Witness Seminar Research Articles

Bangladesh, 1971, and the BBC South Asian language services: perceptions of a conflict

This article examines how broadcasters in the BBC South Asian language services recall and interpret the reporting of the events that led to the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state in 1971 by the BBC’s Bengali, Urdu, Hindi and English services. It is based primarily on oral testimonies recorded at a ‘witness seminar’ which reunited 15 former BBC colleagues and associates from that time, as well as further interviews with individuals who witnessed the events directly. The witness seminar provided the framework for the participants to reflect individually and collectively on the challenges they faced in reporting the events of 1971; on how Bush House operated as an institution, its technologies, its hierarchies and the relationships between diasporic South Asian colleagues and their peers at Bush House; and on their perceptions of their audiences. The article seeks to illuminate the transnational and transcultural relationships that have been a distinctive feature of the BBC World Service (BBCWS). It argues that relations between the broadcasters from the different language services, who came from both wings of Pakistan and from India and Britain, were at times very tense but professional ethics, especially about the primary significance accorded to standards of impartiality, took priority over personal or political sympathies. The witness seminar testimonies differed in significant respects but converged on how a remarkable spirit of cosmopolitan collegiality reigned despite the often intense personal pressures that broadcasters faced.

A witness seminar: the development of old age psychiatry in Britain, 1960–1989. Themes, lessons and highlights

To create a record of the development of old age psychiatry in Britain, as seen through the eyes of some of the people who participated in building it, from the earliest days until it was officially recognised as a specialty by the Department of Health in 1989. Group reminiscences and discussions in the format of a witness seminar which was audio-recorded and transcribed. Witnesses also provided written biographical information. The annotated full record created at the seminar is available on line. This paper reflecting themes, lessons and highlights has been derived from it. Early old age psychiatrists often encountered opposition and incredulity from other health care professionals and managers. However, their experiences were demonstrating just how much could be achieved in improving the lives of older mentally ill people. They conveyed their enthusiasm for their work in both clinical and university settings. Clinical creativity, support when working in relative professional isolation, and dealing with opposition benefited from both the development of the Group for the Psychiatry of Old Age at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and from close links with geriatric medicine.

The Anatomy of the Brain Drain Debate, 1950–1970s: Witness Seminar

This witness seminar on the brain drain debate, 1950–1970s, was held on 23 May 2006 at University College London. The edited transcript is presented here with the briefing paper provided for the wi...

Witness Seminar Conference: Examining the issues and challenges of email and e-communications

Witness Seminar Conference: Examining the issues and challenges of email and e-communications

A Close and Practical Association with the Medical Profession: Scottish Medical Social Workers and Social Medicine, 1940–1975

This study is concerned with the development of the profession of almoner (renamed medical social worker in the 1960s) in Scotland in the period from the outbreak of the Second World War until the mid-1970s. In addition to primary and secondary documentary sources, it is based on extended interviews with practitioners of different generations, the collected personal records of individuals, and a witness seminar which involved medical social workers, members of parallel professions, and those who carried political responsibility for social work both at the Scottish Office and within the local authorities during the critical years.1 The story of the development of a small, well organized, purposeful, predominantly female, profession would be worth telling for its own sake, but there are wider implications. In the first place this is an example of a profession or, to be more specific, what we shall call an insecure profession, developing initially within one professional jurisdiction, the medical, and then switching to another, social work. As such, it offers an insight into the dynamics of professional politics. Secondly, there are social change issues and their impact on health services; all professions mirror the times in which they operate but the almoners’ experience was particularly interesting because they engaged with issues of poverty, poor housing, abortion, adoption, and domestic violence in a period when popular and professional attitudes were subject to challenge and change. Thirdly, the story carries implications for the NHS as a whole. Currently the social contexts of health and medicine are much debated and often outlined as if they rested on novel insights. In reality, there have always been individuals and organizations arguing passionately for the social dimension. By 1948 politicians and prominent physicians had identified the almoners as a way of advancing social medicine. Over the next twenty years the profession did much to justify such expectations. Almoners, or medical social workers, were never as numerous on the wards and surgeries of the NHS as they would have liked but they became a part of many medical teams and were involved in the “social” education of other health professionals, including doctors. In the late 1960s changes began which would take the profession out of the NHS and into the new social work departments of the local authorities. At the same time, the profession lost its separate identity and became part of the new generic social work profession. The developments, which in Scotland were completed with the reorganization of local government in 1975, represented, in the view of many practitioners, the moment when their profession lost its effectiveness. In discussing why this happened, it is possible to shed light on some of the difficulties of embedding social considerations in the practice of health care. The significance of this debate becomes clear when we note the striking parallel between what have recently been identified as key service weaknesses and what the almoners were trying to promote: an informed social input into clinical decisions on wards and in surgeries, and continuity of care linking primary and secondary, health and welfare, and state and voluntary services. Not for the first time, the intricacies of professional politics appear to have thwarted desirable ends. That the activities of almoners promised not only better but also more cost effective care only adds a degree of mystery.

