Manuscripts and Special Collections

Featured Topic for Monday: In Good Health.

Florence Nightingale, from Sir Edward Cook, 'Life of Florence Nightingale, vol. 1'

With the spotlight on health, there is plenty of scope to illustrate change in practices and expectations over the centuries.

Some topics, such as reliance on home remedies and alternative cures, or the use of exercise to help the body, have their equivalents today. Others, such as the provision of clean water supply, remind us of what we now take for granted.

Cod liver oil bookmark, from Wellcome's professional nurse's diary.

We see that vaccination was a controversial issue when inoculation against smallpox was introduced.

References to Florence Nightingale and patient care illustrate the development of the nursing profession, complementing records from the first years of Nottingham's General Hospital.

Then, as now, we can see many examples of charitable organisations supplementing the official provision.

Six Topics are Featured:

In Good Health
Travellers and Tourists
From the Cradle to the Grave
By Sword and Gun
A Literary Miscellany
From the University's History

About the Topics

In Good Health

In good health topic

The collections contain many items that show the changes in healthcare and medicine from the past several hundred years.

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Travellers and Tourists

Travellers and tourists topic

Maps, illustrations and travellers' accounts describe early explorations, the experience of visiting foreign countries, and the beginnings of tourism.

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From the Cradle to the Grave

Cradle to the grave topic

Changing experiences of birth and death, childhood and adult life, work and leisure, are illustrated in letters, images, and printed ephemera.

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By Sword and Gun

By sword and gun topic

Famous wars, and the personal experiences of fighting men, are described in original manuscript accounts, photographs, posters and published records.

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A Literary Miscellany

Literary miscellany topic

Local authors, including D H Lawrence, join literary figures of earlier centuries in a compilation featuring satire, drama, and ballad literature.

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From the University's History

University history topic

Memorable events in the history of the University of Nottingham are illustrated, from its civic college origins to current international activities.

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