Papers of Professor Virginia Berridge

The collection contains the working papers of Professor Berridge covering her extensive research on the history of drug policy, addiction, smoking, alcohol and HIV/AIDS. The research includes projects for a number of national and international bodies including the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Union along with funded research programmes on HIV/AIDS and smoking policy at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The papers reflect Virginia Berridge's career as a historian and researcher with the papers chiefly consisting of research material accumulated from studies on drug addiction, drug use, HIV/AIDS, smoking and the formation of health care policy towards these issues. These papers include numerous manuscript notes of interviews she conducted; collected unpublished and published material, correspondence, committee and meeting minutes, briefing papers, conference papers and 36 recorded interviews relating to the development of post-war UK smoking policy. Papers include work relating to Professor Berridge's early work on 19th century narcotics relating to her book, her joint publication with Griffith Edwards, 'Opium and the People'; research papers relating to her work for the Drug Addiction Research Initiative within the UK and Europe, 1986-1987 and also her work relating to her role as co-Director of the AIDS Social History Programme, 1986-1995, based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The later contains the business files, interview notes, correspondence and reports for the Programme and complements the collected material within the GB 0809 AIDS Social History Programme collection.

In addition, to Professor Berridge's working papers are papers relating to her publications, grant applications, teaching and membership of research groups and journal editorial boards. These include papers relating to the ISDD/DrugScope and British Journal of Addiction/Addiction.

Professor Berridge received her first class degree and PhD from the University of London and has worked in academic and non-academic institutions, including Addiction Research Unit, (National Addiction Centre) Institute of Psychiatry and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. She joined the School in 1988 as Co-Director of the AIDS Social History Programme (1988-1995) and was made a Professor in History in 1998.

Her research work has focused on post-Second World War public health policy and in particular: smoking, illicit drugs and alcohol, the role of the media and the relationship between science and policy. Her close alignment to policy relevant research has resulted in various consultative roles relating to drug policy for organisations such as the ESRC, WHO and her current role as EU framework 7 programme ALICE-RAP on addiction. Professor Berridge has research work has also notably included her research on the UK policy formation on HIV/AIDS as part of the AIDS Social History Programme, based at LSHTM, from 1988 to 1995.

Virginia Berridge has been member of a number of various committees and editorial groups of journals such as the Social History of Medicine (1983-1987; 1993-1997); British Journal of Addiction (1980- present- check) and Addiction Research (1991- present?) and has been a Trustee for organisations such as ISDD, DrugScope, British National Committee for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology, Social history Society and served as President European Association for the History of Medicine and Health.

Professor Berridge is a published author with titles including: 'Opium and the People: Opiate Use in nineteenth century England' (Allen Lane, St. Martin's Press l981) (main author); 'AIDS and Contemporary History' (main editor and author), (Cambridge University Press, l993); 'AIDS in the UK: The Making of Policy l981-l994' (Oxford University Press 1996); 'Health and Society in Britain since 1939' (CUP/The Economic History Society; New Studies in Economic and Social History, 1999); 'Marketing Health: Smoking and the Discourse of Public Health in Britain, 1945-2000' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007) and 'Demons: Our changing attitudes to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).

The collection is arranged into thirteen series and the majority of the material has been arranged in a chronological order. The first four series represent early historical research work that was followed by her two main subject based research topics, drugs and HIV/AIDS. The next four series relate to the types of documents such as correspondence, articles or grant papers. This is followed by committee and journal papers and then finally collected papers where the papers have been co-created or collected and then audio-visual interviews.

This collection is open for consultation, but with some restrictions. Please contact the Archivist to arrange an appointment. All researchers must complete and sign a user registration form which signifies their agreement to abide by the archive rules. All researchers are required to provide proof of identity bearing your signature (for example, a passport or debit card) when registering. Please see website for further information at https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/library-archives-service/archives

Donated to the Archives by Professor Berridge in April 2010.

https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/library-archives-service/archives

Compiled by Chris Olver as part of the Wellcome Trust project, Cataloguing and Preservation of the HIV/AIDS Collections at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Copyright owned by Virginia Berridge