By Mack Lipkin (NHC Fellow, 1978–79) This book strives to bridge the gap between doctors and patients by removing the unfortunate emotional barrier between some doctors and patients, and permits the reader to look into the mind and heart of one humanistic medical practitioner whose care of his patients has remained first on his list … Continued
By Elliot S. Valenstein (NHC Fellow, 1983–84)
By John Dittmer (NHC Fellow, 2001–02) In the summer of 1964 medical professionals, mostly white and northern, organized the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) to provide care and support for civil rights activists organizing black voters in Mississippi. They left their lives and lucrative private practices to march beside and tend the wounds of … Continued
Edited by Tom Regan (NHC Fellow, 1984–85) and Donald VanDeVeer These lively essays explore the controversial field of biomedical ethics and cover such issues as abortion, euthanasia, the treatment of incompetents, ethics in nursing, and the value of life.
By Valeria Finucci (NHC Fellow, 2009–10) Defining the proper female body, seeking elective surgery for beauty, enjoying lavish spa treatments, and combating impotence might seem like today’s celebrity infatuations. However, these preoccupations were very much alive in the early modern period. Valeria Finucci recounts the story of a well-known patron of arts and music in Renaissance Italy, … Continued
Mass vaccine hesitancy, along with outright opposition to immunization, is by no means solely an artifact of the COVID-19 era. Rather, controversies over vaccination in American history go back literally three centuries, to an intense conflict in Puritan Boston that inspired an assassination attempt on Cotton Mather. This seminar will explore this long history, focusing … Continued
During the Civil War, in Northern hospitals men shot rats for target practice; in Southern hospitals they roasted them for lunch. The differences that lay behind that comparison offer insights into why the North won and why the South lost. This seminar will explore the best and worst of Civil War medicine to assess what … Continued
Drug education has traditionally been delivered by science and health teachers who present scientific research regarding drugs’ physiological effects. This webinar explores the ways in which the humanities can provide essential historical context for understanding addiction as a medical condition and help students and citizens better interpret narratives of addiction and recovery. After presenting an … Continued
Each day we witness the spread of COVID-19 across the globe. How does geography help us understand the movement and impact of this disease? This session will explore the role that geography and location intelligence plays in understanding and analyzing past and present day events such as epidemics/pandemics, migrations, and cultural diffusions. Time will also … Continued
In the 21st century, many challenges to public health—such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, or disparities in maternal mortality rates—transcend national boundaries and trigger international responses. Matters of health and illness play a key role in how we understand our place in an interconnected world. In this webinar, historian Mari Webel explains … Continued