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BSHM Poynter Lecture 24 March 2010
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Promiscuous & Inattentive Proceedings
The ethics and etiquette of patient care in the Georgian era
By Dr Ruth Richardson
Visiting Professor to Hong Kong University in Humanities
and an Affiliated Scholar, in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
The Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, Euston Road , London
6.00p.m. 24th March 2010
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.
The lecture will be held in the auditorium of the Conference Centre at the Wellcome Building 183 Euston Road at 6.00 p m. (1800 hours). This lecture, which will be advertised in the Wellcome's "What's on", is free and is open to the public. Public booking will be through the Wellcome Collection .
The Officers and Representatives Meeting of BSHM will be held at the start of the afternoon in a breakout room called The Burroughs Room in the Conference Centre from 1.30 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. (13.30 hrs-15.00 hrs).
Richard Aspin, the Head of Research and Scholarship at the Wellcome Library, has very kindly arranged a Mini-Exhibition from 3.30 p. m - 5.15 p. m, showing related texts, documents or pictures of the Georgian Era, from the Wellcome Library Collection, to complement Dr Ruth Richardson’s Lecture. The exhibition will be held in the next building, 215 Euston Road in the Mendel 1 Room. There will be guides to show the way. The room can only hold about 30 35 people. So it is very important that Fiona Davidson has a list of people wanting to come as soon as possible. This is for BSHM members of BSHM affiliated societies and their guests only. Booking will be to the Hon. Secretary of BSHM, Dr Fiona Davidson, 24 Foxes Dale, Blackheath London SE3 9BQ. Email drfdavidson@yahoo.co.uk.
The Wellcome has, once again, very kindly offered to provided drinks and simple refreshments between 5.00 p m and 6.00 p m. to members of the BSHM .
There will be an informal Buffet Dinner in a nearby restaurant after the Lecture, as previously, if more than 20 people are interested. It is called the Mirrors Restaurant, Novotel, at King's Cross. Let Fiona Davidson know if you want to dine.
Ruth Richardson is one editor of Medical Humanities - a Practical Introduction (Royal College of Physicians) and is author of The Making of Mr Gray's Anatomy (Oxford University Press)
We have a poster available for display - see Poynter poster (Word document)
The lecture is named after F N L (Noel) Poynter (1903-1979), who was librarian of the Wellcome Library from 1954 and Director of the Wellcome Institute from 1964 to his retirement in 1973. He was very active in organisations and journals for the history of medicine, both in Britain and internationally.
The Faculty of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London (founded in 1958) organised the first British Congress on the History of Medicine in 1960. The meeting was sponsored by the Wellcome Foundation Ltd. Poynter edited the proceedings as "The evolution of medical practice in Britain". London : Pitman Medical Publishing Co. Ltd. 1961.
The British Society for the History of Medicine was founded in 1965 at the instigation of Dr W S C Copeman and Dr F N L Poynter, then respectively Chairman and Secretary of the Faculty of the History of Medicine of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London, which at that time was the active co-ordinator of British medical historians.
There is a Poynter lecture every two years.
Copyright 2010 David Hawgood and the British Society for the History of Medicine
This page by David Hawgood
was amended 21 Feb 2010