medical history
There’s much to be said for nostalgia
Instead of condemning it as dangerous fantasy, two new books argue that we should welcome nostalgia as ‘emotional armour’ in a fast-changing world
Like an episode of Play School: Dr Semmelweis, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, reviewed
Bleach and germs are the central themes of Dr Semmelweis, written by Mark Rylance and Stephen Brown. The opening scene,…
A history of pioneering women doctors descends into Mills & Boon trivia
The first three women doctors on the medical register in the UK had not only to study harder than their…
The history of transplants had many false starts
On watching transplant surgery, I can give prosaic but essential advice: have a good breakfast. Each operation can last 12…
It took two centuries to eradicate smallpox even after a vaccine was invented
In supposedly unprecedented times such as ours, there are compelling reasons to turn to the history of medicine. For hope,…
A ‘loneliness pandemic’ could prove as dangerous as coronavirus
Adrian Woolfson explains the essence of pandemics – and how we can expect many more of them
One hundred years on, could we cope with a new flu pandemic?
Do you remember the swine flu panic a decade ago? Jeremy Brown, the author of this book, describes it here.…
How Joseph Lister transformed surgery from butchery to a healing art
Every operation starts the same way. Chlorhexidine scrubbed under nails, lathered over wet hands, palm-to-palm, fingers interlaced, thumbs, wrists, forearms.…
