmacy (BSHP) was founded in 1967. It seeks to act as a focus for the development of all areas of the history of pharmacy from the ancient apothecary to today's ever-changing role of the community, hospital, wholesale and industrial pharmacist. The Society publishes research work and articles of medico-pharmaceutical interest in its quarterly journal the Pharmaceutical Historian. It holds meetings, an annual weekend conference and organises visits to places of pharmaceutical interest.
Unless otherwise stated, meetings are held jointly with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society at 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN. There is no charge. Details of future events are available on the Society's website www.bshp.org
The British Society for the History of Radiology, formerly the Radiology History and Heritage Charitable Trust (RHHCT) continues to flourish. The BSHR is the UK society devoted to the history of radiology, radiography and radiation oncology. This society was formed in January 2006, replacing the Radiology History and Heritage Charitable Trust. We are a multidisciplinary group.
We have a web site at www.bshr.org.uk and we hope to put different historical articles and items of interest on the site each month. We will also look at items and articles you wish to send in with a view to either publishing them in our journal or posting them on the web site.
Our Journal 'The Invisible Light' is published twice a year, and is free to members of the BSHR. For anyone interested in joining the Society a membership form is available in the contacts section on the web site, which you can down load and send to us. This form also gives more details about the Society. We are affiliated to the British Society for the History of Medicine. We are always looking for new members.
We organise a radiology history session at the annual UK Radiology Congress 'UKRC' www.ukrc.org.uk which this year was held in Birmingham (UK Radiological Congress 2010, International convention Centre and National Indoor Arena). The History Special Focus Group at UKRC 2010 was well attended and our stand at the technical exhibition was very busy.
The BSHR has organised a visit to the Röntgen Museum in Germany from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 November 2010. This is a joint visit between the British Institute of Radiology and the British Society for the History of Radiology to visit to the birthplace of Wilhelm Röntgen and the German Röntgen Museum. Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895. This promises to be both an exciting and an educational weekend.
We will be present at UKRC 2011 (to be held in Manchester) and again we will be having a history session and a stand in the technical exhibition. The history session at UKRC in 2011 will be well worth attending with a selection of interesting papers. In the session John Kotre will talk on Frank Farmer, Christine Ferris will talk on oral history of radiography in Sri Lanka. Prof Alfredo Buzzi from Argentina and the current President of the Argentinean Society of Radiology will be visiting us again. Finally Adrian Thomas will give an introduction and will talk about Marie Curie in this centenary year of her second Nobel Prize.
We have an annual lecture which in 2011 will be held at the British Institute of Radiology on the evening of the 21 February. The lecture is to be given by Joseph Padfield from the National Gallery on the radiography of paintings.
Further information about the BSHR and the annual lecture can be obtained from either myself or our Honorary Secretary Mrs Jean Barrett (103 Slaithwaite Road, Meltham, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire HD9 5PW or jean.barrett@ntlworld.com)
Dr. Adrian MK Thomas
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington, Kent BR6 8ND
adrian.thomas@btinternet.com or adrian.thomas3@nhs.net
The Historical Medical Equipment Society was founded in 1996. It aims to promote education and research into the history and evolution of instruments, apparatus and equipment employed in medicine and related health care professions. Membership is £15 per year and is open to anyone with an interest in medical, surgical, pharmaceutical and dental instruments and equipment. Membership averages 60 to 70 members. Activities of the Society include twice yearly meetings with discussion papers, visits to collections and equipment identification sessions. We publish two bulletins a year.
Dr John Prosser is Chairman, Mr John Kirkup is Bulletin editor, Dr Tim Smith is Bulletin co-editor and Dr Peter Mohr is honorary secretary & treasurer. For membership application or further information please apply to Dr Peter Mohr, e-mail pmohr@doctors.org.uk
The autumn meeting, October 2009, was held at the George Marshall Medical Museum. Worcester and the spring meeting, April 2010, was at the Museum of British Dental Association, London. The autumn 2010 meeting is planned for 16th October at the University Hospital of South Wales, Cardiff. A visit the Optical Association Museum near Trafalgar Square, is also planned for April 2011.
