This class offers an overview of Western medical theory, practice, and institutions from the 18th century to the present. Over the course of the semester, we’ll think critically about what it means for medicine to be “modern,” and consider how medical knowledge is shaped by politics and culture. Topics include changing understandings of the body and disease, the development of the medical profession, the establishment of medical institutions such as the hospital, and the evolution of medical technology. Special attention will be paid to the ways in which race, class, and gender have shaped the history of medicine, as well as the legacy of colonial encounters between Western and non-Western approaches to health and healing.
