British Society for the History of Medicine

The Croydon Medical Society now has an affiliate membership of the British Society for the History of Medicine so we will be keeping you up to date on newsletters and links to online talks via the website.

January 2026

Quirks, Quacks and Cul-de-sacs: new volume of Topics in the History of Medicine now available – free online

The fifth volume of Topics in the History of Medicine, Quirks, Quacks and Cul-de-sacs, is now available free online. Topics in the History of Medicine is a is a peer reviewed, fully open access, online only journal published annually by the British Society for the History of Medicine (BSHM).
The journal promotes scholarly work on all aspects of the history of medicine and healthcare by publishing a variety of articles, including original research, biographical accounts and literature reviews.

Topics in the History of Medicine – Volume 5

Editor-in-chief: Hilary Morris, President BSHM
Guest editor: Bryan Rhodes, Vice-President and President Elect of BSHM.
Journal editor 2021-2025: Edward Wawrzynczak, immediate past President of BSH

ISSN 2753-9695

For more information, contact BSHM hon secretary, Lee Coppack.

Contents

Five and Counting by Hilary S Morris
Navigating the Publication Process by Edward J Wawrzynczak
Hailing a New Festive Salve by Bryan Rhodes
‘No Sex (Glands) Please, We’re British’: The Response to the 1920s Rejuvenation Craze by Dominic Hodgson
A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Opium Go Down: Two Centuries of the Quaker’s Black Drop by Nicholas Jones and Bryan Rhodes
Mr Langworthy, Dr Haygarth and Perkins’s Metallic Tractors by Peter Carpenter
Homeopathic Hospitals and the Battle with Allopathy in Colonial Australia by Neville D Yeomans
Maude Dickinson, The Dongor Hygienic Company and ‘Radio-Activity in the Service of Man’ by Lucy Jane Santos
Revealing the Profile of Confrontation: The Bonesetter, the Coroner and the Lord Chief Justice by Bryan Rhodes
Film and Filament: Early Techniques in the Surgical Treatment of Aortic Aneurysms by Craig A Miller
Dr Erasmus Darwin’s Management of Consumption: Cul-de-sacs and Prescient Insights by Lisetta Lovett

More…

A Disgusting and Useless Substance? Hyraceum between Folk Medicine and Pharmacopoeia by Tarquin Holmes
The Italian Medusas: Unusual Preservation in Nineteenth-century Italy by Cat Irving
Mosquitoes, Medical Officers and Mental Asylums: Malariotherapy in the UK and the Rise of the Horton Laboratory by Graham Ash and Gordon DL Bates.

December Quiz Night 2025

The quiz was a great success as always and we had 7 teams representing 6 Croydon GP Practices and a team named ‘The Two Nick’s and Friends’. We used a new venue for this year’s quiz which worked extremely well. The scoring was very close in the first three places, but ‘Brigstock Celebrity Traitors’ (pictured above) came first with a score of 116.5 The Spicer Girls came second with 114.5 and Dr’s Order came third with a score of 111.5. The 2 Nicks and Friends came in last with a score of 73 and were presented with the Wooden Spoon Prize.

Well done to everyone who took part and especially to Dr Khalid Khan for giving so much time to compiling all the questions.

The winning team above with the Quiz Master and our President.

The winning trophy and the wooden spoon prize winners

Charity support for Lives not Knives

President Charity for 2025/2026 – Lives not Knives

‘Lives Not Knives’ is dedicated to preventing youth violence in London and is the Charity that your President Mr Christian Kinmont has decided to support during his year in office. Throughout the year there will be various occasions when funds can be raised. If you have something planned that could be used as a charity fundraiser, and are looking for a charity, then please think about this one.

Last year the Charity was Alzheimer’s Society when £5,500 was raised.

Annual Dinner 2025

This year’s Annual Dinner was held at a new venue which was The Grange in Beddington Park. We had an Indian theme and a great time was had watching some brilliant dancing by a trio of Indian girls. After the speeches, these dancers then encouraged people on to the dance floor where they were taught how to do simple routines – it was great fun.

The President thanked the Honorary Secretary Mrs Anne Pilkington for all the work she puts in over the year to ensure that the society continues to flourish. He presented her with a beautiful patio olive tree. He also thanked our Honorary Treasurer, Mrs Sandra Hill, for all the work she puts into trying to ‘balance the books and get subs paid’.

During the speeches our President, Dr Nick Ford, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr Mike Mendall. He then proceeded to read, using a northern drawl, a monologue outlining his year; this was excellent. During the evening, he also gave us frequent interludes with his trumpet! For his finale, Dr Ford then introduced the new President for 2025/2026, Mr Christian Kinmont, and presented him with the Presidential medal and Gavel. It was an excellent evening which was enjoyed by everyone.

