Opportunity on the edge of orthodoxy: medically qualified hydropathists in the era of reform, 1840-60

Bradley, J. and Dupree, M.W. (2001) Opportunity on the edge of orthodoxy: medically qualified hydropathists in the era of reform, 1840-60. Social History of Medicine, 14(3), pp. 417-437. (doi: 10.1093/shm/14.3.417)

Full text not currently available from Enlighten.

Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/shm/14.3.417

Abstract

Following the lead of the Lancet's attacks in the 1840s, historians have considered hydropathy and hydropathists in Britain as part of fringe or heterodox medicine. Yet the distance between varieties of orthodox theory and practice and hydropathy was small, and many of the most prominent hydropathists held orthodox views and qualifications. Examining the educational backgrounds and careers of 40 early British hydropathists, the authors suggest that hydropathy and hydropathic establishments, like specialist hospitals, asylums, and spa practice, provided an alternative niche to general practice in the crowded British medical market and a way to 'fame and fortune' for medical men outside the metropolitan elite.

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:hydropathy, orthodox medicine, fringe medicine, medical careers, Britain, qualifications, medical theory, therapeutics
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Dupree, Professor Marguerite
Authors: Bradley, J., and Dupree, M.W.
Subjects:H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
R Medicine > RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
Journal Name:Social History of Medicine
Publisher:Oxford University Press
ISSN:0951-631X
ISSN (Online):1477-4666

University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record