Medicine Related Websites

Medical Timelines: HistoryWorld is a general history site, covering all subjects, but it is particularly strong on medicine thanks to the Wellcome Trust. Their magnificent contribution, written specifically for the site by Dr. Carole Reeves, provides a wealth of fascinating material and images. Dr. Reeves follows seven medical themes through time, investigating each in lively detail. Each of her articles is accompanied by an illustrated timeline, and these provide the most enjoyable way of getting into the material. At a single click you will find yourself absorbed in an illustrated timeline on Birth, Death, Drugs, Hospitals, Plagues, Surgery and Technology.

Medicine through Time: The medicine section of the Schools History website contains information, links and activities about medical history, changes and developments from ancient times onwards. Quick tests and revision activities can be found in each unit. The website currently covers the following topics: Egyptian Medicine, Greek Medicine, Roman Medicine, Medieval and Early Modern Europe, Oriental and Chinese Medicine, the works of Andreas Vesalius and Infectious Disease.

History of Medicine: Chris Trueman of Sackville School, East Grinstead, has produced this material for students doing exam courses. This includes: Medicine in Ancient Egypt; Medicine in Ancient Greece; Hippocrates; Medicine in Ancient Rome; Claudius Galen; Medical Developments in the Middle Ages; Edward Jenner; Joseph Lister; Louis Pasteur; Robert Koch; Microbes and Landmark Discoveries; Public Health 1900 to 1929; Alexander Fleming and Penicillin; Howard Florey and Penicillin; Changes in Medicine 1919 to 1939; Medical Advances since World War Two; the National Health Service and Christian Barnard.

History of Medicine: Andy Walker's History of Medicine website includes activities on Roman Public Health, Renaissance Medicine, Women in Medicine, Nursing and Nightingale, Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner. There are also exam papers, revision tests and revision tips. If you are a student and want some advice you also have the opportunity to email Andy Walker for help.

Rudiments of Wisdom: Medicine: Tim Hunkin trained as an engineer, but then became a cartoonist, drawing the Rudiments of Wisdom Encyclopaedia for the Observer newspaper for 14 years. These educational cartoons later appeared in book form and now they are available free on Tim Hunkin's website. This includes a good section on the history of medicine. Subjects covered include Anaesthetics, Antiseptics, Bacteria, Bubonic Plague, Cancer, Cholera, Homeopathy, Influenza, Surgery and Vaccination.

History of Biomedicine: Karolinska Institutet Library (KIB) is the largest medical library in Sweden and have produced an impressive website on the history of Biomedicine. Subjects covered include Indigenous Cultures, Mesopotamian Medicine, Ancient Egyptian Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Indian Medicine, Classical Islamic Biomedicine, Western Biomedicine and the History of Diseases.

Old Operating Theatre Museum: The Operating Theatre was built in 1822 in the old Herb Garret of St Thomas's Hospital. While the Garret has a charming old world atmosphere of oak beams and bundles of herbs, the Theatre itself is a shocking reminder of the harsh reality of life before modern science and technology. Britain's oldest surviving Operating Theatre has been restored with much original furniture, including a 19th Century operating table. This is an innovative site that gives you a 360 Panoramic Tour of the Operating Theatre and the Herb Garret.

Health and Medicine in Kent: Written by Ian Coulson to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NHS this excellent website includes material on prehistoric medicine, Roman medicine, health in the Middle Ages, John Esson, the Black Death, William Harvey, cholera, secret remedies, early hospitals and Bevan's NHS. Although the focus is on Kent the material could be used by any secondary school student studying the history of medicine.

Islamic Medicine Website: Roz Stirzaker teaches history at the Latifa School in the United Arab Emirates. With the help of the Ajman Museum Roz Stirzaker and her students have created a website that looks at the impact of religion on medicine during the Middle Ages. There are sections on Impact of Islam on Medicine, Impact of Arabia on Medicine, Ibn Razi, Albicasis, Ibn Sina, Arabic doctors and Private & Public Health. One of the most interesting features is the comparison between medicine in the Islamic empire and in Europe during the same period.

Doctor Over Time: It didn't really matter what ailed you. If you were sick in 1900, your doctor couldn't do much more than provide comfort until your body defeated the illness, or until the illness defeated you. The doctor had a few goodies in his little black bag, though: morphine and aspirin to ease pain, quinine to fight off malaria, smallpox vaccine, and digitalis for heart failure. How that black bag has grown in the past century! There are medicines and treatments for almost every illness known to man. This activity shows how doctors over this century would have handled the same afflictions. All you have to do is complain to the doctor, then see how he or she responds.