John Barnard

A history of the book in Britain

Describes the proposed “a history of the book in Britain” project to be published in seven volumes by Cambridge University Press. Describes the background to the project in relation to the disparate nature of studies of the history of the book in Britain and work already done. Presents an outline of the structure of the proposed publication.

John Keats in the Context of the Physical Society, Guy’s Hospital, 1815–1816

The Physical Society of Guy’s Hospital held weekly meetings between October and May every year to discuss medical ‘cases’ presented by its members, a body drawn from the clinical staff and students at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals. The unpublished ‘cases’ from 1815 to 1816 give graphic accounts of the kind of cases and operations Keats dealt with as a dresser. An account of the society’s aims and membership gives a vivid insight into the professional development of staff and students at the two hospitals, and its enlightened medical education. This context, including a comparison with some of Keats’s fellow students and their subsequent careers, highlights the extraordinary stamina, physical, emotional and intellectual, required by Keats in the parallel pursuit of his professional duties and poetic ambitions throughout his eighteen months at Guy’s.