What is the essence of records management?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to share impressions of a witness seminar conference which explored the Essence of Records Management held in May 2006 in Newcastle upon Tyne.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on the concluding remarks made by the author as the conference rapporteur.FindingsThe paper concludes that the witness seminar format of the conference was very successful with much interaction between the speakers and participation from the audience; on the issues explored there has not been a paradigm shift; and that there are important areas which are still to discuss.Originality/valueThis paper shares impressions from a very different conference format which encourages debate amongst experts; it also raises some very important questions and challenges for records managers going forward.

D A Christie and E M Tansey (eds), Leukaemia, transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 15 May 2001, Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine, vol. 15, London, Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 2003, pp. ix, 85, £10.00 (paperback 0-85484-087-7).D A Christie and E M Tansey (eds), Genetic testing, transcript of a Witness Seminar held

D A Christie and E M Tansey (eds), Leukaemia, transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 15 May 2001, Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine, vol. 15, London, Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 2003, pp. ix, 85, £10.00 (paperback 0-85484-087-7). - D A Christie and E M Tansey (eds), Genetic testing, transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 13 July 2001, Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine, vol. 17, London, Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 2003, pp. xix, 130, £10.00 (paperback 0-85484-094-X). - D A Christie and E M Tansey (eds), Cystic fibrosis, transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 11 July 2002, Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine, vol. 20, London, Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 2004, pp. xix, 119, £10.00 (paperback 0-85484-086-9). - D T Zallen, D A Christie and E M Tansey (eds), The rhesus factor and disease prevention, transcript of a Witness Seminar held on 3 June 2003, Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine, vol. 22, London, Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 2004, pp. xxii, 98, £10.00 (paperback 0-85484-099-0). - Volume 50 Issue 2

WITNESS SEMINAR: Anti-Fascism in 1970s Huddersfield

This article consists of an edited transcript of a witness seminar on campaigning against the National Front in Huddersfield in the 1970s. The participants were from a range of left-wing, union, student and immigrant organisations, reflecting the coalition of groups that came together to oppose the recently established anti-immigrant party that had high hopes of making a breakthrough in the West Yorkshire town. The participants discussed their activities in the 1970s and the efficacy and morality of their strategies to defeat those they branded as Nazis.

Wellcome witnesses: The Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit.

A Witness Seminar brings together individuals involved in a significant event in the treatment of a medical condition to describe its background and to discuss, debate, or even to disagree with their peers' recollections. A brief description is given of the Witness Seminar, held in June 2001 by the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London, which considered the history of Medical Research Council's Applied Psychology Unit (ABU) in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The APU was created in 1944 and produced more than 3,000 papers before it was renamed the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unite (CBU) in 1998. Photographs of key figures and purpose-built apparatus illustrate some of its early work as recorded in the published transcript of the meeting.

Historical Perspectives

This month’s Historical Perspective is written by Osmund Reynolds. When I requested a personal reminiscence of how his research and article on detection of brain damage in preterm infants via cranial ultrasonography originated, I asked that he include the setting in which this advance occurred. His entertaining response provides a perspective on the evolution of neonatal care at University College Hospital (UCH), London. This recollection of the introduction of neonatal care at UCH is included in Part 1; part 2 focuses on the more specific introduction of cranial ultrasound imaging. It should be mentioned that the pace of development of neonatal intensive care in the United Kingdom generally was much slower than in the United States and some other countries. Indeed, in 1980, there were only 12 neonatal consultant posts for the entire UK. It is generally recognized that UCH was one of the leaders in this arena not only for the UK, but also for the world. For a more detailed discussion of the development of intensive care in the UK, the reader is referred to one in a series of “Witness Seminars” developed by the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, for which Professor Reynolds was the major consultant. (1) 1. ↵ Origins of neonatal intensive care in the UK. In: Christie DA, Tansey EM, eds. Wellcome Witnesses to Twentieth Century Medicine. Vol.9 . London, United Kingdom: Wellcome Trust;2001 :1–75. [OpenUrl][1] # {#article-title-2} ### Introduction I first became interested in perinatal medicine in 1955 while undertaking a physiology BSc degree at St. Thomas’ Hospital Medical School in London. The head of the department was Professor Henry Barcroft (son of Sir Joseph), and Maureen Young was a lecturer. She taught me to measure blood gases using the Roughton-Scholander syringe; duplicate samples took about three quarters of an hour. After qualifying in medicine, I became a house physician on Professor Peter Sharpey-Shafer’s adult medical unit, which was an extremely stimulating environment with a very strong group of physiologically orientated investigators. Steve Semple taught … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DWellcome%2BWitnesses%2Bto%2BTwentieth%2BCentury%2BMedicine.%2B%26rft.volume%253D9%26rft.spage%253D1%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx

