Why We Should Try to Get the Joke: Humor, Laughter, and the History of Healthcare

This paper advances two central arguments. The first is that focusing on humor and laughter can play a central part in enhancing our understanding of the contemporary history of healthcare. The second is that the value of the meaning contained in humor and laughter has thus far been underestimated in the field of oral history. Our discussion of these issues is grounded in an analysis of oral history testimony and documents gathered in the course of research into the history of the London hospitals, Guy's and St Thomas', and of their associated institutions (i.e., medical schools, staff associations, and the like) since the 1970s.