The history of health and medicine in contemporary Britain: reflections on the role of audio-visual sources.

Abstract

Recent policy discussions about extending the system of legal deposit to material published in formats other than print, for example film, video, and television, offer an opportunity to reflect on the role of audio-visual sources in the contemporary history of health and medicine. In the course of the twentieth century, audio-visual media have become the means of communicating ideas and information about health and medicine to a mass audience. However, health and medical historians rarely draw upon film, television, or video as historical source material. This paper encourages a greater role for these sources by outlining different ways of approaching audio-visual material as historical source, and introducing a selection of research tools and tips for accessing our audio-visual heritage.