Loading...
Mobilising medical knowledge for the nation, 1943-49
Hobbins, Peter Forsyth, Hannah Elise
Hobbins, Peter
Forsyth, Hannah Elise
Abstract
The Second World War reconfigured the structures and conduct of medical research in Australia. Destabilised by the departure of senior investigators over 1943–45, the local infrastructure faced a crisis. Coinciding with shifting military fortunes, this rupture also aligned with new political possibilities in planning for a ‘postwar’ world. From late 1942, both a mobilisation mentality and a rethinking of national health as a Commonwealth responsibility created novel opportunities for the generation of knowledge. Departing from interwar models, in which scientific inquiries were bound tightly to applied outcomes, from 1943 a new sense of free inquiry suffused Australian medical research. This ‘postwar’ conception signified a new epistemology, positioning the generation and circulation of untethered knowledge as a public good.
Keywords
Australia, medical research, government, knowledge, education, science
Date
2013
Type
Journal article
Journal
Health and History
Book
Volume
15
Issue
1
Page Range
59-79
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Arts and Humanities
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled