Welcome to “Medicine in the Victorian Era”
“Medicine in the Victorian Era” looks at medicine and healthcare during the Victorian Era from 1837-1901 in Britain and France. The site showcases the significant innovations the field experienced during the century. There is also a focus upon specific cases which represent the layman’s connection with medicine, paying particular attention to race, gender, and class, factors which played an important role in the quality of care received. The Victorian Era was a period of change, where anachronic practices of the past were challenged for the first time and physicians struggled to battle an onslaught of epidemics whose causes–at least at the beginning of the century–were largely unknown. Of course, much of what is on display–tools, skills, beliefs, and practice–may seem archaic and even brutal upon reflection, yet they represent advancement for their time, and also highlight the innovations which occurred between the medicine of the Victorian era and today. The site seeks to inspire reflection upon this innovation, to identify the differences and similarities that exist between the past and the present, as well as to prompt questions of what the future of medicine might look like in another 200 years.
Curated by Nixie Young, Gabby Manzoni, Cassandra Scarlett