Hello and over Thalidomidemyd. There came one of the accused and he said if we would find out that I was guilty of this I'd commit suicide.

Plus the world's first bicycle sharing scheme,

the discovery of a frozen woolly mammoth,

and we celebrate the work of the great 20th century science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.

Somewhere in the 50 years just past is where the historians of the future will place an arbitrary line and say,

this marks the fall of the Galactic Empire. That's coming up later, but we begin

by marking the 70th birthday of a British institution which is often held up as a shining

example to the rest of the world but which is often held up as a shining example to the rest of the world, but which is nevertheless almost constantly the source of political controversy.

Seventy years ago, in the summer of 1948, Britain's National Health Service was established, providing free health care for everyone, young and old, rich and poor.

Many countries operate health care systems which are supported by central government, but which also rely on individuals paying directly

into an insurance scheme. Some, like the US, rely almost entirely on personal insurance schemes.

What marked out the NHS 70 years ago and to some extent

still does is the ambition that all costs should be borne from direct taxation.

Mike Lanchin reports. In 1948 Britain was on the verge of a social revolution.

On July 5th, the new National Health Service starts providing hospital and specialist services,

medicines, drugs and appliances, care of the teeth and eyes.

It offered the biggest shakeup of British post-war society, a cornerstone of a new vision

for the country.

Mr. Henry Willink, Minister of Health for England and Wales, talks about the government's

national health scheme.

Our plan is a service which will provide the best medical advice and treatment for everyone, every man, woman and child in this country.

It was the birth of the National Health Service or the NHS as it became known.

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