Medical History

Catalog description

This course examines the interactions between disease, healers, and patients in historical context. Questions we will investigate include: How has disease influenced human history? How have humans influenced the history of disease? How have people perceived, experienced, and coped with disease? The main geographical and chronological focus will be on Western Civilization since 1300, but we will begin with an overview of medicine and disease in the ancient and medieval periods. We will examine advances in the understanding and treatment of disease, the evolution of healing as a profession, and the impact of major epidemics.