BAFTA win for history of smallpox school resource
02 December 2010
Funded by a Medical History and Humanities public engagement grant from the Trust, the interactive web-based resource traces the story of smallpox over 500 years. The free resource, aimed primarily at teachers and students studying history of medicine at GCSE level, was launched to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the global eradication of smallpox.
Clare Matterson, Director of Medical Humanities and Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, commented: “Timelines have created a captivating resource to explore smallpox in both its historical and cultural contexts and we are delighted that they have been recognised with this prestigious award.”
Beginning with the death of the Pharaoh Rameses V in Ancient Egypt - the first known record of smallpox - the resource is broken down into 13 short online video clips. These trace the history of the disease across history and continents, from the story of Pocahontas, and the devastating consequences of smallpox among the indigenous people of America, to Jenner’s breakthrough and the discovery of a vaccine leading to global eradication.
The resource ends with a discussion of the relevance of smallpox today, introducing students to the debate on the risks and benefits of keeping stocks of the virus.
Film maker Andrew Chater, who created the project with Paul Trainor, said: “Medical history plays a significant part in the schools curriculum, and the smallpox resource we’ve created enables students to trace how our understanding of disease has changed over time.
"The Wellcome Trust was invaluable in the creation of the new resource, providing expert academic advice and archival resources as well as project funding, and we are delighted that BAFTA has seen fit to honour the fruits of our collaboration.”
Timelines.tv is a free online resource delivering broadcast-quality history content direct to learners. It has been a great success with history teachers across the country, as mainstream broadcasters have moved to cut education programming in recent years.
In addition to the video material, the website is supported by an interactive timeline and still images from library archives.
Image credit: Timelines.tv
