Gresham College Lectures

During the last thirty years, the name of Hildegard of Bingen (d. 1179) composer, abbess and naturalist, has been gradually rescued from obscurity, notably by recordings of her works. The lecture will provide an opportunity to hear some of Hildegard's most impressive compositions but also to explore more widely the phenomenon of the medieval female composer. For while Hildegard was unique, she was not alone; the richness of the musical remains she has left eclipse every competitor, and yet there were many other female mystics who created rhapsodic spiritual song whose works have not survived. Many of them are little known, but here they will step into the light.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/medieval-music-the-mystery-of-women

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,900 lectures free to access or download from the website.
Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

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We have an idea of where to place the cradle of civilization, but where is the cradle of disease?: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/germs-genes-and-genesis-the-history-of-infectious-disease

Where do infectious diseases come from? Some come from animals, but we gave some back (as cattle picked up TB from farmers). Leviticus discusses the problem of leprosy at some length and even develops an early form of quarantine. Epidemics of various kinds began only when human populations and the first cities (Babylon included) were large enough to sustain the infectious agents responsible.

Now genetics, of humans and their enemies, is beginning to tell us more. And the news is not good.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/germs-genes-and-genesis-the-history-of-infectious-disease

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,900 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege

Instagram: http://www.instagram/greshamcollege

Is it possible to bring patient choice and feedback into healthcare in order to improve the NHS system?
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/how-to-choose-a-doctor-or-surgeon

Various governments have promoted 'patient choice' as part of NHS reforms. Yet few people know how either to make that choice or how to exercise it.
This lecture will consider the criteria one might use to differentiate one doctor from another or one surgeon from another, and whether you should be judging the individual, the team they work in or the organisation that houses them. We will also consider whether the promises of patient choice are either real or implementable in the new NHS, and how you, as a member of the public, might navigate the system and get your way.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/how-to-choose-a-doctor-or-surgeon

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,900 lectures free to access or download from the website.
Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege

Support the show

Two of the greatest mathematicians habe their shared history and correspondence examined: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gauss-and-germain

Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Possibly his most famous work was his book on number theory, published in 1801. After reading this book, the French mathematicians Sophie Germain (1776-1831) began corresponding with Gauss about Fermat's last theorem, using a male pseudonym.

Subsequently her interests moved to working on a general theory of vibrations of a curved surface which provided the basis for the modern theory of elasticity.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gauss-and-germain

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,900 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

We have an idea of where to place the cradle of civilization, but where is the cradle of disease?: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/germs-genes-and-genesis-the-history-of-infectious-disease
Where do infectious diseases come from? Some come from animals, but we gave some back (as cattle picked up TB from farmers). Leviticus discusses the problem of leprosy at some length and even develops an early form of quarantine. Epidemics of various kinds began only when human populations and the first cities (Babylon included) were large enough to sustain the infectious agents responsible.
Now genetics, of humans and their enemies, is beginning to tell us more. And the news is not good.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/germs-genes-and-genesis-the-history-of-infectious-disease

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,900 lectures free to access or download from the website.
Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram/greshamcollege  

Support the show

Two of the greatest mathematicians habe their shared history and correspondence examined: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gauss-and-germain
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Possibly his most famous work was his book on number theory, published in 1801. After reading this book, the French mathematicians Sophie Germain (1776-1831) began corresponding with Gauss about Fermat's last theorem, using a male pseudonym.
Subsequently her interests moved to working on a general theory of vibrations of a curved surface which provided the basis for the modern theory of elasticity.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/gauss-and-germain
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,900 lectures free to access or download from the website.
Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege
 

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Britain’s Groundwater is amongst its most precious and most threatened resources. Professor Roberts explains: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/oil-on-troubled-waters-the-industrial-legacy-and-britains-groundwater

Groundwater is an important source of drinking water in London and elsewhere, but the legacy of the UK's industrial revolution includes contamination at an extreme and increasingly widely-realised scale.

Drawing on research in the English Midlands, the lecture will explore how mining, metal-based manufacturing, and the oil industry have produced an environmental conundrum that is very complex to solve. How can sites that are part of our industrial heritage be prevented from polluting rivers, and poisoning local residents? Who is responsible, and how can the 'clean-up' be tackled?

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/oil-on-troubled-waters-the-industrial-legacy-and-britains-groundwater

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,800 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege

Instagram: http://www.instagram/greshamcollege

Britain's Groundwater is amongst its most precious and most threatened resources. Professor Roberts explains: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/oil-on-troubled-waters-the-industrial-legacy-and-britains-groundwater
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water in London and elsewhere, but the legacy of the UK's industrial revolution includes contamination at an extreme and increasingly widely-realised scale.
Drawing on research in the English Midlands, the lecture will explore how mining, metal-based manufacturing, and the oil industry have produced an environmental conundrum that is very complex to solve. How can sites that are part of our industrial heritage be prevented from polluting rivers, and poisoning local residents? Who is responsible, and how can the 'clean-up' be tackled?
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/oil-on-troubled-waters-the-industrial-legacy-and-britains-groundwater
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,800 lectures free to access or download from the website.
Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram/greshamcollege

Support the show

A historical analysis of our understanding of the mind: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/changing-minds-and-mental-health

What happens when people change their minds? In this lecture, I will offer a historical perspective on changing minds, starting with a discussion of the role of medicine in changing minds. I will discuss the move from changing behaviour to changing thinking, and changing stories; and how modern mental health services use such ideas.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/changing-minds-and-mental-health

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,800 lectures free to access or download from the website.

Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

A historical analysis of our understanding of the mind: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/changing-minds-and-mental-health
What happens when people change their minds? In this lecture, I will offer a historical perspective on changing minds, starting with a discussion of the role of medicine in changing minds. I will discuss the move from changing behaviour to changing thinking, and changing stories; and how modern mental health services use such ideas.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/changing-minds-and-mental-health
Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,800 lectures free to access or download from the website.
Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GreshamCollege
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/greshamcollege

Support the show