Residents can tour two John Radcliffe Hospital facilities to learn about the history and treatment of conditions such as stroke and heart attack next month.
The facilities will open on Friday September 11 as part of the Open Doors programme of events on September 12 and 13, when famous city buildings are opened to the public.
The John Radcliffe event – which must be booked in advance – will feature the pioneering work of two physicians in Oxford during the seventeenth century who revolutionised our understanding of how blood flows to and around the brain.
The foundations of our understanding of how blood circulates in humans were established in the seventeenth century by two physicians, William Harvey and Thomas Willis.
Using meticulous dissection and examination of human corpses, together with simple well-planned experiments, their books described how the heart propels blood through the body and illustrated how a complex connection of arteries supplies blood to the brain.
A ten minute introductory talk with access to the books of the physicians will explain how their findings shaped our current research and treatment for a range of vascular disorders.
The tour will continue with a visit to the Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility where visitors will learn about the latest research and treatment for conditions including subarachnoid haemorrhage, stroke and heart attack through measuring blood flow to the brain using non-invasive transcranial ultrasound equipment.
There will also be information and demonstrations on some of the research and treatments used in stroke rehabilitation with an opportunity to quiz University of Oxford research staff.
This will be followed by a viewing of cutting edge facilities at the University of Oxford’s Acute Vascular Imaging Centre (AVIC), pictured.
Opened in 2012, the £13m centre is improving treatment of heart attack and stroke through the latest technology in imaging and diagnostics.
The event has been organised by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, a partnership between Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, and the University of Oxford and funds cutting edge research.
Tours will take place at 4pm and 5.30pm. Booking is essential as spaces are limited. Please email [email protected].