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A personal story to mark Mental Health Week, 15 – 21 May 2023.

Photo by Eugene Golovesov on Unsplash

When my sister died over the Christmas period last year, I was left with a sense of guilt at the memory of our last encounters. She had asked constantly for me to accompany her to the theatre to watch The Lion King, and I…

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Red Cross Week 8-14 May 2023

The Red Cross is part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, with Red Cross and Crescent teams working in 192 countries. Using combined resources they respond together in the event of disasters and emergencies. Red Cross Week ties in with World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. This is…

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World Book and Copyright Day 2023

World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, activities take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books, linking the past and future, and creating a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this…

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International Women’s Day : staff / alumni authors

To mark International Women’s Day, I have put together a display of books authored or edited by a range of female staff and alumni of LSHTM. Among others there are Sari Kovats, Dina Balabanova, Virginia Berridge, Ann Mills and Anna Dixon. The topics include both the sciences and social…

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A History of Epidemic Pestilences; from the earliest ages 1495 years before the birth of our Saviour to 1848 by Edward Bascombe M.D. : Historical Collection

Bascombe’s ‘A History of Epidemic Pestilences from the earliest ages 1495 years before the birth of our Saviour to 1848’, is a historical account of diseases around the world. Since there was no concept of germ theory, no one understood the cause of these outbreaks or how they spread…

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The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin: Historical Collection

The work is divided into two parts. Part One marshals behavioral and morphological evidence to argue that humans evolved from other animals. Darwin shows that human mental and emotional capacities, far from making human beings unique, are evidence of an animal origin and evolutionary development. Part Two is an extended…

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The Elements of Vital Statistics by A. Newsholme: Historical Collection

First published in 1889, this book provides a guide to vital statistics applied to the life-history of communities and nations in relation to medical problems. Chapters cover a wide variety of categories including population, births and deaths, sickness, occupation and mortality, and mortality from special diseases.

Newsholme lived through…

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Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition: carried on by order of the British government during the years 1835, 1836 and 1837 by Captain Francis Rawdon Chesney: Historical Collection

‘Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition’, is a very detailed account of the navigation of the Euphrates by steamship, from Birecik to the Persian Gulf, a total distance of 1400 kilometres. In charge of the expedition was Captain Francis Rawdon Chesney whose goal was to establish a shorter, more direct…

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World Leprosy Day 2023

World Leprosy Day aims to raise awareness of a disease, and those affected by it, that is often forgotten about. Nearly 600 people are diagnosed with and start treatment for leprosy every day. It is estimated millions more go undiagnosed. In 2020, 127,558 new leprosy cases were detected globally…

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Portrait of Octavia Hill

Octavia Hill and the Royal Commission on the Poor Law and the Unemployed (1905-09).  LSHTM Rare Books Blog Series No. 6. January 2023

The Royal Commission on the Poor Law and the Unemployed was set up in 1905 to review the system of poor relief provision and consider alternative ways to tackle unemployment. Twenty people were appointed to the Commission including Octavia Hill (1838-1912) and Beatrice Webb (1858-1943). However, after four…

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