The History of Medicine: From Hippocrates to Harvey (HIS2312.01)

Carol Pal

How did premodern culture understand the human body? How did it work? Where did it fit in the Great Chain of Being, and what differentiated men from women? Medicine has always been a hybrid of thinking, seeing, knowing, and doing. But what defined medicine in the past? Was it a science, an art, or a random assortment of practices? Between the age of Hippocrates and the age of Enlightenment, medicine very slowly detached itself from philosophy to become empirical and experimental. Using documents, art, and images, we follow patients and practitioners over two millennia – and, as we trace the history of healing, we chart changing perceptions of the body in the premodern world.

Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 4
T 10:00am - 11:50am; F 10:00am - 11:50am
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency:
This course is categorized as 2000, All courses, Areas of Study, Carol Pal, Four Credit, History, Society Culture and Thought, Tuesday and/or Friday Mornings.