IBMS Congress

www.ibms.org

History Display: Health for Heroes

History at Congress

The theme of this year's history display by the IBMS History Committee will be A history of military medicine and its contribution to scientific development in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

The theme is to highlight the considerable contribution to the identity and subsequent diagnosis of diseases that the military has experienced over the years that has enhanced the treatment in civilian life. No doubt these diseases would have been conquered without the military, but the concentration in this field of medicine, in all theatres of war, is worthy of recall from the point of view of biomedical science and its contribution to clinical diagnosis. Conflict brings together enormous numbers of people in circumstances far removed from normal behaviour. This, in turn leads to opportunity for disease to manifest itself and the need to control it. Past military medical discoveries have contributed to civilian treatment and prevention. The process is reciprical and can be seen in modern conflicts and natural disasters, to which latter day biomedical science continues to contribute.

It is intended to cover tropical diseases, microbiology and trauma surgery and blood transfusion. The establishment of laboratories, staffing, training and inspection, will feature, as a comparison to its civilian counterpart. The military hospitals and associated establishments built for all branches of the services had an important part to play.

The personnel that contributed during the period to be covered by the exhibition (mid 19th century to the mid 20th century) featured such luminaries as Sir David Bruce, Sir William Leishman and Sir Ronald Ross, for their work with tropical diseases. Sir Almoth Wright, Sir John Boyd, Colonel Sims Woodhead - who was appointed President of the Pathology and Bacteriology Laboratory Assistants Association (PBLAA) - contributed to microbiology and the laboratories. Colonel Whitby and Loutit and Mollison made important advances in blood transfusion.

Some relevant objects of historic military interest, from the Science Museum, will be on display.

Thermo Scientific are the sponsors of the History Display.