Brian Abel-Smith was one of the most influential expert advisers of the 20th century in shaping social welfare. He was a modern-day Thomas Paine, driven by a strong socialist mission to improve the lives of the poorest. This valuable and accessible book is the first biography of Abel-Smith. It takes a historical perspective to analyse the development of health and social welfare systems since the 1950s, exposing the critical impact of long-running debates on poverty and state responsibilit...

This important book traces the history of genetics and genomics policy in Britain. Detailing the scientific, political, and economic factors that have informed policy and the development of new health services, the book highlights the particular importance of the field of Public Health Genomics.Although focused primarily on events in Britain, the book reveals a number of globally applicable lessons. The authors explain how and why Public Health Genomics developed and the ways in wh...

It may seem as if the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has always been part of the UK’s health and social care landscape. But this fascinating book charts the evolution of NICE from its origins 25 years ago, as well as how this development illustrates many of the key themes effecting health care today.In a period of rapid medical and technological advance, NICE has been both a gatekeeper to ensure that health care resources are spent where they are needed mos...

A provocative survey of new research in the history of urban public health, Body and City links the approaches of demographic and medical history with the methodologies of urban history and historical geography. It challenges older methodologies, offering new insights into the significance of cultural history, which has largely been overlooked by previous histories of public health. This book explores important issues and experiences in the public health arena in diverse European settings ...

This is the first major study of a significant post within the British government. Drawing on a wide range of archival sources and interviews with senior health professionals and politicians, this book positions the Chief Medical Officer as one of the most influential individuals within the Whitehall system, with personal responsibility for the health of the population. Through a number of case studies, including the 1950s smoking and lung caner issue, and the AIDS and BSE crises of the 19...

Financing Medicine brings together a collection of essays dealing with the financing of medical care in Britain since the mid-eighteenth century, with a view to addressing two major issues:Why did the funding of the British health system develop in the way it did?What were the ramifications of these arrangements for the nature and extent of health care before the NHS?The book also goes on to explore the 'lessons' and legacies of the past whic...