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The post-war adverts that tried to cure lonely women

In the 1950s and 60s the British Medical Association produced a monthly magazine for the general public rather than for doctors. With short, accessible medical articles on myriad themes, Family Doctor is a treasure trove for anyone wanting to understand the landscape of health advice in Britain at the time. It’s important not to skip the ads, though, as historian Fred Cooper makes clear.

Words by Fred Cooper

  • In pictures

About the author

Fred Cooper

Fred Cooper is a historian and research associate at the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, University of Exeter. He works on loneliness, solitude, alienation and estrangement, past and present.