Photos and videos can be viewed in the Members section of the website

The President’s Farewell: a Monologue (with apologies to Stanley Holloway)

I were minding my own business back in the day
A retired GP and a bit of a slob
When Agnelo claps his hand on my shoulder and says
“Here Nick you’ve got the job”

T’were a daunting challenge following Ranee
I mean she’s famous and been on TV
Fighting all over the world for women’s health
And boss of the RCOG

After annual dinner when Ranee
Gave me my gong and my gavel
I told everyone the time had come
For charity fundraising and travel

So off in pursuit of adventure
This ageing mountaineering tyro
Grappled with a bloody great hill
By the name of Mount Kilimanjaro

The first Autumn talk was all about skin
But not your typical dermatological spiel
No, Dr Bob told of science and human endeavour
Which, to be honest, had far more appeal

Next up was our very own Mike Mowbray
A climber of mountain and fell
I can tell you there was much more to his talk
Than “Poor Science and the torn ACL”

November’s meeting was quite different
From anything we’ve had in the past
As actor brother Michael and his lively son Sam
Gave us a full on theatrical blast

Mike’s show was tinged with sadness
With news of John Spicer’s massive health fight
But I’m delighted to say our Ethics and Philosophy King
Is gracing our company tonight

No Society year in recent times
Is complete without Khalid’s Annual Quiz
With mayhem and shenanigans based on squid games
It really was the “BIZ”

Moving on to 2025
We’ve had the AGM and been taught cartoon theory
I’m delighted to introduce the new President Elect
Fun and games supremo Dr Ruth Clery

The AGM Speaker was Tim
Inspiring holistic care and Olympic Torches
When you’re stuck up a mountain in a tent leaning at 60 degrees
Can somebody tell me where the porch is?

So now my time is over
Thank you for making it a wonderful year
And we all know none of it would have been possible
Without Anne Pilkington here

Aided and abetted by Sandra
Who carefully manages the cash
She’s the Mike Mendall of accounting
Without his gastro panache

Many photos were taken – these can be viewed in the members part of the website.

Gazetteer of Dr Nick Ford’s Kilimanjaro climb 4-16/7/2024

4th July depart London Heathrow to Nairobi.

5th July depart Nairobi to Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania. Minibus transfer to Springlands Hotel, Moshi.

6th July briefing by lead guide Wilbert and weighing in of 15kg duffel bag to be carried up the mountain by the amazing team of guides and porters along with tents, toilet tents, mess tent, tables and chairs, food, water, cooking equipment and emergency oxygen cylinders.

7th July Minibus to Machame Park Gate (altitude 1,640m). 11km trek to Machame Camp (altitude 2,850m) through tropical rainforest. Lush green with no mosquitos.

8th July 9km trek to Shira Camp (altitude 3,810m)leaving the glades of the rainforest and continuing on an ascending path up to a steep, rocky ridge. On the Shira Plateau, passing through heather and open moorlands, then crossing a large river gorge to Shira 2 Camp.

9th July 15km trek to Barranco Camp (altitude 3,900m) via Lava Tower (altitude 4,600m) “trek high camp low” Alpine desert scenery with the strange but beautiful Senecio plants approaching Barranco Camp.

10th July 5km trek to Karanga Valley Camp (altitude 3,995m) starting with a descent into a ravine to the base of the Great Barranco Wall, then climbing the non-technical but steep, nearly 900 ft cliff. From the top of the Barranco Wall crossing a series of hills and valleys until a sharp descent into Karanga Valley. One more steep climb up leading to Karanga Camp. A shorter day meant for acclimatisation

11th July am 4km trek to Barafu Camp (altitude 4673m) through bleak almost lunar rocky scenery. Early evening 1-hour “practice” of the start of the very steep rocky climb that we will be doing later that night by head torchlight. Wilbert decided to start the 3 senior trekkers (Michele aged 80, Rose and Nick aged 70) an hour early at 2300 to give us a better chance of reaching the summit before time constraints and the hot daytime sun dictated having to turn around.

12th July 10 hour midnight 5km ascent to Stella Point (5,756m- the lower of the 2 official summit points on Kilimanjaro)) in freezing cold and wind. Complicated by altitude sickness (extreme breathlessness, unsteadiness on feet -not good on narrow rocky climbs, and later diarrhoea). Despite our earlier departure Michelle and I did not reach Stella Point for the African sunrise-we were over 2 hours behind schedule and made it there at 0900. The guides were clear that safety must prevail and the extra 2-hour round trip along the crater rim to Uhuru, the highest peak 170m further up, was unrealistic given the time constraints and how we were feeling. The descent back to Barafu Camp was extremely difficult due to the deep powdery “scree” no longer compacted by the ice of the night and I was hugely grateful for the assistance of a relay team of guides and porters helping me, “Babu”-Swahili for “Grandad”, down. After a late lunch and brief rest at Barafu Camp we descended a further 4km to Millenium Camp (altitude 3,733m).

