Research
Research
Current Research Projects
Our research covers the full range of the history of medicine, science and technology. We also connect these histories to contemporary issues in medicine, science and technology through our policy and public engagement work.
Traumatised Minds: Neurosis and Hysteria in Soviet Medicine and Culture, 1917–1953
This Wellcome Trust-funded project examines Soviet medical and cultural approaches to psychological trauma to better understand the traditions and contexts that may still operate in post-Soviet societies dealing with trauma in the present. It is led by Dr Anna Toropova.
The Scientific Revolution as Global History, 1000–1800
This British Academy/Wolfson Foundation-funded project will provide a major reassessment of the concept of the “scientific revolution”. The scientific revolution was not a period of radical unidirectional change, nor was it unique to Europe. Rather, early modern science was made through a process of creative re-engagement with the global past. It is led by Dr James Poskett through the Global History and Culture Centre.
From 'Equal Health' to Health Equals: Pioneering Community Led Diabetes Prevention Research
This project is building a partnership with African Caribbean communities in Birmingham and Coventry; Bajans in Barbados; and African Americans in California to examine the historical and contemporary disparities in the prevention, diagnosis and management of Type Two diabete. It is led by Professor Roberta Bivins.
Almoners, Patients, and the Formation of Medical Social Work in London, 1895–1948
This Wellcome Trust-funded project examines the history of social work through the history of hospital almoners. The first almoners were appointed to charitable hospitals at the end of the nineteenth century. This project argue that almoners were precursors to today’s social workers. It is led by Dr Lynsey Cullen.
X-Rays in the Late Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey, 1895 to Present
This European Research Council-funded project explores how a new medical technology—the X-ray—was integrated into daily life in the late Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey. Drawing on sources in English, French, and Turkish, the project contributes to the global history of medicine and technology. It is led by Dr Meriç Tanık.
Past Research Projects
Over the last 25 years, the Centre has made major contributions to the history of medicine, science and technology. You can see a selection of past projects below. To see a full list of our previous research projects, please click here.
The Cultural History of the NHS
Between 2015 and 2021, Professor Roberta Bivins and Professor Mathew Thomson led a Wellcome Trust project which explored the impacts of the NHS on British culture, identity, and health from 1948 to the present day.
The Last Taboo of Motherhood?
This Wellcome Trust project, led by Professor Hilary Marland, explored the history of maternal mental illness in twentieth-century Britain. The project considered how broad social and cultural factors, including attitudes towards motherhood and women’s changing status, were reflected in interpretations of postnatal mental illness.
Everyday Technology in Monsoon Asia, 1880–1960
This ESRC project, led by Professor David Arnold, was concerned with the introduction and use of a range of new technologies in South Southeast and East Asia, with particular reference to colonial and post-colonial India and Vietnam. The technologies involved included bicycles, sewing-machines, typewriters and rice-mills.