E M Tansey, D A Christie (eds), Looking at the unborn: historical aspects of obstetric ultrasound, Wellcome witnesses to twentieth century medicine, vol. 5, transcript of a Witness Seminar held at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London, on 10 March 1998, London, The Wellcome Trust, 2000, pp. v, 80, £5.00, US$8.00 (paperback 1-841290-114).

E M Tansey, D A Christie (eds), Looking at the unborn: historical aspects of obstetric ultrasound, Wellcome witnesses to twentieth century medicine, vol. 5, transcript of a Witness Seminar held at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London, on 10 March 1998, London, The Wellcome Trust, 2000, pp. v, 80, £5.00, US$8.00 (paperback 1-841290-114).

New developments in history in the 1950s and 1960s

The ‘new history’, best represented by Past and Present and by social history, remains the most important advance in historical study in the post‐war period. This article traces its origins, outlines some of its main characteristics and considers the ways in which it was influenced by such things as the social sciences, the Annales school and the work of historians in the United States. Criticisms are offered of the widespread view that the new historians ignored gender and culture. There are brief observations on their social profile, their links with older historiographical traditions in Britain, their opponents, and the wider significance of their work. (This is a revised version of the introductory paper prepared for the witness seminar on the subject that took place in April 1998. A transcript of the discussion is published in this issue.)

The macroeconomic policies of Mr Lawson

The recent ICBH Witness Seminar on the 1987 stock market crash was notable for the reluctance of Lord Lawson and Sir Peter Middleton to engage in any discussion on macroeconomic policy at the time of the crash. This article will show that as Chancellor, Lawson had made many ill‐judged decisions over monetary policy by October 1987 and continued to do so after the crash. The article will trace the origins of these decisions and examine how the working relationship between the Prime Minister and Chancellor gradually deteriorated after 1985. By placing the stock market crash into a wider context than was offered by Lawson at the Seminar, it is possible to see how the Conservative party lost its reputation for ‘sound finance’ through the deleterious effects of the ‘Lawson boom’.

The 1975 British referendum on Europe

This Witness Seminar was held at the European Commission's London Office on 5 June 1995, the 20th anniversary of the referendum on the results of the re‐negotiation of the terms of British entry to the European Community (January 1973). Dr David Butler, formerly Nuffield College, Oxford, took the chair and the introductory paper was presented by Vernon Bogdanor, Reader in Government, Oxford University. The witnesses (with their roles and affiliations during the referendum) were: Graham Angel (Home Office); Timothy Bainbridge (Britain in Europe [BiE]); Roger Boaden (BiE); Sir Richard Body MP (Co‐chairman, National Referendum Campaign [NRC]); Roger Broad (European Parliament office); Lord Harris of Greenwich (BiE); Lord Jenkins of Hillhead (Home Secretary and Co‐Chairman BiE); Sir Russell Johnston MP (BiE); Jack Jones (Co‐chairman, NRC); Sir Patrick Naime (Secretary, Cabinet Office); Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank (BiC); Peter Shore MP (NRC); Tom Spencer MEP (BiE); Sean Stewart (NRC); Sir Robin Williams (Commo...

The number ten policy unit

This witness seminar on the Number Ten Policy Unit was held at the Institute of Contemporary British History's Eight Annual Summer School on 13 July 1995. It was chaired by Dr Anthony Seldon of the...

The formation of the child poverty action group

This witness seminar on the early years of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) was held at the Institute of Historical Research on 17 November 1993. It was chaired by Professor Alan Deacon and introduced by Dr Rodney Lowe (University of Bristol). The participants were Professor Brian Abel‐Smith, Professor John Veit‐Wilson, Dr Harriett Wilson, Tony Lynes, Professor Hilary Land, David Bull, Professor Peter Townsend, Fred Philp, Geoffrey Beltram, Professor David Donnison. The seminar was kindly sponsored by the Economic History Society, the Social Policy Association and the University of Bristol Alumni Foundation.