13th July 11km descent to Mweka Gate (altitude 1,676m) over a relentless rocky downhill trail that was very hard on the knees (I broke a walking pole trying to protect them!) and toenails (all 10 black and bruised from trauma against the toe chambers of my boots). Minibus home to shower beer and celebration at the Springland Hotel.

14th July Celebration Safari at Arusha National Park. We were devastated to learn on our return that Rose, the other 70-year-old on the trek, had died of altitude sickness.

15th July minibus transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for night flight to Dar es Salaam via Zanzibar.

16th July Flight from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi then Nairobi to Heathrow.

 Rose

Family Fun Day 2023 at Royal Russell School

On Sunday 3 September 2023, we held our second Family Fun Day at Royal Russell School. CMS members and their families plus our guests, Cllr Manju Shahul-Hameed and Cllr Lynne Hale, were welcomed by our President for 2023, Miss Ranee Thakar.

The sun shone brightly for 60 adults and 26 children who all had a wonderful fun-filled afternoon. This was made possible by Royal Russell School generously allowing us to use their facilities at the Cricket Pavilion and sports field. Thaddaeus and Fergus Ford provided an excellent BBQ and their father, Dr Nick Ford, was part of the Lock Down Brass Band who played so well for us.

Lots of activities were provided for the children (and adults) – bouncy castle, large garden games, rounders, short cricket, tug-of-war, parachute games and croquet.

A special moment during the afternoon was when Mr Kambiz Hashemi was presented with a well-deserved Croydon Medical Society Lifetime Achievement Award. The medal was presented by Dr Agnelo Fernandes and Dr Nick Cambridge read out a citation as to why he had nominated him for the award.

Lots of photos were taken which reflect what a great day we all enjoyed – these can be viewed in the members part of the website.

Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 – Mr Kambiz Hashemi

A special moment during our Family Fun Day was when Mr Kambiz Hashemi was presented with a well-deserved Croydon Medical Society Lifetime Achievement Award. The medal was presented by Dr Agnelo Fernandes and Dr Nick Cambridge read out a citation of why he had nominated him for the award.

Mr Hashemi is a long-standing member of the Croydon Medical Society and a past President of the Society. He still works on a part-time basis at CUH as an Emergency Care Consultant and is very well respected.

Citation

It is with great pleasure that I propose Mr Kambiz Hashemi for the 2023 Croydon Medical Society Lifetime Achievement Award. Kambiz has been the driving force with the Emergency Department (ED) at Mayday Hospital (now Croydon University Hospital) since his appointment in 1985. Now there are 10 consultants and over 60 junior doctors.

During his early years, he wrote the Major Incident Procedures (which was seriously tested with the 1989 Purley train crash). He started resuscitation training and made it mandatory for all junior doctors. With a “Resusci Annie,” he visited many practices to teach basic life support and built close links with many GP practices. He started to run GP Saturday workshops at the PGMC on minor surgery and joint injections.

Kambiz made hospital-wide induction training day mandatory for all new junior doctors and weekly teaching for junior ED doctors. He wrote a guidebook covering the management of acute medical and surgical emergencies. He fostered close links with Atkinson Morley Hospital and formulated local and later regional head injury management and referral guidelines.

In 1986 he started the first open-access hand clinic and continued this for 30 years. He also developed occupational hand therapy as an integral adjunct to hand surgery.

In 1991 He was appointed as the Clinical tutor and for the next five years worked closely with the GP Clinical Tutor hosting regular lunchtime sessions at the PGMC for both Croydon GPs and consultants.

He has many publications including the first publication in the UK of the measurement of cardiac enzymes in suspected MI.
He has chaired many local, regional and national working parties. He joined the occupational safety committee of the Medical Commission on Accident Prevention Commission and in 1994 became the chairman of the Commission.

He was active in setting up an A&E section at the Royal Society of Medicine and later became President.

In 1989 Advance Trauma Life Support was adopted in the UK and he was one of the first wave of consultants in the UK to become ATLS instructors. Since 1996 he has been running four ATLS courses a year at CUH.

One of his proudest achievements is his involvement and collaboration with both the Faculty of EM (Now the Royal College of EM) and the London Deanery in setting up and expanding the senior registrar training in SW Thames.

Following the opening of the new ED in 2019, he continues working for two days a week at the Urgent Care Centre at CUH.

Congratulations Kambiz on your well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.