A history of herbal medicine in Wales, 1840 to 1948.

This research project considers the history of herbal medicine (i.e. the use of plants to treat illness and achieve good health) in Wales during the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century and asks the ways in which this reveals Welsh people's understanding and experiences of health and illness, nature and the environment, and medicine during that period. By studying the medical and herbal self-help books published in the period, the project focuses on the development of herbal medicine in the nineteenth century and demonstrates the use of old practices and ideas native to Wales, including some dating from the medieval period, but also the influences of British traditions dating from the early modern period as well as the new methods that came from America in the 1840s. The project then considers the developments in herbal medicine in the first half of the twentieth century and the different contexts that included improved living standards, the growth of scientific medicine, and the development of the National Health Service. The project draws directly on the National Library's collection of medical and herbal self-help books published in the nineteenth century. It also makes use of Amgueddfa Cymru's considerable collections, including artefacts relevant to the history of medicine as well as questionnaires on folk practices, manuscript collections of herbal recipes, and tapes of oral history interviews. In addition, the project uses the Apothecary's Hall in the Botanic Garden of Wales as well as its plant collection, herbarium and seed bank. The project allows the creation of an exhibition based on the collections and specialties of the various organisations and would appear online and at each of the venues. That exhibition can be accompanied by a booklet that conveys herbal treatments and again based on the contributions of each organisation. In addition, a public lecture delivered by the student, sponsored by The Research Centre for the Literature and History of Medicine in Wales and held at the National Library, would communicate the project's findings to a wider audience. The field of research around plant use also provides practical opportunities to volunteer and engage with diverse communities in Wales.