The times they are a-changing (not)

“There is nothing new under the sun” has (like a lot of biblical quotes) become a cliché. But when someone hits the nail on the head, why be original.

Unpopularity of the government

MPs feared that “there was nothing to prevent the Labour Government from suffering an overwhelming defeat at the next election”. There was, they agreed, “nothing in the Government’s unemployed policy which promised any hope of substantial reduction”. “They might try to hide the truth, but they could not disregard the feelings in the constituencies without suffering as they had never suffered before at the next election”.

You’ve probably guessed what stunt I am pulling – the above comes from a news report in The Times from 26 September 1930. After all, what are the chances of things getting that gloomy these days?

You probably won’t want to spend much time using The Times Digital Archive to draw parallels between today’s dreary headlines and similar crises in the past, but if you do, it’s a rich seam. Facsimiles of every edition of the paper (from 1785 to 1985) are fully searchable by keyword, author, date, and so on. The Times was never great for pictures, but the ones they did include are here in all their original smudgy glory.

A fantastically useful feature is the ability to specify the section of the paper which you want to search. So if corset ads are your thing, you can go straight there. Of course, the erotic possibilities are limited – “Mrs Barclay particularly recommends to the Nobility and the fashionable world her cheap corsets” is about as saucy as it gets. Good for a laugh, though.

Don’t forget that your family history finds can be put into context using The Times Digital Archive. If Great Uncle William did something notable, it might have been covered in The Times, and even if he didn’t shine on the world stage, you can shine a light on the public doings which affected his private life.

(From the Gateway to websites, select “News & magazines”. The Times Digital Archive is a Key Link.)

This year’s black (in colour)

If Mrs Barclay’s cheap corsets don’t do it for you, don’t forget that you can get all the latest catwalk shots (and all the styles from 1903 onwards) from UK Press Online, which contains facsimiles of the fashion pages from the Mirror, the Express and the Star. Oh, and the news, the sport, the gossip, and everything else!

(From the Gateway to websites, select “News & magazines”. UK Press Online is a Key Link. You will see that there is an extra click to make to reach the resource – just follow the instructions.)

Don't pick it

Illness, disease, health risk… what to do? Bury your head in the sand and hope for the best (yep – I’m up for that) or try to keep yourself informed? If you want to know the worst, and the best, read on.

New bedfellows

Best Treatments is sponsored by the British Medical Journal, but recently it popped up on the Guardian website. So alongside ads for homeware and tourist trips to Newcastle and Gateshead you can find "high quality patient information on a wide range of health issues, from cancer, depression and back pain to every day ailments like the common cold and period pains."

Not that we at WTH are squeamish about picking the best free stuff out of a commercial website – if the free stuff is good, the provider is entitled to wave a bit of tempatation under our noses, and Best Treatments is every bit as good as they claim.

I had a look at the section on infections, picking out Athlete’s Foot from a host of inviting lurgies. I got some plain-English information on what it is, what the symptoms are, what will happen to me and what I can do about it. This last was divided between what I can do myself – which treatments work – and what to ask the doc if over-the-counter treatments don’t work.

The trouble is, I just caught myself looking suspiciously at my feet – is that a suggestion of cracked skin, the odd red patch…?
If you’re inclined towards hypochondria, best avoid Best Treatments. And if you’re allergic to the Guardian, you’’l have to hold your nose. But if you want a bit of control over your own health, this is a good stop.

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Health & medicine". Best Treatments is under "Conditions and treatment".)

Help just round the corner

I’ve rattled on about it many times in the past, so this is just a reminder that NHS Choices is worth a visit for two reasons. Firstly, you can use it as a first resort, checking your symptoms against their database to get some idea of what you might have and what to do about it. Secondly (perhaps best of all), the site is really good for finding a local doctor, dentist, chemist and so on. A simple postcode search yields nearest-first results with full contact details.

There’s lots else on this site but, before you explore, first read the hypochondria alert up the page!

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Health & medicine". NHS Choices is a Key Link.)