Plymouth Medical Society’s Historic collection:

1. Plymouth Medical Society’s Historic collection: Advances in medicine as demonstrated through military references. The above image belongs to Ian Visits and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

2. Aim: This resource aims to introduce new users to the collection. Through references and quotes from the material within the collection the resource hopes to demonstrate how the development and deployment of the military has brought about medical advances. The resource is not a comprehensive record of quotes and references, nor is it meant to be, but is a starting point for those interested in the military and its influence on medical practice.

3. About the collection: The collection is currently housed within The Discovery Library inside Derriford hospital and is available to be viewed upon request. The heritage lottery fund has allowed for the safe storage of the collection. The collection contains archives, handwritten records and notes alongside the printed volumes. Parts of the collection have been digitised and can be accessed through the collection’s website.

4. Who the Resource is aimed at: This resource is aimed at historians and scholars who have an interest in the military and in medicine. The resource could also be of interest to the general public particularly those interested in the history of medicine or the military. It might also appeal to those interested in the history of Plymouth. It might also be relevant to students and teachers of the GCSE history of medicine unit as the developments of hospital cleanliness during the Crimean war and the work of Florence Nightingale are mentioned.

5. Introduction: Plymouth has a long and proud military history, much of which is still visible today. • The city’s coat of arms contains four towers which represent the fortifications built in the Tudor and Elizabethan eras. Two of the towers remain today at Sutton Pool and Mount Batten. The towers were built to protect the city after attacks during the 100 year wars with France. The city also suffered heavily during the second world war. • The most famous resident of Plymouth was Sir Francis Drake who was Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy, and much of the city bears his name. The military links continue today with the Devonport Naval base and local marine bases playing a large part in the city’s economy. Military medicine also has a strong history within the city. • The Royal Navy in 1792 built their model hospital in Plymouth and although it is no longer in operation, Plymouth’s main hospital Derriford is one of just five Ministry of Defence Hospital Units around the UK. It is for this reason that I believe it is fitting that these historical links continue to be celebrated.

6. Occupational medicine: Occupational medicine was defined in 1950 by the World Health Organisation Committee as “…..placing and maintenance of a worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological equipment and, to summarise, the adaptation of work to people and of each person to their job.” Quote from the collection: “The preservation of health of soldiers, in the field and in quarters, is attained by a certain extent, by rigid observance of those forms of discipline and economy which are under the direction and surveillance of military officers. Care in these hands goes far in prevention.” Robert Jackson in A view of the formation, discipline and economy of armies 1845.

7. Occupational medicine:

10. Public Health: Public health is “ the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organisations, public and private, communities and individuals.” (1920 C.E.A. Winslow.) Quotes from the collection: “Strong drink beyond a very narrow limit, intoxication its subject: and as intoxication extinguishes judgement, errors and not unfrequently offences arise under intoxication, which when submitted to the decisions of courts-martial, are punished with stripes and disgrace.” “….. He visited the barracks daily three of four times to detect incipit disease.” Robert Jackson in A view of the discipline and economy of armies (1845).

11. Public Health:

13. Mental health: Mental Health is not only the absence of a recognised mental disorder or disability but a state of well-being. Quotes from the collection: A mention of a disease similar to shell-shock. “it often happens that when a man is shot, he is overtaken with an awful trembling and disorder of the nervous system, that the bravest cannot resist it, and the most acute physiologist cannot tell whether it is a disorder of the mind or a tumult of the mind.” John Bell in Discourses the Nature and cure of wounds.

14. Mental Health

15. Advances in medical Practice: Wars have brought about many advances in medical practice and the severity of injuries inflicted soldiers increases the pressure to save them stimulates the rapid development of new techniques like the novel haemostats used during current conflicts and development of the transfusion service during World War 2. Quote from the collection: “ War, which brings sorrow and suffering, becoming more and more dreadful on each occasion, is nevertheless not without its compensations. The battlefield has always been a training ground for surgeons, and in recent years war has provided opportunities for vast experiments in public hygiene and national health which could not have been carried out during the years of peace.” Maj-gen R.M. Downes in ‘ What medicine owes to war, and war owes to medicine’ RAMC 1936.

16. Advances in medical practice:

20. Conclusions: This resource has quotes from 8 sources within the collection and has hopefully provided a taste of the knowledge contained within the collection.