Kate McAllister

@katemcal993

Historian of sometimes medicine, sometimes psychiatry | British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow | Writes about long illness, mental ill health and pain | Lover of old 📚 , moderately strong ☕️ and reality 📺 Views own she/her

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Kate McAllister@katemcal993· 12d

All this talk of social construction brought me back here. I’ve read it so many times but always find something new

The first page of a book chapter by Karl Figlio, on miners nystagmus, workmen’s compensation and social relations.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· 21d

😮‍💨

Extract of text from Rivera Garza’s book. Here, focus is on how time loses its flow amidst grief, shame and guilt.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· 23d

I started Liliana’s Invincible Summer by Cristina Rivera Garza last night. Finding the passages on grief, memory and institutional archives particularly moving

Passage from the first chapter of Liliana’s Invincible Summer. Here, Rivera Garza is talking about her desire to seek justice for her sister, through countering her erasure within and from institutional archives.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· 25d

Annual leave is almost up, and it’s been in many ways not at all restful… But all the while, the apples on the tree we planted for my brother, Dan, have continued to grow. Despite constant heatwaves and with regular water. Life goes on

Three apples growing on separate tree branches. I am holding the branch upwards, towards the camera. In the background you can see a wooden fence.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jun 19

#histpsych friends, anyone fancy a copy of this? I bought one (forgetting that my eager self had already done this two years ago, when planning my current project). Perhaps of particular interest to anyone working on #histpsych in Sheffield or Manchester, where I believe Lawton Tonge worked…

Cover page of The Mending of Minds by William Lawton Tonge

Spine of the book. It is coloured orange, and I am holding the book in my hand.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· May 26

Update: now out in the garden with this, received in the post today!

A hand holding a book called ‘On Earth to make the numbers up’ by Evelyn Hawthorne.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Apr 23

One for fellow #histmed…

Another piece listing chemists local to Sheffield

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Apr 23

Bone setters, ales, music players, and riddles!

A screwed up piece of newspaper, with adverts for bone setting and cannon ales

Another piece, with an advert for a music player

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Apr 23

Last night, I spent a while trying to unfurl these screwed up bits of newspaper which we found stuffed between the bricks of our hallway wall… one is from August 1928(!)

A screwed up piece of newspaper with the date August 5 1928 at the top.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Apr 20

Taking up the carpets in our hallway and found this! Our house was built c.1930 so I’m intrigued to know how old this might be…

A square of red tiled floor. You can also see someone’s feet standing on the tiles, as well as various other kinds of flooring.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Apr 13

I have a knack for finding library books that haven’t been taken out by anyone else for decades (so don’t register on the library system). Might start a thread. Today, it’s this…

Hand holding a slim green book. The spine is facing the camera.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Apr 2

Plans for the long Easter weekend (my resolution for this year was to read Mexican lit and I’ve been particularly looking forward to this one)

Red book titled ‘Divided Island’ by Daniela Tarazona. The book is held up by my hand, in front of a window with Venetian blinds. Through the blinds, you can see a garden.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Mar 22

Visited Gainsborough Hall today for the second time today. First was when I went here on a school trip, c.2001-2003. I remember volunteering to dress up as the lady of the house, and getting to sit at the top table. The time of my life

Gainsborough Old Hall, a large house mostly built in the 15th century.

Interior of the hall. I remember sitting at that top table as a child!

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Mar 12

And this is… a bad thing?

Screenshot of a BBC news article, which details the increasing number of ‘fit notes’ for mental health concerns

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Feb 23

Small joys. This dressing table belonged to my Grandma, and was recently refurbished by my Mum. Every morning when I sit there, I think about them and all they’ve given to me

A dressing table, bought by my Grandma in the 1950s/1960s. The table is a teak colour, and there is a tall mirror and seat.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jan 12

I found this little gem in a local flea market yesterday! The cover features different types of Liquorice made by the Bassett’s Company, which was founded in Sheffield in the 1840s.

The cover of a small folio, titled ‘A Century of Sheffield 1835-1935’. The cover features drawings of different types of liquorice, made by the local Bassett’s Company.

