Documents contained within several different archives have been listed as part of the project. In brief they are:
Together, these provide a remarkable record of a leading institution in the history of the suppression in the developed world of tuberculosis and the redirection of these resources towards rehabilitation and training of the physically disabled and the treatment of those with other thoracic and cardiac complaints.
Fuller background information about the history of Papworth Village Settlement and Hospital and its archives is given in the annexed PDF file.
The archives are of value for many aspects of social and medical history.
- The history of scientific research into tuberculosis and heart disease, both from an epidemiological and a social perspective.
- How society has coped with chronic illness and disability and the roles of central government, local authorities, the medical profession and voluntary organisations.
- The development of holistic socio-medical treatment of disease – the recognition of the importance of supporting patients beyond curing them.
They also throw light on an immense variety of subjects, including for example:
- particular patients and staff, for biographical and genealogical research
- the involvement of other notable supporters of Papworth, e.g. the novelist Warwick Deeping, the economist J.M. Keynes
- the progress of medical research through publication and conferences
- rural community life, reflected in its social organisations
- the topographical development of Papworth
- economic activity of Cambridgeshire, both industrial and horticulture, etc
- the war effort of the Second World War.
The catalogues to these archives can now be accessed online, with the exception of the hospital case notes. Please follow the links in the right hand column.