Abigail Woods

Abigail Woods is a historian of science, technology and medicine. She trained at Cambridge University and Manchester University, and spent eight years at Imperial College London before joining the Department of History at Kings College London in 2013. Reflecting her earlier career as a veterinary surgeon, her research is particularly concerned with the history of animal health, and its intersections with histories of human health and agricultural production. Focusing on Britain in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Abigail has explored how and why livestock disease patterns and perceptions changed over time along with concepts of health, welfare, and productivity, the evolution of animal health science and policy, and the roles, values and expertise of veterinary surgeons. She is also interested in the evolution of modern livestock systems, and their implications for livestock health and human-animal relationships. Her current research focuses on the intersections between human and animal health, and the roles played by animals in the history of modern medicine.