Mass miniature radiography: the tuberculosis screening programme in post-war Britain

Bradshaw, Kimberley ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5322-2238 (2025) Mass miniature radiography: the tuberculosis screening programme in post-war Britain. In: UK Imaging and Oncology Congress 2025 (UKIO 2025): Community & Consciousness: One Health, 2-4 June 2025, Liverpool ACC, UK.

Preview

PDF - Accepted Version Available under License CC BY-NC Download (123kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: After the Second World War ended, the Department of Health and the National Health Service developed a new screening programme to tackle tuberculosis (TB). TB was prevalent in Great Britain and so a community screening approach was deemed the most appropriate way to tackle the endemic. A robust public health campaign was used to encourage attendance. The widespread campaign involved posters, stamps, pamphlets, newspaper adverts, and specially commissioned songs. The population were offered incentives such as badges, bookmarks, chocolates and cigarettes. Those who attended were often put into a draw to win prizes such as electrical goods and brand-new cars. Mass miniature radiography images were produced and viewed on a projector. The use of mass miniature radiography screening for TB declined in the 1960s, once TB infection rates slowed.

Purpose:
- To explore the history and impact of the mass miniature radiography screening programme for TB.
- To explore the public health campaign approaches used.
- To determine to impact of this early screening programme on modern-day healthcare practice.

Summary of Context: This submission aims to explore the history behind mass miniature radiography and how it was utilised for TB screening in post-war Britain. This submission also explores the robust public health campaign, and the incentives used to encourage compliance with chest x-ray attendance. This submission will conclude how this early screening programme impacted on current healthcare practices, including how community-based screening programmes are still utilised today.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Departments:	Institute of Health > Medical Sciences
Additional Information:	Kimberley Bradshaw, Lecturer in Medical Imaging Sciences, University of Cumbria, UK.
Depositing User:	Kimberley Bradshaw
Date Deposited:	20 Mar 2025 12:00
Last Modified:	24 Mar 2025 09:15
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8724

Downloads