Dr Peter Mohr, Hon Secretary HMES
President: Dr C Neil Adams, Past-President: Professor Tony Wildsmith, Honorary Secretary: Dr Anne M Florence, Honorary Treasurer: Dr Adrian J Kuipers, Honorary Editor: Dr Alistair McKenzie
The Society has had another successful year under the chairmanship of Professor Tony Wildsmith. The 23rd Annual Summer Meeting and AGM held in the Hilton Bath City Hotel, Bath at the end of May, well organised by Dr Patrick Magee, delivered both a high standard of oral presentations and an excellent social programme, the highlight of which was undoubtedly the Annual Dinner held in the luxurious setting of the Roman Baths.
In deference to the organisers of the VIIth International Symposium of the History of Anaesthesia held in Crete in October 2009, the Society did not hold an autumn meeting.
The 24th Annual Summer Meeting and AGM was held in Llandrindod Wells from the 24th to 26th June when Dr C Neil Adams was elected and installed as President and Professor J Roger Maltby elected and admitted as an Honorary Member of the Society in recognition of his major contribution to the history of anaesthesia and loyalty to our Society.
With the termination of the contract for rental of storage space at the U'Lok Store in Reading the Society's financial status has marginally improved. As agreed at the Annual General Meeting in Bath the Society contributed £500 towards the Association's History of Anaesthesia Prize. In addition, the Council sanctioned the donation of £1000 towards the recent purchase of a Startin's Pneumatic Inhaler for the Heritage Centre at 21 Portland Place.
Dr Alistair McKenzie, Honorary Editor of the Proceedings, is encouraged by the decreased incidence of plagiarism at recent Society meetings following his introduction of the methods discussed last year. A 'Declaration of Authorship' must now accompany all submissions for publication.
So far the only meetings of the History of Anaesthesia planned for this session are the one which is taking place at the British Riding School in Newmarket on Saturday, 9th October and the 25th Annual General Meeting which is taking place in Edinburgh at the Royal College of Surgeons on the 3rd and 4th June 2011 as part of a multi-disciplinary meeting in celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of James Young Simpson.The programme for this meeting will be posted on our website early next year.
Finally, our Website address has changed. It is now http://www.histansoc.org.uk/Welcome.html.
Anne M Florence, Honorary Secretary
The History of Medicine Society of Wales has 250 members and has enjoyed another successful year. There have been 4 meetings with 80 - 100 attendees at each meeting. A summary of the Dates, Venues, Speakers and Topics is below and abstracts of the lectures will be published on the HOMSW website www.homsw.org.uk The Society is affiliated to the Welsh Museum for Health and Medicine and its collection of Medical Artefacts can be viewed on the website www.wmhm.org.uk Please email the administrator if you have any information or personal anecdotes about the artefacts, to bring the collection alive.
The Society wish to thank Professor H Gethin Morgan for his contribution to the success of HOMSW this year as President. He has been a most able Chairman at all 4 meetings and devoted a considerable amount of time and energy to ensure that everything ran smoothly. His invited speakers were of a very high standard and his own Presidential address "Hugh de Wardener and Cerebral Beri Beri" was excellent. The Society would also express their appreciation of the technical support at the meetings of Dr Peter Lloyd Jones, without whom the A/V system would not operate. His calmness in a crisis is greatly valued. I would personally like to thank Mr Malcolm Puntis for his help at the Gregynog Meeting in Peter's absence due to illness.
