Patient Voices in Britain, 1840–1948

Anne Hanley, Jessica Meyer

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English

Manchester University Press
05 February 2025

European history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; History of medicine

Series: Social Histories of Medicine

Historians have long engaged with Roy Porter's call for histories that incorporate patients' voices and experiences. But despite concerted methodological efforts, there has simply not been the degree and breadth of innovation that Porter envisaged. Patients' voices still often remain obscured. This has resulted in part from assumptions about the limitations of archives, many of which are formed of institutional records written from the perspective of health professionals. Patient voices in Britain repositions patient experiences at the centre of healthcare history, using new types of sources and reading familiar sources in new ways. Focusing on military medicine, Poor Law medicine, disability, psychiatry and sexual health, this collection encourages historians to tackle the ethical challenges of using archival material and to think more carefully about how their work might speak to persistent health inequalities and challenges in health-service delivery.

Edited by: Anne Hanley, Jessica Meyer
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 423g
ISBN: 9781526182401
ISBN 10: 1526182408
Series: Social Histories of Medicine
Pages: 364
Publication Date: 05 February 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Anne Hanley is a Lecturer in History of Science and Medicine at Birkbeck, University of London. Jessica Meyer is Associate Professor of Modern British History at the University of Leeds.

Reviews for Patient Voices in Britain, 1840–1948

Unlike many edited volumes, the editors and contributors have made a concerted effort here to integrate their contributions speak to each other. Particularly valuable are the efforts that each chapter makes to show how historical research can improve contemporary policy making. The volume convincingly shows that patients—including those outside the entitled classes—were far from voiceless; by reading records ‘against the grain’ or mining extant archival collections with them in mind, these historians have lived up to Roy Porter’s call to write more patient-centred narratives. Social History of Medicine -- .