In these lectures, we want to explore a subject that is seldom mentioned and often dismissed: the history of the medical humanities. Where did they come from? What relation do they bear to other fields? What were the turning points in their history? What do they tell us about the modern university? Above all, we want to consider whether and on what terms they are likely to survive.

Professor Neil Vickers, Professor of English Literature & the Health Humanities and Co-Director of the Centre for the Humanities and Health, delivers three lectures for the UCL Health Humanities Centre at the Institute of Advanced Studies.