23rd April at Gregynog Hall Newtown Powys. Annual General Meeting
'Bedlam in Wales: Some aspects of Psychiatric history' Dr Tom Davies
'Horatio Nelson: Hero and patient' Mr Malcolm Puntis
'Prof Hugh de Wardener and Cerebral Beri Beri' Prof. H Gethin Morgan
25th June at the National Library of Wales Aberystwyth
'Early Welsh Medical Women' Prof. Neil McIntyre
'Herbalism in Mediaeval Wales: The Myth of Maddygon Myddfai' Dr Morfydd Owen
'Using History to Predict Emergency Hospital Admissions' Dr Geraint Lewis
'Dr Crippen: Was he innocent?' Mr Robin Odell
'Charles Darwin: before and after' Prof. Robert Owen
10th September at the Glen yr Afon Hotel Usk Gwent
'Medical Education' Dr Lesley Pugsley
'Oesophageal Cancer from Czerny to Ifor Lewis' Mr Walford Gillison
'James Parkinson and the Shaking Palsy' Dr Christopher Gardner-Thorpe
'Wales and the 17th Century Medical World' Dr Alun Withey
29th October at De Courceys Manor Pentyrch Cardiff
'A Tale of Two Specialties' Prof. Sir William Asscher
'Psychiatry's Forgotten Magic Triangle' Dr Henry Rollin
'The Life of Edward Wilson 1872-1914' Dr Isobel Williams
'The Welsh Museum of Health and Medicine' Dr Peter Lloyd Jones
The meetings will be chaired by the President for 2010-11, Professor Geraint M Roberts
Guests are most welcome to attend our meetings and further details may be obtained from the website www.homsw.org.uk or Dr Margaret R Jones.
Secretary. Dr Margaret R Jones, FRCR, 7 Windsor Avenue, Radyr, Cardiff CF15 8BW.
Telephone (0)2920419121; e-mail: margaretjones80@ntlworld.com
The Society which is closely allied to the British Dental Association and its Museum in Wimpole Street, London, moves from strength to strength with increasing membership.
It has recently held its Annual Autumn Conference in Winchester at which eight illustrious speakers provided the scientific programme. Perhaps from the profession's clinical standpoint the lecture on the History of General Anaesthesia in Dentistry was the most important, tracing the early nitrous oxide/ ether general anaesthetics in the late 19th century up to the current safer and more sophisticated procedures, admirably delivered by Asish Gopakumar. Another fascinating topic from an earlier age was Dentistry and Oral Health in Ancient Egypt by Dr Roger Forshaw who was formerly a dentist and is now a lecturer in Egyptology at Manchester University. The artefacts from archaeological sites give an insight into the ravages of oral disease such as chronic abscesses, cystic lesions, damaged dentition, and malformations. Interestingly, oral tumours were not very prevalent, but as the age expectancy of the population was only 35 years, oral tumours tend to be a disease on the late middle and older age groups in today's society. Tooth decay was also not very prevalent, due to the lack of sugar in the diet, but some of the early attempts to treat oral problems were fascinating.
More contemporary history was provided with excellent presentations by John Bradley on the Facial Injuries of Admiral Lord Nelson, and Dr John Beal who gave a beautifully illustrated talk about St Apollonia, the patron Saint of tooth ache sufferers and dentists. Dr Beal has toured the country photographing stained glass windows and carved monuments dedicated to the saint in many churches and it is probably the most comprehensive record of this remarkable lady in the UK.
The next planned meeting of the Society is the Annual Lilian Lindsay Memorial Lecture, to be held at the BDA's Annual Scientific Conference in Manchester at noon on 21st May 2011 when Prof. Tara Renson, Chair of Oral Surgery, Kings College, London Dental Institute will talk about 'The Treatment of Dental Pain Through the Ages'.
Further details of the Society can be obtained from the Secretary, Dr Brian Williams, Foxholme, 14 Howard Rd., Great Bookham, Surrey, KT234PW (Tel 01372457445), or brianwilliams14@btinternet.com. Alternatively, Rachel Bairsto the Director of the museum at the British Dental Association would welcome enquiries. Membership is a modest £22 pa which includes the excellent six monthly journal 'The Dental Historian'.
Dr Stuart Robson, Chairman. e-mail: stuartrobson367@btinternet.com
It is my pleasure report that the Society continues to grow in strength, benefiting from the more active involvement of Medical Students in the programme planning process as members of the Committee. The topics selected covered a broad spectrum of the History of Medicine with our Honorary Secretary, Dr Sally Sheard, to whom we are most grateful for playing a major role in the final selection of the speakers invited.
