History of the Common Cold Unit

Long description:

Recordings in this collection are available to Higher and Further Education institutions only.

Thirty four interviews conducted between 1994 and 1997 by Dr David Tyrrell, recording the memories of those who worked at the Common Cold Unit in Salisbury from 1957 until its closure in 1990.

This collection of recordings consists of thirty four interviews which explore the history of the Common Cold Unit, established in 1946 to undertake research into the causes and possible cures for the disease. The interviews were conducted between 1994 and 1997, by Dr David Tyrrell, who was Director of the Unit from 1982 until it closed in 1990, in preparation for his book Cold Wars, (New York, 2002). Many of these interviews are with scientists, but a significant number are with support workers for the project, all together reflecting the experiences of the whole range of personnel involved in its operations: the research itself and the ancillary and administrative services which sustained it. The interviews include some references to Harvard Hospital, near Salisbury, during the Second World War, when still under its original United States Army administration, and to the Air Hygiene Unit, out of which the Unit originally developed.

All recordings on this site are governed by licence agreements.