4. Health Services and WWII

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we look at the impact of World War Two on medical services in Britain. The war had three main impacts on public health: (i) increased government control of health services, through the setting up of the Emergency Medical Service; (ii) the beginning of postwar planning; and (iii) social change creating solidarity between Britons.

Course

In this course, Professor Martin Gorsky (LSHTM) explores the history of public health in the 20th century. We start by looking at what public health was like during the 19th century and before the creation of the NHS. We have a look at general trends across the century and also look at how both primary and secondary care functioned before the changes of the 20th century. We then turn to examine how the NHS came into being, taking a look at the impact of Wold War Two on its creation. Finally we look at how public health has developed since the creation of the NHS.

Lecturer

Professor Martin Gorsky is professor of the history of public health at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). His research focuses on the history of health systems in the West since the late 19th century. He has written widely on the subject of public health including his books Patterns of Philanthropy and Financing Medicine.