Mr Mike Crumplin, retired surgeon and much sought after medical historian presented a massive collection of surgical instruments used in the Crimean War to a joint meeting of the Society and the Students' Surgical Scousers' group. All present, young and old, were once again enthralled by his presentation. The actual session began with a talk by Dr Anna Marie Roos from the University of Oxford who talked about The Other Lister: Martin Lister, a seventeenth century 'Spider Man' and Royal Physician. This was followed, in November, by a talk on Negotiating Hospital Infections - Infection Control and Antibiotics in the Twentieth Century given by Dr Flurin Condrau from the University of Manchester.
The New Year brought a new concept for the Society when the Medical Students presented Medicine at the Movies with the showing of an old film entitled 'A Beautiful Mind'. Three lectures followed with Dr Alex Mold from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, discussing "Patient Groups and the Construction of the Patient as 'consumer' in Britain since the 1960s". In April, Dr Stephen Kenny of the University of Liverpool talked about 'Anatomy and the enslaved in the American South' and finally Dr Jennian Geddes formerly a Consultant Neuropathologist at the London Hospital talked about 'Women in Medicine' and their role in the first World War.
The annual Medical Quiz organised by our student members was very successful attracting an audience of sixty students and members.
The Medical Sciences Historical Society (MSHS) was established in 1981 with the express aim of the furtherance of interest in, and promotion of, the history of the diagnostic medical science. It acts as a forum for interested participants who have access to the Society's meetings and enjoy its regular publications. The Society publishes Medical Sciences History annually and a newsletter biannually. A variety of meetings are held every year - usually in London at the offices of the Institute of Biomedical Science. On a rather more social note, a regular event is that of the MSHS Summer Visit where members and their guests meet up at an interesting venue, often with an arranged guided tour.
Membership will appeal to those who are, or have been involved, or just have an interest in, diagnostic medicine. Members are encouraged to participate in lectures, meetings and to contribute to the Society publications. Membership does provide a useful opportunity for maintaining contact with past or present colleagues from the world of medicine in general - and pathology in particular.
The MSHS is affiliated to the British Society for the History of Medicine and this affiliation provides members with access to the open, national and international activities of all other affiliated societies. Access to the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine is also available - open to all.
Enquiries regarding membership, or seeking further information about the MSHS are welcomed and should be addressed to: The Hon Secretary, MSHS, 117 Woodland Drive, Cassiobury, Watford, Herts. WD17 3DA
The Society held its Annual General meeting on Saturday 13th March and this was followed by the Spring Lecture 'Sixty Two Years of the NHS: An Old Surgeon Looks Back' by Professor Harold Ellis CBE, Mch, FRCS.
The Summer Lecture meeting of the Society on Saturday 8th May was dedicated to the life, work and memory of former Society member Christopher Herbert Collins OBE, MA, DSc, FBIOL, FIBMS, FRCP who died on 19th October 2009. Two speakers gave presentations - Dr. David Kennedy spoke on 'Chris Collins and Laboratory Safety' and Malcolm Yates on 'Chris Collins and the Mycobacteria'.
At the Autumn Meeting held on Saturday 16th October two presentations were given: 'Edith Cavell: Nurse & Martyr' by the award-winning author Diana Souhami and Sarah May, Deputy Chief Executive of the Institute of Biomedical Science spoke on 'The History of the IBMS. Lessons Learned'.
The Osler Club of London, The Thomas Cotton Room, Royal College of Physicians, 6, St Andrew's Place, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4LE (in the main building of the Royal College of Physicians). www.osler.org.uk. The Club's postal address is c/o The Library, Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, London NW1 4LE.
The annual programme of the Osler Club of London continues to be active and varied. The Osler Club of London was founded in 1928 (which was the year of Lady Osler's death) to encourage the study of the history of medicine, and to keep fresh the memory of Sir William Osler (who was born on July 12 1849 and who died on December 29 1919).
The members of the Club, either medical or those engaged in some activity related to medicine, are devoted to the humanistic approach to medicine, as exemplified in the life and works of Sir William Osler. Membership of the Osler Club is open to medical men and women, medical students, and persons associated with the history of medicine and in allied sciences.
