Richard Titmuss

“…Stewart brings his expertise to bear in depicting Titmuss’s influential role in both the study and practice of social welfare. As well as generating new insights into the well-known milestones of Titmuss’s life, Stewart brings to light sides of his career that have hitherto been almost entirely ignored.” New Left Review

"A full and engaging analysis, with much relevance to today, of how the pioneer of social policy worked in many fields to establish it as a broad-based subject." Adrian Sinfield, The University of Edinburgh

"More than a life story, Stewart’s lucid and intelligent study sets the evolution of Titmuss’s thought against the politics of the emergent welfare state. A must-read for scholars of British social policy." Martin Gorsky, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

"Richard Titmuss had a profound influence on social and welfare policy. This authoritative biography demonstrates his past impact, but also how his ideas can continue to contribute to policy debates today." Virginia Berridge, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

John Stewart is Emeritus Professor of the History of Healthcare at Glasgow Caledonian University. He has written extensively on the history of social welfare, focusing on Britain, Scotland, and New Zealand.

Introduction

Part 1: Early Life and Career to the End of 1941

‘As the Son of a Farmer…’: Origins, Early Employment, and Personal Life

Politics: The Liberal Party, the ‘Fleet Street Parliament’, and Forward March

The Eugenics Society, Poverty and Population, and ‘Manpower and Health’

The Titmuss Gospel and Progressive Opinion

Part 2: From Problems of Social Policy to the London School of Economics

Problems of Social Policy: Researching and Fire-Watching

Titmuss and the Eugenics Society in War

Titmuss and the Media in the 1940s – a Growing Reputation

Population and Family: Parents Revolt and the Beginnings of Social Medicine

The London School of Economics and ‘Social Administration in a Changing Society’

Part 3: First Decade at the LSE

Setting Out His Stall

The Guillebaud Committee and the Early Years of the National Health Service

Pensions and Old Age

‘We Have Our Differences and Do Not Always See Eye to Eye’: Social Work and Social Work Training

Essays on ‘The Welfare State’ and The Irresponsible Society

Part 4: Power and Influence: Titmuss, 1960 to 1973

‘The Apostle of Equality’: Titmuss and R.H. Tawney

Mental Health, Community Care, and Medical Education

Mauritius, Tanzania, and Israel

Scottish Social Work and the Seebohm Committee

Commitment to Welfare and the Finer Committee on One-Parent Families

Titmuss and North America: Early Encounters and First Visit

Helping American Scholars on British Topics

Titmuss and President Johnson’s ‘War on Poverty’

‘One of the Greatest Human Beings of Our Time’: Titmuss’s Influence on North American Thinking on Social Welfare

Part 5: Troubles?

The Labour Government, Social Policy, and the Supplementary Benefits Commission

A Public Figure in Turbulent Times: Vietnam, Race Relations, and the Common Market

Health Care, the Market, and the Institute of Economic Affairs: the Making of The Gift Relationship

‘It Really Is Hell’: Disruption at the LSE

‘A New Prophet Had Appeared in Our Midst’: Final Illness, Death, and Memorial Service

Part 6: Conclusion

A Commitment to Welfare: The Life and Work of Richard Titmuss