The back cover of the folio, which shows more types of liquorice and features a short blurb.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jan 5

A gorgeous sunrise this morning to start my first day as a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow! @britishacademy.bsky.social @sheffielduni.bsky.social

A sunrise stretching across a dark, early morning sky. There are silouhettes of trees in the foreground.

A desk sits in the foreground of this photograph, and behind that is a wall with a sign. The sign says ‘School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities’.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Dec 8

I came across this over the weekend… a true novelty now (released November 2003)

A hand is holding a CD, with the words ‘Now That’s What I Call Music 56’ written across it.

Track list of both CDs included. Some absolute classics here!

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Nov 13

Still can’t figure out if being able to regularly work in here would be amazing or just very distracting 📍 Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

A large circular room, with high ceilings and windows. There are bookcases on each wall.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Nov 12

Can anyone make out the wording in the eighth column of this census? It’s from Paris, 1931. The column title is ‘Profession’. I can see make out ‘estudiant’, ‘stagiase’ but I can’t figure out the other two!

Screenshot of a census records from Paris, 1931.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Nov 6

Morning coffee in the perfect mug ☕️ Thankyou for everything! @claireljones.bsky.social

A mug of coffee sitting on a wooden table. The mug has stripes of colour wrapped around it. The coffee is frothy.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Oct 10

This is a woven basket tray which, for as long as I can remember, has lived under the sink at my parents house. It’s been well-loved and used, often to serve hot soup to poorly children off from school, in bed, or cups of tea to visitors.

A hand holds a woven basket tray. In the centre are images of two apples, surrounded by various written apple recipes. It’s been in my house for as long as I can remember.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Sep 15

Tell me you’re an academic moving house without telling me you’re an academic moving house (these are just my books 🥲)

4 cardboard boxes on a laminate wood floor. They are each filled with books.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jul 30

Any guesses about what on earth this says? Part of a sentence discussing payment for a mattress.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jul 25

As a bonus, here is me overthinking where to position the background props…

A woman stands, reaching up to move a set of books on a fireplace. Her facial expression looks concerned, slightly dissatisfied. Behind her is a bookshelf.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jul 25

We filmed three short videos which each use historical insights, gained through our research, to educate young people about bladder health, to challenge stigma and in the process to facilitate wider conversations. Excited to see the final product!

A group of people stood in a garden. One man is sat down in a chair. Others are using filming equipment. They are stood beneath trees, and in the background there is a house.

Various papers, an open book and a ceramic bed pan laid out on a table.

Two men standing next to each other in a large doorway. They are holding the ERIC mascots.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jul 25

A great day for the ‘Buzzers for Bedwetters’ team! @claireljones.bsky.social After months of planning and collaborating with ERIC The Children's Bowel & Bladder Charity and Punchline Media, today we finally made it to Bristol to film our ‘Bladder Health Histories’!

Two women standing in front of a fireplace. One has her hands folded in front of her body, the other has her hand on her own leg. Either side of them, you can see the ERIC mascots.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jul 7

Looking forward to heading over to Dudley this week for #SHSConf2025! I'll be talking about my (ongoing) research into urine incontinence, elderly bodies and healthcare in modern Britain.

Screenshot of title slide in Powerpoint presentation. Slide features text detailing the title of the presentation, the name of the presenter, their role and institution, and acknowledges the support of the University of Kent and the AHRC.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jun 18

Many thanks to the team at Mediaplanet UK & IE for helping us with the development and publication of our interview. You can find it online (www.healthawareness.co.uk/bladder-and-...) or in print today in The Guardian!

Page in the Bladder and Bowel campaign supplement included in The Guardian today (18th June 2025). Page features an interview from Dr Claire Jones and Dr Kate McAllister, where they talk about how understanding the history of urine incontinence can help to challenge stigma.

Kate McAllister@katemcal993· Jun 17

On our walk earlier, two kids ran up asking if we wanted to buy anything from their curbside shop. They offered us a plant, but we had no cash. They said it was ok, because they were just kids so they didn’t need money. So anyway now I have a small mysterious plant in a water-filled pot to care for!