Taking place across our Autumn/Winter season, Thackray Insights invites you to delve deep into eye­ opening topics and explore the unheard stories of medicine.

In the 1950s, polio terrified Americans almost as much as the atom bomb. Thanks to a 30-year global campaign, we are on the brink of eradicating polio for good – but can we ever succeed? This is a compelling story of heroes and villains, that begins in Ancient Egypt and brings in a US President, the iron lung, two brilliant scientists who hated each other’s guts, and a cutthroat race to develop an effective vaccine.

The Artificial Kidney, the world’s first dialysis machine, built in 1943, opened a new frontier in medicine – replacing body parts with machines. Despite its life-changing potential, a decade passed before it became standard treatment, led by the UK’s first specialist department at Leeds General Infirmary. These once-futuristic innovations now change tens of thousands of lives every year.

This is an Insights Deep-Dive Lecture where two leading academics present an in-depth look into a topic.

About the Speakers

John Turney is a UK-based academic, writer and retired physician.

Prof Gareth Williams is Emeritus Professor and former Dean of Medicine at the University of Bristol. He has published over 200 papers on diabetes, obesity and neuroendocrinology.