For the 2009-2010 session there was a very varied programme. In the first meeting Dr Gael Phillips from Australia spoke to us on 'Edward Osler' and in December 2009 Dr Peter Bennett & Rebecca Abrams told us about 'The life and work of the Aberdeen physician and obstetrician Alexander Gordon (1752-99).' This was an interesting account of puerperal fever. For the first meeting of 2010 Dr Jock Murray visited the Club again and spoke to us on 'Medicine and Healing in stained glass windows' of which he is an expert. Our secretary Daniel Sokol who is an expert on medical ethics spoke on 'Historical and contemporary reflections on truth-telling in medicine.' Steven Lomazow gave a talk in April 2010 on 'The illness of Franklin D. Roosevelt' and told us about his recent fascinating book on FDR. Our Oration for 2010 was given by Dr James Le Fanu who has previously spoken to the Club and was entitled 'Why Us? Science and the Restitution of Man' and he gave us a splendid talk based on his recent book.
In September 2010 our President spoke in Argentina on 'Sir William Osler and the Osler Club of London' to the newly formed Osler Society of Buenos Aires. The Osler Society of Buenos Aires is the only Osler society in the Spanish speaking world.
All meetings (apart from the Oration) will be held at the Royal College of Physicians of London at 7pm and a buffet supper will take place at 8pm. If you wish to attend a meeting then please contact me. You will have a warm welcome.
Adrian M K Thomas, President, The Osler Club of London
adrian.thomas@btinternet.com or adrian.thomas3@nhs.net, website
www.osler.org.uk/
The history of medicine section of the Royal Society of medicine fielded a full programme for the year 2009/10 which was on a general theme of 'Pathology' reflecting the specialty and interest of the section president. The programme included a biography of 'Benjamin Collins Brodie', surgeon, physician and pathologist of the nineteenth century, one of many donors to familiar eponymous disease processes in that era, and engagingly presented by Dr Sheldrake of Imperial College. Mr Edwards, keeper of the Gordon Museum, outlined the development of such establishments and an impassioned plea for their continued survival and December saw a foray into microbiology by Dr Wainwright. Our first Sheffield based speaker for the year outlined, in amusing fashion, 'How your teachers misled you about germ theory and evolution' in a number of controversial areas.
The section had an excellent standard of entrants for the Norah Schuster prize and once again it was necessary to include four short talks. This most informative and entertaining evening ranged from histories of mechanical ventilation, Ramon y Cajal, the procurement of bodies for dissection in Birmingham to the oft overlooked Royal Naval Medical officers in WWII, all delivered by worthy prize winners.
March saw 'Art and Anatomy', presented by Dr Ferguson, encompassing a shared interest of the speaker and section president with interesting new twists on the accuracy and validity of some well and lesser known artworks accompanied by the opportunity to touch some real sanguine (red chalk).
The beginning of April arrived with the biggest audience of the year; 'Dicing with death: 5500 years of human dissection and the autopsy', which touched on the why, the how and the what should we do now? in a superb talk by Dr Burton, our second Sheffield speaker. A presidential address, 'What are human beings made of?', a history of the development of the cell theory completed the main programme.
The year also included two symposia, in October 2009 a thought provoking and wide ranging consideration of Samuel Johnson, in conjunction with the Johnson Society of London and its chairman Dr Cambridge to mark the tercentenary of his birth, with views on his mental state, his doctors, his stroke and finally his autopsy delivered by Lord Harries of Pentregarth, Dr Ward, Prof. Murray and Mr Chaplin. It was well received by a captivated audience despite being bundled into the bowels of the RSM to escape refurbishment noise.
The second symposium, held on St Georges day 2010, very nearly didn't happen! The RSM's new funding arrangements meant offering prizes for open papers was tricky, the 'older' membership of the history section skewed the trainee entrance for those papers, doubt and uncertainty delayed the advertising and on the day the two presidents, of history and urology, were winging it as the flying hazard of the year - volcanic ash - decimated the carefully constructed programme for 'A historical skirmish in the nether regions'. Mr Thompson and I agreed that the programme presented was superb never-the-less!