Technology transfer in Britain: The case of monoclonal antibodies1

In 1975 two Cambridge scientists published a short article in Nature which announced the discovery of monoclonal antibodies. The article concluded ‘Such cultures could be valuable for medical and industrial use’. The interest which developed by the end of the decade in the industrial and financial possibilities of the new prospects opening up in biotechnology was to throw the apparent ‘failure’ to follow‐up the potentialities of this discovery into a public prominence rarely achieved by scientific discoveries. By the time Mrs Thatcher came to power it had become a scandal, another example of Britain's apparent inability to exploit effectively the brilliance of its scientific base. It was to explore both the process of scientific discovery and the conditions in Cambridge which nurtured it, and the issues which this particular discovery raised in the area of technology transfer (and the changes of policy that ensued), that the Wellcome Trust's History of Twentieth Century Medicine Group and the Institute of Contemporary British History organised this special witness seminar. It was held at the Wellcome Trust in London on 24 September 1993. The seminar was chaired by Sir Christopher Booth and introduced by Dr Robert Bud of the Science Museum. Those participating included the two authors of the Nature article, Dr Cesar Milstein and Dr Georges Kohler, who received a Nobel Prize for their research, Dr Basil Bard (National Research Development Corporation [NRDC] 1950–74), Sir James Gowans (Secretary of the Medical Research Council [MRC] 1977–87), Sir John Gray (Secretary of the MRC 1968–77), John Newell (BBC World Service science correspondent 1969–79), Dr David Owen (MRC), and Dr David Secher (Laboratory of Molecular Biology [LMB], Cambridge). There were also contributions from Dr Ita Askonas (former head of immunology at the National Institute for Medical Research), Dr John Galloway (former member of MRC headquarters staff), Dr David Tyrrell (former Director, MRC Common Cold Unit), Professor Miles Weatherall (head of Therapeutic Research Division, Wellcome Research Laboratories 1967–75), Dr Guil Winchester (post‐doctoral fellow, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine), and Dr Peter Williams (former Director of the Wellcome Trust). The organisers would like to thank the Wellcome Trust for hosting and sponsoring the seminar. We would like to dedicate this publication to the memory of Georges Kohler, who sadly died in April 1995 before this could appear.

The heath government

This witness seminar on the Conservative government of Edward Heath, 1970–74, was held at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR), London, on 14 February 1994. It was chaired by Dr Anthony Seldon and introduced by Dr Stuart Ball (University of Leicester). Those participating were Sir Campbell Adamson (Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), 1969–76), Lord Armstrong of Ilminster (Heath's Principal Private Secretary), Christopher Chataway (Minister for Post and Telecommunications from 1970–72 and then a minister in the Department of Trade and Industry, 1972–74), Sir Frank Cooper (Deputy Secretary, Civil Service Department, 1970–73, and then Permanent Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office from 1973), Lord Croham (Permanent Secretary at the Treasury), Sir Terence Higgins (Minister of State at the Treasury, 1970–72, and then Financial Secretary, 1972–74), Lord Howe of Aberavon (Solicitor General, 1970–72, and then Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs, 1972–74), ...

Monoclonal antibodies: a witness seminar in Contemporary Medical History

L'article rapporte la discussion d'un seminaire medical sur la nature de la decouverte scientifique de Kohler et Milstein en 1975, concernant la production d'anticorps monoclonaux a partir de cultures de lymphocytes

The battle of cable street

This witness seminar on the events in the East End of London of 4 October 1936, traditionally known as the ‘Battle of Cable Street’, was held at the Institute of Historical Research on 1 May 1991. It was chaired by Professor Geoffrey Alderman and introduced by Noreen Branson. The participants were Sid Bailey (former member of the BUF), Dr David Cesarani, Tony Gilbert, Charlie Goodman, Joyce Goodman, Professor Colin Holmes, Frank Lesser, Kevin Morgan (biographer of Harry Pollitt), Phil Piratin (Communist MP for Mile End 1945–50), Michael Quill, Jack Shaw, Harold Smith, Ronald F. Webb (former member of the BUF) and Len Wise (former member of the BUF). Yvonne Kapp was unable to attend but she sent a short account of her recollections of the event and this has been included with this transcript.