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Last broadcast on Mon, 21 Feb 2011, 21:30 on BBC Radio 4 (see all broadcasts).
Synopsis
Andrew Marr talks to Simon Wessely about the mental health of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and explores why British personnel appear to have fared so much better than their American counterparts. The historian John Stubbs revels in the antics of the Cavaliers - the 17th century dandies and political intriguers, loyal to the king. The experimental physicist Athene Donald argues that science is as creative as the arts, and describes how studying the texture of yoghurt could help the treatment of dementia. And Simon Sebag Montefiore studies the texture of a city - Jerusalem. His epic 3000 year history is a chronicle of faith and power, diversity and co-existence.
Producer: Katy Hickman.
SIMON WESSELY
What impact have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had on British troops' mental health? It is commonly believed that these conflicts are creating an epidemic in mental health problems amongst military personnel. But Professor Simon Wessely, Director of the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, argues that the evidence shows otherwise and accuses the media of painting a distorted picture of the health and well-being of the UK armed forces. Although psychological problems among American troops remain high, there has not been a large increase in rates of mental illness among their British counterparts.
Simon Wessely is giving a talk entitled “Time bombs or tidal waves: the impact of Iraq/Afghanistan on the health of the UK Armed Forces” at the Royal Institution on Friday 25 February.
JOHN STUBBS
Better known for their elaborate dress than their success on the battlefield, the Cavaliers of the English Civil War have long been regarded as flamboyant libertines. The literary historian John Stubbs looks beyond the lace ruffles and velvet, at the makings of the royalist faction and explains how reading their largely forgotten writings shed new light on one of the most turbulent eras of the country.
Reprobates: The Cavaliers of the English Civil War is published by Viking.
SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
Jerusalem has often been regarded as the “centre of the world”, being the capital of two peoples, the focus of three faiths and the much sought-after prize of numerous conquerors. In his new book Jerusalem: The Biography, Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the epic 3000-year history of this city and charts how a relatively small, remote town became the “Holy City” and the battlefield of competing civilisations. He argues that Jerusalem’s history encapsulates the history of the world and that although it has been the scene of many conflicts and violent changes, for much of its existence it has also been a hybrid metropolis characterised by continuity, co-existence and interlinking cultures. If a peace deal is ever to be reached between the Palestinians and the Israelis, they will have to resolve the future of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem: The Biography is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
ATHENE DONALD
Professor Dame Athene Donald is one of Britain’s leading physicists but her work focuses on the territory between physics and biology. She argues that science is a creative act, that scientists are just as creative as poets and that the nature of scientific research is widely misunderstood. In her view, science is not so much about testing hypotheses but about the wonder of exploring new paths and the evolution of ideas.
Athene Donald will be giving a talk at the Institute of Physics on Wednesday 30 March entitled “Alzheimer's Disease and Yoghurt - a Physicist's Exploration of Proteins”.
Broadcasts
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Mon 21 Feb 201109:00
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Mon 21 Feb 201121:30
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