The budgetary constraints introduced last year begin to bite during this academic session and there will be changes to the meeting format. The new section president, Dr Claire Elliott, has, however, already made a brilliant, and popular start, with Dr Le Fanu and 'Neuroscience and the five cardinal mysteries of the mind'. I eagerly await the remainder of her programme.
Dr Tina J Matthews, President of the RSM history of medicine section 2009/10
Meetings (except summer outing) are at the Society's premises at 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE.
6 Oct 2010, James Lefanu on 'Neuroscience and the five cardinal mysteries of the mind'.
3 Nov 2010, Emily Mayhew on 'Getting it right the second time - how the medics of the Great War changed military medicine for ever (so far)'
2nd February 2011: Lisa Appignanesi 'Mad, bad and sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800 to the Present'.
2nd March 2011: Norah Schuster Essay prize evening, presentations by medical students who are winners in this competition.
4th May 2011: One day conference on History of medicine and film and literature
June 2011 (date to be announced) Summer outing: 'Dickens and medicine'
Membership has dropped somewhat, partly due to natural attrition, but also because longer established members have been forgetting to send their annual fees to the treasurer. On the positive side, there has been a steady trickle of new blood joining the SMHS.
On 23 October 2009 Pat Murrell gave a well researched lecture entitled 'Anatomists and Resurrectionists before 1832'. Despite the accompanying slides being rather ghoulish the company seemed to enjoy the subsequent meal, prepared, as usual, by Elizabeth Cockayne and Pat Murrell.
Then on 26 February 2010 Mr Barry Ross, retired consultant thoracic surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich and Ipswich Hospitals, gave an amusing talk entitled 'The Life and Times of Lord Brock'. Brock was one of the foremost cardiothoracic surgeons of his day and he trained a whole generation of surgeons who remembered him with fear and affection. After the lecture the secretary read out some collected sayings of the great man, originally put together by Sir Terence English.
On Thursday 22 June 2010, for the summer outing, five members of the SMHS visited the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. We had lunch at the Base Restaurant in Baker Street, and then walked to the college where we were given a conducted tour of the building, the library and the small museum, by Lucy Reid and her team. Everyone was very friendly and the trip proved to be informative and enjoyable.
The Suffolk Medical History Society continues to support the Suffolk Medical Biographies website which can be found at http://suffolkmedicalbiographies.co.uk At the AGM on 29 June 2010 all the officers were re-elected, but since then the treasurer has indicated that he can no longer carry on, so we hope to elect a replacement to the post on 22 October 2010, when our next lecture/ supper takes place.
The lectures for the coming season are as follows -
22 October 2010 'Some Episodes from the medical history of Suffolk' by E E Cockayne
11 February 2011 ' Sickly times: illness and death in late Georgian Bury St Edmunds' by Dr Pat Murrell
Ted Cockayne, Hon. Secretary, Suffolk Medical History Society
Office of Archives, King Edward Building, Royal Victoria Hospital, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BL. Tel: 028 9024 0503 Ext 3686
As Queen's University Belfast (QUB) did not run the Student Selected Component in the History of Medicine in either term, the USHM has had a quieter year. On 25th March, we held our annual Professor Gary Love Lecture as a joint meeting with the Ulster Medical Society. Dr David Stewart spoke on 'Building a healthy City for the 21st Century- Lessons from Victorian Belfast' to a large and appreciative audience.
We are pleased to report that a plaque has recently been placed at the birthplace of Sir Ivan Magill at 10 Curran Place, Larne. When the then Dr Magill submitted his original paper on Endotracheal Anaesthesia to QUB for an MD in 1920, it was rejected. He was working at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, Kent at the time, and later he moved to the Westminster and Brompton Hospitals where his inventions and pioneering skills were appreciated and recognised.
