Future 20^th century medical historians will lament that there is very little surviving United Kingdom archival material relating to the development of premature baby units and general paediatrics from the end of the Second World War to the mid 1960’s.

‘The Gosset Collection’ is an online repository of the life and work of Dr Isaac ‘Harry’ Gosset, consultant paediatrician Northampton General Hospital, illustrating exemplary general paediatric and premature baby care (1947-1965). Within it, you can take the healthcare journey of the newborn child or paediatric case of that time.

Established as part of a commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of Dr Gosset’s untimely death, the ‘Gosset Collection’  has complete premature baby and general paediatric care protocols, together with original film taken by Dr Gosset of the Premature Baby Unit as well as the General Paediatric Ward.

There is also a section on the development of the ‘Gosset icterometer, which Dr Gosset invented, developed and introduced into perinatal practice from the 1950’s and in use until the 1970’s. Made of Perspex the icterometer could rapidly and accurately identify neonatal jaundice, saving unnecessary blood tests and focusing attention on the sicker jaundiced newborn. The ‘Gosset Collection’ also contains the 1960 Lancet paper of a successful trial of the icterometer (through permission of Elsevier) an important landmark in neonatal medicine.  

Lastly, there is a short vodcast placing Dr Gosset’s pioneering work in premature baby care within the context of the early development of this sub speciality.

 http://www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk/AboutUs/Ourhistory/Dr-Gosset/The-Dr-Isaac-Harry-Gosset-Collection.aspx

submitted by Dr Andrew Williams