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Belfast, c.1900. ‘The Unhealthiest City in the Kingdom’?

Dr Ian Miller, Lecturer at Ulster University, discusses why Belfast was considered the unhealthiest city in Britain and Ireland at the turn of the 20th century and the inefficacy of Belfast Corporation in safeguarding the city’s health.

Epidemic Belfast

Epidemic Belfast

Belfast, c.1900. ‘The Unhealthiest City in the Kingdom’?

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Hunger Strikers and Force-Feeding during the Troubles
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Victorian vaccinations left permanent scars. Their

Victorian vaccinations left permanent scars. Their safety was much debated and children were expected to return after eight days to have fresh lymph harvested from their blisters.

Under-nourished children often had negative reactions, some of which were fatal.

In this article by @ianmillerhistorian, discover why so many Belfast parents joined the late-Victorian anti-vaccination movement.

https://epidemic-belfast.com/8-smallpox-and-victorian-anti-vaxxers/

#histmed #epidemicbelfast #medicalhistory

https://rb.gy/t55vc5

Looking to explore Belfast's medical history on fo

Looking to explore Belfast's medical history on foot?

Download our free walking trail.

Written by medical historians, its the only accurate and reliable source of information to help you explore the city centre's rich medical heritage.

Download here:
https://epidemic-belfast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Epidemic-Belfast-Trail-Map-July-2023-A4-Landscape.pdf

With Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum, Belfast

With Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum, Belfast, we've been developing new research into health, injury and medicine during the Belfast Blitz.

Our dedicated page features new podcast interviews, oral history recollections, an image gallery of medical items housed at the museum and a series of new blog posts.

Visit here: https://epidemic-belfast.com/blitz-1941/

#blitz #belfastblitz #secondworldwar #gasmask #epidemicbelfast #irishhistory #irishhistoryandheritage #histmed #historyofmedicine #belfast #visitbelfast #belfastwalkingtour #belfasthistory #northernireland #northernirelandtourism #northernirelandwarmemorial

We've been working with Northern Ireland Screen: D

We've been working with Northern Ireland Screen: Digital Film Archive to curate a selection of films on the history of health and medicine in Northern Ireland.
The footage captures a glimpse into various aspects of medical history including public health broadcasts, patients with influenza and tonsilitis, disability, hospital staff, poor housing and chemists.

Visit the guest collection: https://digitalfilmarchive.net/collection/guest-collection-epidemic-belfast-239

#histmed #epidemicbelfast #historyofireland #irishhistory #irishhistoryandheritage #belfast

50 years ago, Britain's government decided to forc

50 years ago, Britain's government decided to force-feed a number of Troubles-related hunger strikers. Some prisoners endured force-feeding until July 1974.

Read about the international outcry and prisoners experiences in this article by Ian Miller (Ulster University).

https://epidemic-belfast.com/hunger-strikers-and-force-feeding-during-the-troubles/

#epidemicbelfast #troubles #hungerstrike #hungerstrikes #pricesisters #thepricesisters #prisonhistory #forcefeeding #medicalhistory #histmed #irishhistory #irishhistoryandheritage

Belfast's shipyard workers were exposed daily to i

Belfast's shipyard workers were exposed daily to injury, fatal accidents, explosions, poor health and asbestos.

Working with Sailortown heritage group S.H.I.P. (Shared History Interpretative Project), we've produced six fascinating new oral histories by Rhianne Morgan, and an accompanying article with Ian Miller.

Visit: https://epidemic-belfast.com/health-and-injury-in-the-shipyards/

#belfast #shipyardlife #shipyardhistory #eastbelfast #sailortown #sailortownbelfast #epidemicbelfast #histmed #irishhistory #industrialhistory #shiphistory

Meet Mrs Moffat, a busy midwife who delivered babi

Meet Mrs Moffat, a busy midwife who delivered babies in East Belfast in the 1960s.

Decades later, Mrs Moffat's family found her midwives’ bag in an attic. The bag still contained her midwifery tools.

With EastSide Partnership, we’ve recreated Mrs Moffat’s working life using visual history, videos and short articles by Caitlin Smith and Ian Miller.

Explore our new content: epidemic-belfast.com/the-midwifes-bag/

#belfast #epidemicbelfast #histmed #midwifery #midwiferyhistory #midwiferyhistory #irishhistory #irishhistoryandheritage

A 19th-century Liebrich opthalmoscope, with a simp

A 19th-century Liebrich opthalmoscope, with a simple retinal mirror on a wooden handle, held in a leather case with spare lenses. The opthalmoscope is thought to have been invented in Germany in 1851. Patients with eye problems would have encountered the ophthalmoscope when having the health of their retina, optic disc and other parts of the eye examined. Dilating the pupil to open it up with a light, and using the various lenses, offered a simple, effective way of examining the parts of the eye behind it.

One of the many items held at Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland.

#medicalhistory #epidemicbelfast #irishhistory #irishhistoryandheritage #belfast

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