Practical Archival Skills Training: Modern Health and the State

Modern Health and the State

Medicine and health are inherently archival practices – medics have always recorded details of illnesses, outbreaks, patients, treatments and results so they might disseminate amongst their colleagues. As the British state expanded, both domestically, and via its military and Empire these practices of recording became increasingly a part of the state and therefore standardised over time. Medicine increasingly became a state concern over the centuries up until and beyond the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, and many of the results therefore ended up in the collections of The National Archives.

This workshop introduces The National Archives broad collections and gives an overview of which departments dealt with the health functions of government throughout the centuries. It focuses on how researchers can best search for the records relating to the health and welfare of British citizens in the Victorian period through to the twentieth century, while showcasing some interesting examples from TNA’s collection.

This half-day online workshop will provide an overview of the most useful sources and methods for research in this area, and what challenges a researcher may face. This will include how to uncover the lived experience of citizens who engaged with the state, and how they made their voices heard whilst navigating the bureaucracy of government.

This workshop will provide researchers with the skills to begin tackling these challenges. It will offer:

• An overview of the principal sources for the history of medicine. The workshop will give you an insight into the range of sources available for research in this area and offer advice from our specialists on how to approach the archive thematically and geographically.

• Case studies on specific topics and records that facilitate the study of medical history in the archive. We will explore case studies including 19th and 20th century infectious diseases, venereal diseases, mother and child welfare, hospitals, NHS history, and health education.

By the end of the workshop, attendees will be equipped with the skills to navigate government archives, and the strategies to locate sources for the study of the history of medicine.

Programme

• Welcome and introductions

1. Researching the history of medicine at The National Archives: an overview

1. 19th century health records
2. 20th century health records, including the NHS

For more information about the PAST programme and to see other workshops in the series, please visit The National Archives' website or email past@nationalarchives.gov.uk.