2009 Wellcome Library Year in Review details all of our activities for 2009. Here are some highlights:
Insights Talks: The Library has expanded its Insights programme of talks to include new sessions including The Quest for Perfect Skin , Frances Crick and Francis Galton, and physiognomy. We have trialled a number of evening and Saturday events in response to user requests and we will continue with these throughout the coming months.
Library blog: The blog has allowed our users, both here and abroad, to keep up to date with developments in the Library. With our increasing focus on digitisation, we are keen to provide as globally comprehensive as possible access to our materials, and the blog allows to showcase recent acquisitions, new service developments and upcoming television or radio programmes which the Library has contributed to.
Medicine and Literature: The Library launched its series of author-led talks in the Library Reading Room, featuring Philip Hoare, Mike Jay, Lydia Syson and Michelle Lovric. The programme will continue through 2010-2011, starting with a talk by Michael Neve, Erin Sullivan and Richard Barnett, part of the Wellcome Trust Book Prize events programme.
Wellcome Collection exhibitions: Wellcome Collection has had another extremely busy year, and with the closure of the summer exhibition Skin, the Collection will be busy with preparations for their new exhibition, High Society, and with a programme of free autumn walks.
Current Activities: We recently announced the formal launch of the Wellcome Digital Library, an ambitious project to digitise the Library's holdings and provide free, online access to our collections. The first phase of the WDL will concentrate on the history of genetics, with over a million pages of books and archives including the papers of Francis Crick and Fred Sanger. We will also be funding the digitisation of collections held in other libraries and archives in the UK and overseas. The project was recently showcased in a BBC slideshow.
Simon Chaplin, Head of the Wellcome Library
Meetings start at 1000hrs on Saturday mornings at the Chichester Medical Education Centre, of St Richards Hospital, Chichester. £5 per session including coffee. Staff and students free. Certificates of attendance for Continuing Professional Development are provided
Saturday 9th October
'King George III's Malady: Re-evaluation of the Porphyria Diagnosis and the Implications', by Professor Timothy Peters
'The Notorious Case of Polonium Poisoning', by Dr Jim Down FRCA
Saturday 23rd October
'The Birmingham Hospitals' by Dr Jonathan Reinarz
'The History of the Royal West Sussex Hospital' by Mr Martin Cooke
Saturday 6th November
'George Guthrie - Soldier and Pioneer Surgeon' Mr Raymond Hurt FRCS DHMSA
'Mud, Blood and Gas: Trench Warfare in WW1 through the Eyes of Artists' Dr John Sedgwick MA FRCGP DHMSA
Saturday 20th November
'The Discovery of the Double Helix and the Beginning of the Biological Revolution'
Dr Brian Owen-Smith MA FRCP DHMSA
'The Dying Keats: A Case for Euthenasia' Professor Brian Livesley MD FRCP
Saturday 4th December
'Florence Nightingale' Dr Winston Leigh BA MB ChB MRCGP
'Royal Operations' Professor Harold Ellis CBE MA DM MCh FRCS FACS FRCOG
For Further details contact John Richardson 01243-780786, or RichardsonDrJ@aol.com, or at 1 Franklin Place, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1BL
Evening lectures and meetings, starting at 6.00pm unless otherwise specified, are held for members of the Faculty, their guests and any other interested parties at Apothecaries' Hall, Black Friars Lane, London EC4V 6EJ, throughout the academic year. Entry to the Eponymous Lectures is open to the public. Lecture fliers with reply slips are available from the Administrative Secretary at the Hall (or click on link in www.apothecaries.org/ to download). They are presented by invited speakers, and lectures at Apothecaries' Hall are preceded by tea at 5.30pm in the Court Room and followed by a subscription supper in the Great Hall.
4 Nov 2010: 'Tuberculosis in ancient and mediaeval times' by Piers Mitchell, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge.
