Making a Medical Market begins with the first voluntary hospital in 1720 and ends in 1911 with national health insurance. It looks at different forms of practice--public appointments in hospitals, office under state welfare systems, and private practice. From the 1750s medicine became more commercialized. Doctors were successful in raising demand for their own services but were unsuccessful in restricting competition. Many medical practitioners struggled to make a living by seeing many patients at low fees, so that "five minutes for the patient" is not a new feature of health care.

This text outlines the social history of people with learning disabilities in Britain. Over the last decade, approaches to learning disabilities have changed dramatically in most western countries; it has become one of the most fascinating and controversial areas in social policy today. This collection brings nine original essays together, spanning the Medieval period to the establishment of the National Health Service. Whilst contributing to a neglected field of social and medical history, the work also informs current debates.

From Idiocy to Mental Deficiency is the first book devoted to the social history of people with learning disabilities in Britain. Approaches to learning disabilities have changed dramatically in recent years. The implementation of 'Care in the Community', the campaign for disabled rights and the debate over the education of children with special needs have combined to make this one of the most controversial areas in social policy today.
The nine original research essays collected here cover the social history of learning disability from the Middle Ages through the establishment...