Our January 16th meeting was mainly dedicated to medical developments since the Middle Ages and included an introduction by John Tedstone who talked about a recent visit to the medical history section at the very busy Science Museum in London.
Next was me to talk about a famous early Doctor/Surgeon John of Arderne
John of Arderne (1307–1392) born in Newark, was a pioneering English surgeon often regarded as the father of English surgery. He honed his skills as a surgeon supporting John ‘o Gaunt in the 100 years war in France and more formally at Montpellier University.
He developed effective treatments for anal fistulas, created early anaesthetic mixtures using hemlock, henbane, and opium, and wrote influential surgical texts. His work blended practical skill with ethical guidance, shaping medieval medical practice.
There is a Wetherspoons pub in Newark which is named after him.
Science Group Visit Friday May 15th.
Our Science awayday is a visit to the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds. It is housed in a beautiful building adjacent to St James’s University Hospital.
The Thackray is the UK’s largest independent medical museum. Two floors of exhibitions span galleries on the history of public health, medical innovation, the theatre, response to crises and living with disabilities (and so much more), and various events, activities and workshops bring it all to life, including one called “POO!”. A real highlight is “Disease Street”, a smelly, grimy depiction of what life used to be like in the slums of Leeds.
Preference for this visit is given to members of the science group; it will then be open to all u3a members. Details are in the February Newsletter.
Finally, we considered ‘small’ inventions since about 1850 and each group member has a chosen invention to research and prepare for a ‘3-minute talk’. Our next meeting is on Friday February 20th 10am to 11.45am
David Rose
