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Barts 900 – The World of Medicine before Barts
A hybrid in-person and live broadcast lecture with medical historian Harvey White.
Medicine has taken a long journey through the ages, across continents and cultures, and one road on this journey ended in London, with the foundation of what became the first general hospital in England – Barts.
In this talk, based on his latest book ‘ From East to Barts’, Harvey White will draw attention to the influence of Graeco-Roman medicine and significant events in the Ancient World.
The collapse of the Roman Empire meant that scholarship and learning became dispersed, with Islam becoming a recipient. Medical traditions from the Far East, Mesopotamia and Egypt became part of the rich medical inheritance introduced into Europe, which in turn provide the backdrop to the foundation of Barts by Rahere in 1123.
After preclinical studies at Oxford, Harvey White qualified in 1961 from Barts, where he completed his senior registrar appointment before becoming consultant surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Following a period as Chairman of Surgery, he continued to practise at King Edward VII Hospital and the London Clinic, and completed a term as Vice-President at the RSM.
As an author Harvey has many books, chapters and other clinical publications to his name, but his long-term interest continues to be medical history. He is the only surviving contributor to the book, published fifty years ago, celebrating 850 years of history at Barts.