Beyond Resusci Anne: Simulation, casualty training, and life-saving education in 20th Century Britain

NOTE: This is an Evening Talk hosted by the Museum of St John in London. The talk is live online Wed. 11 March 7.00-8.00 pm GMT. In Australia, the talk is live online:  A(Daylight)EST Sydney, Thur. 12 March 6.00-7.00 am (11 hours ahead of London). Please check the time for your state/territory.

Click here to book your free ticket TALK Beyond Resusci Anne: Simulation, Casualty Training, and Education Tickets, Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

Professor Jonathan Reinarz will explore the development of simulation in first-aid and life-saving training, using the emergence of Resusci Anne in the early 1960s as a point of departure.

Although often described as the 'world’s most kissed face' and central to CPR education for over six decades, Anne represents only one element of a much longer and broader history of medical simulation. Situating her appearance within the wider simulation landscape of the 1960s, the paper traces the evolution of casualty simulation across the 20th Century, from low-technology practices such as moulage, role-play, and volunteer casualties to increasingly sophisticated physiological simulators. Focusing on Britain, it explores how simulation developed in response to changing medical knowledge, educational priorities, and societal demands, including war, industrial accidents, and mass-casualty incidents. The paper concludes by showing how these 20th Century developments laid the foundations for contemporary disaster simulation and emergency preparedness training.

Jonathan Reinarz, Professor of the History of Medicine and Director of the History of Medicine Unit at the University of Birmingham, has published extensively on the history of hospitals and medical education. His research currently focusses on medical simulation in 20th Century Britain.