‘When people first discover that I am a historian of medicine, they often falter as they try to process this information. Most of the time, the response is: “That’s a real job?” It is an innocent reaction, not intended to be insulting, and is usually followed by a barrage of questions about my research. What kind of work does a historian of medicine do? Were people really bled by leeches in the past? How long did it take surgeons to amputate a limb before the discovery of anaesthetics? At the end of these conversations, one thing is always clear. They want to know more.’

Read the article recently featured in Wellcome History (pp. 12-13) about The Chirurgeon’s Apprentice!