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The bulk of this collection consists of a series of index cards, 1905-1946, containing the details of nearly 7000 pathological investigations performed by Sir Bernard Spilsbury. These represent an unknown proportion of the vast number of autopsies and other investigations performed by Spilsbury during the course of his career. They do not include many of his most famous cases as witness for the Crown in cases of murder or manslaughter, some of which are held in other repositories. Further details can be found in the section-level description of PP/SPI/A

The accession to the collection of a small selection of Spilsbury's "little black books" from the latter years of his career (1941-1947) confirms the supposition that the cases on the index cards were abstracted from the notebooks with a view to writing a textbook on forensic pathology (uncompleted at the time of his death), since some of these notes include inserted index cards with the heading (name, date, place of autopsy, cause of death) already written in but the more detailed notes not yet added. These notebooks form a significant addition to the understanding of Spilsbury's working methods since they were clearly more immediate records of his autopsies than the index cards. It is possible, given the fire damage to these volumes and to other items in this accession, that they are the survivors of a much longer sequence which did not survive.

Their provenance is unclear. It seems probable, however, that they were at some point in the possession of one or other of Douglas G. Browne and E.V. Tullett, authors of the first biography of Spilsbury, <a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ed9cbssv" rel="nofollow">Bernard Spilsbury : his life and cases</a> (1951), as among the other papers in this accession a publisher's report on possible legal issues with the text of this work was found (PP/SPI/E.4) along with some general biographical notes.

In addition to the notebooks, the new accession includes some material on various issues in which Spilsbury was professionally interested, including several files on causes of poisoning, a few of his lectures and other writings, a little personalia and correspondence, and publications by other hands, presumably used for reference by Spilsbury

Spilsbury, Sir Bernard (1877-1947), Forensic Pathologist

Documents relating to the BBC drama They made history: The conquest of pain, which recreated the first operation under anaesthetic in Europe, the amputation of a leg by Robert Liston (1794-1847) using ether.
The film was written and produced by Bill Duncalf, and drew on advice from Edwin Clarke and Frderick Poynter of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum.
The file contains:
First draft, entitled Milestones in Medicine: No. 1 The conquest of pain. Typescript, 102 pp.
Rehearsal script, entitled They Made History. Typescript, 53 pp. plus compliments slip.
Camera script, entitled They Made History. Typescript, 54 pp. (unnumbered title page, i-ii and 1-51).
Reviews: two cuttings, from the Daily Mail (13th March 1959) and The Listener (19th March 1959)

They made history: scripts of BBC dramas

They made history: The conquest of pain (script of BBC drama)

Scripts and associated documentation for BBC dramas on milestones in 19th century medical history, on which Wellcome Historical Medical Museum staff had advised.

Material relating to the use of nitrous oxide, chloroform and ether, mostly notes, including some on an operation carried out on Napolean III, and notes for lectures given by Clover. There is some personal material relating to Clover’s education, including some family correspondence.

Clover, Joseph Thomas (1825-1882)

Medical Heritage Library

The dangers of chloroform and the safety and efficiency of ether, as an agent in securing the aviodance of pain in surgical operations : with a description of an ether inhaler and the mode of administration / by J. Morgan.

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Spilsbury, Sir Bernard (1877-1947), Forensic Pathologist

They made history: The conquest of pain (script of BBC drama)

They made history: scripts of BBC dramas

Clover, Joseph Thomas (1825-1882)

The dangers of chloroform and the safety and efficiency of ether, as an agent in securing the aviodance of pain in surgical operations : with a description of an ether inhaler and the mode of administration / by J. Morgan.

Recherches experimentales comparatives sur l'action du chloral, du chloroforme et de l'ether avec applications practiques / par S. Arloing.

Anæsthesia, or, The employment of chloroform and ether in surgery, midwifery, etc. / by J.Y. Simpson.

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Spilsbury, Sir Bernard (1877-1947), Forensic Pathologist

They made history: The conquest of pain (script of BBC drama)

They made history: scripts of BBC dramas

Clover, Joseph Thomas (1825-1882)

The dangers of chloroform and the safety and efficiency of ether, as an agent in securing the aviodance of pain in surgical operations : with a description of an ether inhaler and the mode of administration / by J. Morgan.

Recherches experimentales comparatives sur l'action du chloral, du chloroforme et de l'ether avec applications practiques / par S. Arloing.

Anæsthesia, or, The employment of chloroform and ether in surgery, midwifery, etc. / by J.Y. Simpson.

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