Over 50 years, children with cancer changed from being symbols of hopelessness and the failure of modern medicine, to representing the triumph of science, fund raising, and personal heroism. Yet before 1940, children with cancer were largely invisible, to the medical professions and to the public at large. This book, written for historians and medical professionals interested in the history of child health, examines these transitions in visibility, image and expectation, and the impact of these changes on self-identity for patient and physician.

This book traces the development of British answers to the problem of childhood cancer. The establishment of the NHS and better training for paediatricians, meant children were given access to experimental chemotherapy, sending cure rates soaring. Children with cancer were thrust into the spotlight as individuals' stories of hope hit the headlines.