Masters of Healing: Cocaine and the Idealised Image of the Victorian Doctor. (360G-Wellcome-108549_Z_15_Z)
I am requesting a small grant to conduct archival research relating to a project on the cultural history of cocaine and the public image of medical practitioners in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This project will examine how cocaine functioned symbolically as a representation of both the most admirable, and the most alarming personal attributes of the modern medical professional. I will examine rare materials held at Edinburgh University Library, the British Library, and the Wellcome Library in London. My research centres on two significant historical personages and their connection to the opposing facets of cocaine discourse: Sir Robert Christison, whose pathological researches were one inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes; and Dr Thomas Neill Cream, serial poisoner, and potential Jack the Ripper suspect. In examining heretofore unpublished papers including Christison's own observations on the stimulant effects of coca, I elucidate important links b etween these two men, their experiences with cocaine, and the transforming image of the Victorian medical man. I will also conduct research into the surgical applications of cocaine and the manner in which these impacted the popular conception of the new, technologically-innovative chemical compound.
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Grant Details
Amount Awarded | 677 |
Applicant Surname | Small |
Approval Committee | Humanities and Social Science, Small Grants Committee |
Award Date | 2015-05-29T00:00:00+00:00 |
Financial Year | 2014/15 |
Grant Programme: Title | Small grant in H&SS |
Internal ID | 108549/Z/15/Z |
Lead Applicant | Dr Douglas Small |
Partnership Value | 677 |
Planned Dates: End Date | 2015-07-31T00:00:00+00:00 |
Planned Dates: Start Date | 2015-07-01T00:00:00+00:00 |
Recipient Org: Country | United Kingdom |
Region | Scotland |