The winner of the ‘Best Test Lecture’ in the Diploma in the History of Medicine is Meredith Temple-Smith.

Time: 12pm BST / 9pm Melbourne, Vic Australia.

A century after congenital syphilis caused major panic among health authorities in Australia, it has re-emerged as a serious public health concern. The discovery of the cause of syphilis in 1905 and subsequent development of a blood test enabled the conduct of The Melbourne Experiment in 1910; claimed to be the first community-based syphilis data collection worldwide. Australia had adopted compulsory syphilis notification by 1919, but Britain waited untill 1937. This lecture will outline the practical challenges and outcomes of the Melbourne Experiment to highlight the value of disease surveillance.

Dr Meredith Temple-Smith is a Professor and Director of Research Training in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Melbourne. A sexual and reproductive health researcher with strong interest in interventions in the general practice setting, she is currently completing her Diploma in Medical History at the Apothecaries’ Society.

Photo Credit: Specimen bottle for blood for a test for syphilis, England, Science Museum, London.
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Attendance cost: £10.00

Click here to book. This lecture is open to everyone and will be held on zoom.

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Contact: facultyhp@apothecaries.org