Exploring Histories of Health and Medicine in Oxford

Our project will create an online resource that looks at historical practices of medicine and healthcare in and around Oxford, encouraging engagement with the diverse range of histories of health and medicine that can be found within the city. We will focus on some of the more complex and challenging aspects to that history, exploring issues such as imperialism and medicine, the experiences of healthcare workers and students, and community access to medical and health resources. The website will offer an opportunity to reflect on the continuing relevance of these themes to the University, the city and beyond. It will draw upon the expertise of a range of personnel with interests in histories of medicine and healthcare. Community historians, local citizens, students, and early career scholars will be invited to contribute to the website. The resource is envisioned as an educational and public engagement resource that will be accessible to all.

Oxford Health Histories

https://oxfordhealth.web.ox.ac.uk/

Oxford Health Histories looks at historic practices of medicine and healthcare in and around Oxford. It encourages engagement with the diverse range of histories of health and medicine that can be found within the city. We try to focus on some of the more complex, challenging, and understudied aspects to that history, and themes and subjects that can bring greater understanding to the identity of Oxford as a whole. This includes research into the social history of penicillin development, anatomy and dissection in the city, student health and the politics of mental healthcare provision in a city with deeply embedded health inequalities. The website will act as a repository for oral history interviews with those who have worked across the spectrum of healthcare in Oxford. We are also developing partnerships with community and groups and local teachers to ensure the work of the project is truly community-led.

Personnel: Sally Frampton, Paula Larsson, Olivia Durand, Lunan Zhao, Chloe Williams, Yewande Okuleye, Kati Lacey, John Hall.

Partners: Uncomfortable Oxford, Restore.