Healthy history

The history of diseases and illnesses and their treatment is a fascinating subject and now that health and healthcare are issues of increasing national concern their importance is greater than ever. These pages aim to give you a taste of what you might find in the Kent Archives.

Surgeons, physicians and apothecaries

Generally speaking, a physician diagnosed illnesses and prescribed treatments for them, a surgeon performed operations using surgical instruments and an apothecary prepared and dispensed medicines. However, before the mid 19th century these categories could be quite fluid; some people who called themselves surgeons were more like physicians or general practitioners.

Physicians usually studied medicine at university, while surgeons and physicians served an apprenticeship. The study of anatomy was hampered in England because only the bodies of convicted murderers could be used for dissection. Until 1832, when the Anatomy Act made provision for an adequate and legal supply of corpses, surgeons tended to learn about anatomy by experience. Military and naval surgeons in particular were able to increase their knowledge by treating casualties injured in battle. There were also many textbooks on surgery and anatomy, often with surprisingly accurate anatomical drawings. Some 17th and 18th century examples can be seen at the Canterbury Cathedral Library.

Following the Physicians and Surgeons Act of 1511, medical practitioners had to be licensed by the church. As a result, the archives holds licences for surgeons, physicians and midwives.

See some examples of documents held.

Midwives

Although most midwives were women there were also male midwives, often referred to as 'man-midwives'. There was no formal midwifery training until the late 19th century. Until the 18th century, most textbooks on midwifery, with the exception of The Midwives Book by Jane Sharp (published in 1671), were written in Latin, which most women would not have been able to read. Like surgeons, midwives usually learned by experience, although a few served a formal apprenticeship.

Until the mid-18th century midwives were licensed by the church authorities. Their licences, sometimes giving details of the children they had delivered, can be found among the records for the dioceses of Rochester and Canterbury.

See some examples of documents held.