William Bynum and Helen Bynum

Medical historians William and Helen Bynum look at the key innovations in diagnosis, surgery, drugs and treatment that are the subject of a collection of articles they have edited and collected in Great Discoveries in Medicine.

The collection explores questions such as how the plague affected the course of history, how diseased hearts and worn-out hips are replaced, and what effect the pill had on the lives of women and on wider society. And it looks at turning points and breakthroughs in medicine and practice from ancient Egypt and China to modern technologies and COVID-19.

Helen Bynum is a historian of science and medicine with a particular interest in plants and their importance in culture and society. With her husband William, she has written or edited books including Remarkable Plants that Shape Our World and Botanical Sketchbooks. William Bynum was a professor of the history of medicine at University College London and the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine.