To be presented by Dr Nicholas Cambridge
Honorary Research Fellow in Humanities and Medical History, University of Buckingham

Sponsored by the University of Leicester

Charles Dickens’ broad interest in medicine is evident in his novels and journals. What is less well known is Dickens’ florid medical history. Having carefully read over 14,000 letters in the 12-volume Pilgrim Edition plus 400 others, the speaker has identified 20 separate medical conditions that Dickens suffered from and believes that he was in denial with some of them. The lecture will describe Dickens’ medical conditions in detail and the doctors he was associated with and who he was referred to. Finally the question will be posed: “Would Dickens have made a good doctor, or was his impact on society greater through his writing and novels?”

Before becoming a doctor, Dr Cambridge qualified as an electrical engineer. He worked as a GP for twenty five years and during that time he obtained his MD in medical history working part time at the Wellcome Trust Centre of the History of Medicine at UCL. On his retirement he pursued his interests in medical history and has been published in many journals. He is an Honorary Research Fellow in Humanities and Medical History, University of Buckingham.

The lecture will be held at the New Walk Museum: