We were invited by the University of Kent to help them create one in a series of wonderful short films about the factors driving change in medical practice during the Age of Revolution.
Watch the film about the Kymograph, with George Marshall Medical Museum’s Curator, Louise Price below, and head to their webpage to see more films, which are particularly useful for students studying the History of Medicine as part of a GCSE or A level course.
Thanks for including us!
Racism has devastating consequences. We recognise, that as an organisation promoting the study and commemoration of the histories and material cultures of medicine and healthcare in the Midlands, we accept that we have not more, but everything to do. We apologise for being silent for so long. We want a society built on inclusion and equality of access and opportunity. We want to overturn institutional racism. We want a collection and workforce to reflect diversity and affect change.
Last year we trained with ‘Inclusive Boards’ to understand how we might be able to embed the Creative Case for Diversity in our small organisation and we are progressing. We are making new connections to diversify our small workforce of volunteers, including our steering group who report to the Board of Trustees at the Charles Hastings Education Centre.
Right now we are beginning to gather oral histories and witness testimony from staff within hospital and healthcare settings in Worcestershire focussing on the coronavirus pandemic and hope to highlight the reliance of the county and nation on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff (our doctors, nurses, cleaners and porters amongst them), who have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19.
There is still everything to do, because Black Lives Matter.
We hope you can all do something to mark #VEDayAtHome. At GMMM, we'll be observing the two-minute silence at 11am, and hopefully there'll be a cake (or two!). Not forgetting all of those who served on the Home Front, here's a photograph from our collection of the Worcester Home Guard.
Worcester’s Home Guard
Set up in 1942 as Britain's 'last line of defence', many members of the Infirmary staff joined what was originally the LDV (Local Defence Volunteers), and a copy of this photograph is on display in our War Surgery case alongside the medals they were awarded.
Winston Churchill announced the end of the War in Europe with a speech broadcast from Downing St on 8 May 1945. He said "we may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead".