Humanities resources
4 October 2008
King’s College London will receive about £2 million over five years, and Durham University around £1.8m. The grants will be used to establish centres of excellence in medical humanities.
At King’s, Professor Brian Hurwitz and colleagues will study ‘The Boundaries of Illness’, looking at personal and cultural representations of health and illness and the boundaries between them. Professor Martyn Evans and colleagues at Durham University will examine ‘Medicine and Human Flourishing’ - a programme of research aimed at understanding the human side of medicine.
The Glasgow Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare - a joint venture between the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University - has received the largest award ever made for the history of medicine in Scotland. The £375 000 Enhancement Award will be used to employ new researchers over the next five years and assist with outreach activities.
Dr James Mills, Director of the Centre, said: “Many of the illnesses we associate with today - binge drinking, obesity and non-prescription drug use - are nothing new. By looking at the policies of the past, we can help inform how we can deal effectively with the same problems now, and just as importantly, which policies should be avoided at all costs.”
Image: A man seeks medical help after “going rather too far in the Pursuit of Pleasure and Amusement”. Lithograph by George Cruikshank; Wellcome Library, London.