Electives - Humanities in Medicine

History of Medicine

Elective Number: (Oasis E18f) 3506

Course Supervisor: Dr. Luke Demaitre

Designated Signer: Dr. Marcia Childress, 5361 Barringer

Evaluation should be given to: Dr. Demaitre

Available: Rotation 11 - Class of 2008; 12 - Class of 2009

Time to Report: 9:00 am

Place to Report: Center for Biomedical Ethis and Humanities Office, Barringer 5

Typical day: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Attendance: Attendance at elective activities is mandatory.

• Anyone who is ill or has a personal or family emergency must contact Student Affairs and the Attending on Service.
• Students are allowed to take off up to 1 day per week to interview between November 1 and February 1.
  • Specific days missed must be approved by the Attending on Service.

Number of students per rotation: Minimum of 4, Maximum of 12

Course Description: This course looks at development of the practice, science, and profession of medicine over five millennia, from ancient Egypt to nineteenth-century Virginia. Topics include healing from craft to art and science; views of the body and health; historic diseases from leprosy to cancer; the transition from healer to doctor and 'health provider'; status and standards of conduct; religious and scientific frameworks; the relation between physician and surgeon; the relevance of social classifications such as gender and ethnicity; and the formation of faculties, hospitals and other medical institutions.

The primary goal of this historical survey is to locate current health care in an informed perspective of the past, rather than the accumulation of dates and events. Brief introductory lectures and, more importantly, structured discussions aim both for a greater awareness of the wide range of ideas and practices and for a better understanding of their origin and impact. In critical and comparative examinations of documents from various times and places, students not only sharpen their analytical skills but also appreciate the extent of continuity and the significance of changes. In personal research, everyone discovers many human dimensions of seemingly abstract subjects.

This class meets for twelve seminars in which there is discussion of assigned readings and individual research projects. Wherever desirable and feasible, coverage is enriched with slides, video, and guest speakers. Students complete two review presentations and a research paper to present orally. Students also attend Medical Center Hour.

This description is a general overview. The instructor will establish the schedule and particular requirements at the time of the course.