Now in a new edition, this influential book traces oral history through its own past and weighs up the recent achievements of this international movement. Paul Thompson challenges myths of historical scholarship and looks closely at the use of oral sources by historians. He offers advice on designing a project; discusses reliability of oral evidence; considers the context of the development of historical writing including its social function; and looks at memory, the self and the use of drama and therapy. This new edition has been substantially revised and updated and includes an expanded...

Discusses the significance of oral history to the history of the development of health and welfare provisions. By focusing on individual experiences, as revealed through oral history approaches, the human dimensions of the history of medicine is explored. Oral history reveals the personal stories of innovation, policy shifts, training and treatment over a 60-year period of development, characterized by both continuity and change. This book includes discussion on: the end of the workhouse; professional education and training of midwives; HIV and AIDS; birth control; the role of the community...