The origins of the National Health Service

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Pamphlets on health in the Library include many on public health and disease prevention dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. There are also a substantial number published in the 1940s relating to the establishment of the National Health Service.

Public Health

Some of the older pamphlets deal with the prevention of cholera, typhoid and tuberculosis -for example, "Some causes of preventable diseases" by A. Ransome published by the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association in 1886 (BP160203) and "Plague-panacea" by P.B. Matthew published in 1911 (R/B7). There are a number of pamphlets on malnutrition. These include "An enquiry into malnutrition based on investigation by the Ipswich Committee against Malnutrition" by A.M.N. Pringle (1938) (R/4), and "Statistical analysis of infant mortality and its causes in the United Kingdom" written by Helen Blagg in 1910 (R/156). Pamphlets on this subject were issued by the Peoples League for Health, the Labour Research Department, British Association for Labour Legislation, Industrial Christian Fellowship, Unemployment Assistance Board, and the Childrens Minimum Campaign Committee. Advice on public health is contained in pamphlets "The bath how and when to use it" published in 1884 (BP160209), "On baths and wash-houses for the people" by E.T. Bellhouse 1854 (HD4/89) and "Public baths and wash-houses" published in 1850 by the Committee for Promoting the Establishment of Baths and Wash-houses for the Labouring Classes (HD4/118).

Pamphlets on mental health include "The problem of the morally defective; paper read at the National Conference on the Care of the Feeble-minded" by W.A. Potts 1904 (R/D160) and "Britain's Siberia" by Mrs Coutts (1909), (R/299) which describes life in a mental asylum. The British Medical Association issued an illustrated pamphlet on the need to vaccinate against cow pox and small pox, written in 1896 by J. McVail (f R/39). In addition there are many pamphlets on temperance and the licensing laws.

Women's Health

There are pamphlets on women's health. "Reports on maternal mortality" were issued by the National Conference of Labour Women in 1935 (R/7). Also there are a significant number of pamphlets dating from the 1930s on birth control, including some written by the campaigner Marie Stopes herself and "Birth control for the British working classes" written by N. and V. Himes in 1929 (R/137). The Josephine Butler Society issued a number of pamphlets on contagious diseases in the mid 19th century.

Health Insurance

Before the setting up of the National Health Service pamphlets were written in the earlier part of the 20th century on the need for a health service. These include "A state medical service" by Todd-White (1911) (R/B3), "Ministry of Health: what the Bill must be if it is really going to save the people; address to the Annual Conference of the Association of Approved Societies" by S. Webb 1918 (R/B6) and "A general medical service for the nation" issued in 1938 by the British Medical Association (R/186). There are a number of pamphlets on the sickness insurance legislation of the Liberal Government 1906-1914. For instance - "Complete national provision for sickness" written by Beatrice Webb in 1912 (HD7/132) and "National health insurance: parliamentary bill examined and compared to the German scheme" by E.J. Schuster 1911 (HD7/469).

Health and Safety at Work

There are a number of pamphlets on the issue of sickness and injury at work, particularly concerned with workmen's compensation for industrial injury. There is a precis of the 1906 Workman's Compensation Act at HD7/10 and a pamphlet written by Walter Citrine for the TUC in 1933 calling for reform of the legislation (HD7/216). At the time that the Coal Mines Bill was before Parliament a pamphlet was issued by a Mrs C. Wills entitled "Baths for miners: a woman's plea for the wives and daughters of British pitmen." 1911 (HD7/B11). Concerning the safety of women working in the match industry there is a publication from the Association of Labour Legislation- "The match head: the story with a moral" 1910 (HD7/A11).

The National Health Service

Most of the pamphlets debating the setting up of the National Health Service date from the 1940s and were issued by political parties or campaigning bodies. Here are a few examples - "The nation's health: results of a survey..." British Institute of Public Opinion (R/272), "A national health service: memorandum on the government's proposals"/ British Hospitals Association (R/275) "A review of the hospital service under the NHS Act" British Hospitals Association (R/365), "The doctors and a national health service" a tiny pamphlet by the British Medical Association (R/333), "Health for all" by J.S. Clarke (R/271) published by the Social Security League, "Don't be doped: an exposure of the state medical scheme" by C. Abbott (R/276), "You and the state doctor" by C. Mellick (R/307) and "A letter to a doctor" written by B.G. Thompson and published by the Fabian Society in 1942 (R/335). Pamphlets were issued by the Labour Party (R/293) the Liberal Party (R/221), the Communist Party (R/254) and the Common Wealth Party (R/267). Pamphlets on the NHS dental services were issued by the Denture Service Association and the Socialist Medical Association Dental Group.

Pamphlets published in the 1950s and 1960s continued the debate about the National Health Service. Pamphlets continued to be published by the Fabian Society and the Socialist Medical Association. There were also pamphlets published by the Office of Health Economics, the Peoples League of Medical Freedom and the Institute of Economic Affairs. An IEA occasional paper published in 1964 was entitled "Monopoly or choice in health services?" (R/D481). This was part of a debate on the economics of the National Health Service which was to continue into the 1980s with pamphlets from the Adam Smith Institute and the Policy Studies Institute.

Most of the pamphlets are about the health service in Britain, but there are a number of pamphlets from other countries including the United States and the former Soviet Union.

Search for pamphlets on health under the following subject headings: Health; Medicine, State; National Health Service; Hospitals; Hygiene, Public; Public Health; Midwives; Birth Control; Infants-Care and Hygiene; Children-Care and Hygiene; Women-Health and Hygiene; Insane-Hospitals; Mentally Ill; Insurance, Health; Industrial Hygiene; Insurance, Industrial; Temperance; Public Baths; Prostitution.

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