Socialist Health Association

The Socialist Medical Association (now the Socialist Health Association) was founded in 1930, in order to campaign for a National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It took in many of those who had been active in the State Medical Service Association. The Association was active in campaigns against NHS charges, smoking, tuberculosis and for adequate nutrition, for the establishment of health centres and salaried general practitioners. It changed its name in 1980 to the Socialist Health Association to reflect increased interest in public health. It is associated with the campaigns against health inequality around the Black Report, and is a socialist society affiliated to the Labour Party.

Publications

The Socialist Doctor 1932-1937

Medicine Today and Tomorrow 1937-

Socialism and Health 1970-

Dr. Charles Brook

Spanish Medical Aid armband

Born to a respectable Lincoln family he shocked his family by becoming secretary of the Cambridge University Socialist Society (later the Cambridge Universities Labour Club).

He was a member of the London County Council during the period when the LCC developed its municipal hospitals and later when he was in practice in Eltham he became a Kent County Councillor and leader of the Labour group.

he is credited with convening the meeting which led to the formation of the Association of which he was Hon Secretary until 1938 and he played a prominent part in the campaign to establish the British National Health Service. He was an active member of the Medical Practitioners Union, encouraged it to affiliate to the Trades Union Congress and was in September 1935 the first ever medical delegate to the Congress.

From 1951 to 1953 he played an active part in the foundation of the Royal College of General Practitioners

Other prominent members

Prominent members include or included:

• Debbie Abrahams MP
• Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison;
• Prof John Ashton;
• John Baird MP;
• Fred Ballard;
• Iris Beynon (Later Mrs Brook)organiser of The National Union of County Officers (NUCO) Guild of Nurses
• Prof George Black;
• Arthur Blenkinsop MP;
• Sir Albert Bore;
• Aleck Bourne
• Dr Charles Brook;
• Elizabeth Bunbury;
• Lord Ritchie Calder;
• Sir Iain Chalmers;
• John Charlton;
• Richard Clitheroe MP;
• Prof Joe Collier;
• Dr L. Comyns MP;
• Tam Dalyell MP;
• Lawson Dodd;
• Sir Richard Doll
• DrJohn Dunwoody MP;
• Michael English
• Dr Hugh Faulkner;
• Dr Brian Fisher;
• Dr Ida Fisher;
• Michael Foot MP;
• Dr Robert Forgan MP;
• Dr Hugh Gainsborough;
• Dr Katy Gardner;
• Mrs Mair Garside;
• Dr Brian Gibbons AM;
• Dr Ian Gilliland;
• Dr Sydney Gottlieb;
• Will Griffiths MP;
• Dr Leslie Haden-Guest MP;
• Dr Julian Tudor Hart;
• Somerville HastingsMP;
• Dianne Hayter;
• Dr Leslie Hilliard;
• Sir Benedict Hoskyns;
• Lord Philip Hunt;
• Dr Francis Jarman;
• George Jeger MP;
• Dr Santo Jeger MP;
• Dr Tony Jewell;
• Melanie Johnson MP;
• Dr Horace Joules;
• Dr Richard Kenchington;
• Dr David Kerr MP;
• Sir Dick Knowles;
• Dr Joyce Leeson;
• Dr Henry H MacWilliam;
• Professor John Marrack;
• Frederick Messer MP;
• Dr Maurice Miller MP;
• Dr H.B.Morgan MP
• Dr Hector Munro;
• David Stark Murray;
• Dr Doug Naysmith MP;
• Stanley Newens MEP;
• Miss Sylvia Pankhurst;
• Dr Hugh Price;
• Dr Geoffrey Richman;
• Miss Esther Rickards;
• Dame Jane Roberts
• Dr V. H. Rutherford MP;
• Dr Alfred Salter MP;
• Prof Wendy Savage;
• Dr. R.S.Saxton;
• Dr Sam Segal MP;
• Prof Aubrey Sheiham;
• Dr G.B.Shirlaw;
• Thora Silverthorne;
• Dr Kenneth Sinclair-Loutit;
• Dr Richard Stone;
• Dr Barnett Stross MP;
• Dr Edith Summerskill MP;
• Dr Cyril Taylor;
• Dr Stephen JL Taylor MP;
• Dr Oscar Tobin;
• Dr Alfred Welply
• Anne Weyman;
• Professor Richard Wilkinson;

See "Why a National Health Service", D Stark Murray. Pemberton Books 1971

External links

• Socialist Health Association website