24 Nov 2010: 'Carbolic, Casebook and Controversy' by Sir Barry Jackson, Past President of the Royal College of Surgeons and of the Royal Society of Medicine
27 Jan 2011: 'Mind the Gap: Animals, Angels and the Philosophy of the Human Body' by Dr Christopher Hamilton, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Religion, King's College,London
7 Feb 2011: 'Layers of meaning: Erasmus Wilson and the nineteenth-century skin' by Dr Maggie Barker, Consultant in Public Health, London
21 Mar 2011: "Bath Spa; 'the Hospital of the Nation' . . lessons from the enlightenment" by Professor David R Blake, Emeritus Professor of Rheumatology, University of Bath
6 April 2011: 'The left foot of a tortoise: Michael de Montaigne and his health' by Sarah Bakewell, author, London
29 June 2011: 'Materia medica in the 19th century: pharmacognosy, botany and empire' by Dr Mark Nesbitt, Ethnobotanist, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Programme of Meetings in 2010, from website www.leeds.ac.uk/ymdhs/
We received two copies, one from Gazelle book services and one from the author, and have two reviews.
Review by Dr Ann Ferguson:
This very fully researched book by A W Bates give a very full description of the life of Robert Knox, and the times
in which he lived. It has a comprehensive bibliography, a detailed index and is well annotated. It will be of
immense use to the serious student of medical history. It is not an easy narrative read, however, and needs to be
studied sitting at a desk rather than in an armchair.
Review by Dr Barbara Hawgood:
The book gives a detailed, thoughtful account of the life of Robert Knox from his birth in 1791 until his death in 1862,
a period in which new, radical ideas were in the air. Anatomists interested in the higher, philosophical or
transcendental level of their subject were grappling with the problem of the formation of new species independent
of design or providence and from an early stage Knox was attracted to the subject. During his military service as
a hospital assistant he was posted to Waterloo then the Cape of Good Hope where he developed a lifelong interest
in comparative anatomy and the races of man. Later Knox studied anatomy in Paris where he was influenced by the
theories of Geoffroy and Cuvier. In Edinburgh Knox began to teach and write and, eventually, took over an anatomy
school. He was a brilliant lecturer. He taught the theory of a common vertebrate plan to medical students and
interspersed his talk and demonstration of descriptive anatomy with a discussion of comparative anatomy,
embryology and the transcendental (a kind of nature mysticism). Dissection was anticipated to give information
on the origins and inter-relationships of animals and man, and interest became overwhelming. Much later Knox was
portrayed as a doctor who whipped up such enthusiasm for anatomy that it became "a science run mad". Certainly
between 1826 and1834 the average number of students in Knox's class was 335; students paid an additional fee to
be guaranteed "subjects" to dissect. Inevitably Burke and Hare became a supplier of bodies to the school. The scandal
of the Westport murders of 1828-9 and his delight in witty but scathing comments on the work of his contemporaries
contributed to the failure of Knox to obtain a University appointment. The passing of the 1832 Anatomy Act and
Knox's opposition to its implementation led eventually to the decline of his anatomy school. The centre of anatomy
teaching moved from Edinburgh to London. Knox moved too and in London he turned to public lecturing and writing,
including major works on the races of man, on art and anatomy, the history of transcendental anatomy and a manual
of human anatomy.
Throughout the book Alan Bates sets the scene of contemporary life. The reader is introduced to life in Edinburgh, to the leading anatomists of the day, French, Scottish and English, to current theories of the formation of new species and, finally, to Darwin. Although Knox, now near the end of his life, never accepted Darwin's evolutionary theory he stopped writing about transcendental anatomy. A sense of the complex personality of Knox develops, ambitious, gifted and flawed - capable of deep love for his wife and children and zeal for his subject, anatomy, but also of hiding his 'socially inferior' family and of ignoring the mathematics of the supply of bodies. Alan Bates draws on numerous sources, 59 publications by Knox are included in the bibliography, in describing the contribution of Robert Knox to anatomy, both descriptive and philosophical, as his reputation as a leading surgical anatomist is being restored. Those interested in the history of human anatomy, in social history and in anthropology will find a wealth of information within.
BSHM home page - Earlier newsletters
Copyright 2010 British Society for the History of Medicine, prepared by David Hawgood, 16 Nov 2010 with minor amendment 20 Feb 2011. (HTML4.0)