Medical history archives

by Ingrid Thomson

A grant from the Research Resources in Medical History Scheme, funded by the Wellcome Trust, was procured in 2002 for a two-year project, entitled 'Unlocking the Medicine Chest'. As a result, major advances have been made in re-housing, cataloguing, conserving and digitising thousands of medical history records at the University Archives, thus vastly improving accessibility.

The diversity of medical related research subjects is immense, including tropical medicine, medical missionary work, surgery, pathology, infectious diseases and women's experiences in the medical profession. Detailed patient and staff records provide a treasure chest for a variety of researchers. Prospective users will be able to search catalogues and view a selection of images on-line, as well as visit the Archives in person to undertake a wide range of research.

The University Archive Services hold the archives of Tayside Health Board and Dundee Dental Hospital, as well as an impressive Manuscript Collection, comprising the records of various private individuals, societies and companies. The University Staff Records Collection contains the records of various medical Professors and Lecturers from University College Dundee and its successors, Queen's College Dundee and the University of Dundee.

The striking 'hanging babies' photograph (right) appears in the papers of Dr. Robert C. Buist, lecturer in Clinical Midwifery and Gynaecology at University College, Dundee from 1901-1925. The provenance of the image, displaying babies suspended vertically from a hospital screen, is unclear. Whether this was a pioneering treatment or merely a staged photograph, perhaps celebrating a particular event, is up for debate.

The case books of the Asylums include detailed accounts of patients' symptoms and treatment and any family history of insanity, as well as photographs, correspondence and press cuttings, providing endless scope for research. A major cause of admission for many female patients appears to have been the effects of 'love affairs'. In addition, Sunnyside Hospital holds some war pensioners' record cards following the First World War, giving a fascinating insight into the mental welfare of soldiers.

For more information regarding the medical records visit www.dundee.ac.uk/archives