Sources Guides list

Sources Guide: Alternative Medicine

Collections specifically relating to alternative practice

Collections which include material on alternative practice

Spiritual healing

Wellcome archives

Further information about the materials mentioned below can be found on the Archives and Manuscripts Online Catalogue

In some cases the full detailed catalogues of archive collections are not yet in this online database: hard copy versions are available in the Rare Materials Room of the Library and on request to archs+mss@wellcome.ac.uk

Collections specifically relating to alternative practice

BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF HOLISTIC HEALTH (f. 1984) SA/BHH
Records of this organisation established by non-medical health practitioners, to work with the British Association for Holistic Medicine, including their joint newsletter, 1983-1987

BRITISH OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION SA/BOA
Minutes of Council meetings, 1928-1950; Minutes of council meetings of Osteopathic Trusts Ltd, 1938-1961

BRITISH PHRENOLOGICAL SOCIETY (INC) (f.1886, disbanded 1966/67) SA/PHR
Minutes of Council and AGM, 1951-1964, class attendance books, 1915-1938, 1951-1966, Visitor's Book, 1955-1966

MALVERN DRAINAGE CASE, 1907-1908 GC/63
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, transcript of Chancery Proceedings and appeal to House of Lords re responsibility for polluted water at a hydropathic establishment in Malvern

A PHRENOLOGICAL DELINEATION by Stackpool E O’Dell (1916) GC/194
Printed booklet annotated in ms with 30 page ms phrenological reading at the end

J F A SCHUPBACH (1906-1989) of the British Phrenological Society and the Society for the Study of Physiological Patterns GC/109
Correspondence to do with his interests in healing; case notes of individuals treated by him; publications of the Society for the Study of Physiological Patterns, on Radionics, Phrenology, Vegetarianism, Crystal Therapy, and related matters

SEQUAH GC/69
Papers of P A Gordon (alias James Kasper) relating to Sequah Ltd and his work as a Sequah agent selling quack medicines; correspondence and financial papers, advertising material and copies of Sequah Chronicle, 1890s

Collections which include material on alternative practice

Sir Francis AVERY–JONES (1910–1998) GC/198
Articles on medicinal uses of herbs, 1990s, also correspondence on Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in plants, 1993-4

Arthur Sydney Blundell BANKART MA, MCh, FRCS (1879-1951) Orthopaedic Surgeon PP/ABB/E.2/1
Material relating to arguments for and against chiropractic and osteopathy as opposed to orthopaedic surgery, 1925-6

BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SA/BMA
This collection (c.1900s-1960s) contains a good deal of material on alternative practice of various kinds. There are substantial groups of files in the 'Medico-Political' section on 'Unqualified Practice', which contain material on e.g. bone-setters (including Sir Herbert Barker), herbalism, hydropathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, 'autonomic therapy', etc, and 'Patent Medicines'. There is a file on the BMA publication Secret Remedies in the 'Ethical' section and additional material on proprietary remedies in the 'Science' section. There is also material on electrotherapeutic and similar clinics, files on spa treatment and alternative cancer treatments, and tuberculosis remedies, and on qualified medical practitioners using homeopathy. The collection is indexed but only to the file title level (not complete contents)

Carlos Paton BLACKER (1895-1975) PP/CPB
Small amount of material on ‘Stage Hypnosis’ deals also with legitimate medical uses of hypnosis, 1950s

CANCER RESEARCH CAMPAIGN (formerly BRITISH EMPIRE CANCER CAMPAIGN) SA/CRC
Files in Section N relating to alternative cancer treatments and 'cures' including herbal, plant, diet, hormone, bovine bone marrow, anti-cancer serum, H.11, and blood remedies; also alternative cancer practitioners David Rees Evans, Frederick F A Pearson, Dr C Schieppati, Dr Joseph Issels, 1923-1981. Some material Restriced Access

Sir Richard CAVE (1912-1988) GC/220
File of material on Scroth Centre for the Treatment of Rheumatic Disease by Natural Therapeutics, c.1950s-60s

Professor A R CUSHNY (1866-1926) PP/ARC
Manuscript on 'Homeopathy in the Twentieth Century' [n.d.]

Colonel Charles DONOVAN, IMS (1863-1961) WTI/DON
File on herbal medicine, 1895-1922

Hans Georg EPSTEIN (1909-2002) PP/HGE
One file containing correspondence and journal articles on acupuncture and hypnosis and surgical anaesthesia (1973)

Barbara EVANS (1909-1995) PP/PRE
Material relating to her association with the Research Council on Complementary Medicine, 1977-86, also some items on Chinese medicine

Sidney G. HAMILTON MS.7972
'Memories of a visit to the People's Republic of China 1972' records several major operations performed under analgesia using acupuncture

Sir Robert MACINTOSH (1897-1989) PP/RRM
File on De La Warr Laboratories 'Black Box', a 'radionic diagnostic instrument' (1953-1970) and some material on acupuncture and complementary medicine (1970s)

Frederick PARKES WEBER FRCP (1863-1962) PP/FPW
'Bundles' of notes, cuttings, reprints, correspondence, etc, on light therapy, and similar treatments, and balneotherapy and climatology (this also figures in his recommendations to patients in his case books)

PATIENTS’ ASSOCIATION (f. 1963) SA/PAT
Some files relating to alternative and complementary medicine, including homeopathy, c. 1970s–90s

Sir William Drummond PATON, CBE, FRCP, FRCS. FFARCS, JP (1917-1993), PP/WDP
One files of reference material on 'Alternative medicine', 1978-91

ROYAL COMMISSION ON MEDICAL EDUCATION (1965-1968) SA/CME
Written evidence by the Homeopathic Research and Education Trust, the Churches' Council on Healing and the Institute of Religion and Medicine

Sir Bernard SPILSBURY (1877-1947) PP/SPI
Notes on autopsies performed by him 1905-33 include several in which Christian Science or other alternative treatments are mentioned as a factor

Marthe VOGT (1903-2003) PP/MLV
Material relating to acupuncture, including research by Shao-guang Fan, 1970s-80s

Helena Rosa WRIGHT MB, BS (1887-1982) PP/HRW
Dr Wright (principally known for her work in birth control) became involved in the Psionic Medicine Society during the 1970s. There is a box of material relating to this Society and connected questions among her papers.

 
Spiritual healing

Letitia FAIRFIELD (1885-1978) GC/193
Papers concerning her interest in the paranormal include material on faith-healing, Lourdes, the stigmata, etc

Sir Henry HEAD FRS FRCP (1861-1940) PP/HEA
Volume of records of his examination of pilgrims to the shrine of St Bernadette at Lourdes, Frances, 1895, with related material

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY (f.1953) SA/MSS
File relating to pilgrimage to Lourdes by MS sufferers, 1968-1969

Reverend Dr Hubert (Hugh) Carey TROWELL OBE FRCP (1904-1989) PP/HCT
Some material on his interest in spiritual healing and his involvement with the Institute of Religion and Medicine, correspondence with Harry Edwards of the Spiritual Healing Sanctuary, 1960s-1970s

Wellcome archives
Some material among the archives of the Historical Medical Museum, 1899-1985, WA/HMM, deals with various forms of alternative practice.