Pills, Shocks & jabs
Pills, Shocks & jabs
Peter Cullimore, author of Saints, Crooks & Slavers tells the remarkable story of the dissenting doctors of Georgian Bristol.
A pioneer in jabs against the deadly smallpox pandemic of the 1700s; a “madhouse” doctor who reformed brutal treatment of the mentally ill; a male midwife with a sideline in painting exquisite watercolours; an amateur GP who dispensed pills free of charge and treated disease with electric shocks. All were prominent doctors in Georgian Bristol - and all were Quakers.
These religious dissenters were inspired by a shared moral code, desire to help the sick and needy and a lively interest in new scientific ideas. Forming their own distinctive community and social life, the Quakers faced prejudice among employers and the wider public alike.
Pills, Shocks & Jabs reveals how close personal links with each other enabled talented individuals from a tiny religious minority to flourish in medicine. The book also draws parallels with the modern global battle against the coronavirus.
Pages: 160
Full colour with over 90 illustrations
Softback
ISBN: 9781909446298
Size: 156mm x 234mm
““A lively and informative appraisal of the part played by Bristolian dissenters in the struggle for better public health.” ”
““A handsomely produced book, with copious illustrations. I remained interested and entertained throughout.””
““Pills, Shocks and Jabs is attractively presented with coloured photographs and illustrations. It will appeal to those seeking a short introduction to medical developments and pioneering practitioners in Enlightenment Bristol.””
Peter Cullimore is a retired journalist, born in Gloucestershire, who specialised in covering health stories for television news. If he were still health correspondent for ITV Wales in Cardiff - his role for 11 years - Peter would have been reporting every day on the Covid-19 pandemic. His newsroom colleagues fondly nicknamed him “Doctor Death”.
Previously, in the 1980s, he worked as a reporter and producer for BBC Radio Bristol, then for news programmes on Radio Four, including Today, World at One and PM. He began his career on the Gloucestershire Echo newspaper, after studying French and Spanish at Leeds University.
Peter combines his knowledge of the modern health service with a strong interest in its history. He now also has experience of the NHS as a long-term patient, after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013. Peter has lived with his wife Sue in the same Georgian house in Bristol since 1986.
