Author: Ross Macfarlane

Two closely-related archives on population control have recently been catalogued and are now available to researchers at the Wellcome Library. Population Concern (SA/POP) and The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health (SA/PGP) form part of a nexus… Continue reading

Roy Porter (1946-2002) is justifiably recognised as the most influential historian of medicine of his generation.  However, despite being a prodigious author, a frequent broadcaster on BBC Radio and a popular lecturer to a range of audiences, not many recordings… Continue reading

This week, Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 featured a discussion between Dr Lesley Hall, Senior Archivist, Wellcome Library and author Lisa Appignanesi. Inspired by the new film Hysteria their discussion traced the historical roots of the term and also… Continue reading

Sick City Talks are a new series of podcasts on the history, literature, art and science of medicine in London, devised by Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Fellow, Dr Richard Barnett. The latest in the series, features Richard in conversation with Dr… Continue reading

What did it mean to be ill in the past?  How was illness understood and how were patients treated?  Drawing on the rich holdings both in the Library and Wellcome Collection, this short course looks for answers to these questions.… Continue reading

For many in this country, the end of August traditionally marks the end of the summer holidays, as children return to school and parents return to the workplace. During the late 1970s and 1980s, as many Brits returned from holidays increasingly spent… Continue reading

An exhibition at the V&A Museum in London, The Silent Traveller in Britain, 1933-1955, explores the work of the Chinese artist and writer Chiang Yee (1903-1977). Chiang wrote (and illustrated) a series of very successful travelogues under the pen name… Continue reading

Who is the most famous fictional doctor in the world? Birlinn Press would have you believe the answer is Dr Finlay: the creation of the Scottish author A J Cronin, whose Finlay stories they have recently republished (the Birlinn claim… Continue reading

As thoughts turn to summer holidays and sporting endevaours, we’ve chosen as our Item of the Month for July, an item that ties these two themes together. The archives of the Wellcome Foundation are one of the largest series of… Continue reading

If you’ve ever tried to trace a medical ancestor by wading through the printed volumes of the UK Medical Registers then you’ll be pleased to hear that after a successful trial period, Wellcome Library users now have online access to… Continue reading