History of Medicine and the Biomedical Sciences

FaculteitFaculty of Medical Sciences

NiveauMaster

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

By the end of the course, students will understand the overall development of the history of western medicine and the biomedical sciences from the ancient Greeks to the present day and appreciate the key turning point in this history.
They will gain methodological and historiographical skills to help them critically analyze a range of sources both primary and secondary (including images) to culminate in a final research essay on their topic of choice.

Content

Period (from – till): 26 April 2027 – 28 June 2027 (BMS_P4_A). There will be one live session each week on Mondays from 14:00 till 17:00 for 10 weeks. Additional self-study is expected during this course.

Faculty
Course coordinator: Dr. Christine Fox (UMCU), Biomedical Sciences: c.m.fox@umcutrecht.nl.

Course description
This course offers a comprehensive overview of the evolution and practices of medicine, healing, and health from the ancient Greeks to the present day. The course will explore both western and non-western medicine, with a focus on the typology of the ‘kinds’ of medicine: bedside, library, hospital, social (aka community), and laboratory. You will examine the different goals of doctors and locations where medicine is practiced through both primary and secondary sources. While the course is organized chronologically, it emphasizes the cumulative nature of medical practices. For example, Hippocratic bedside medicine remains a significant part of modern primary care, and library medicine from the Middle Ages is still relevant in medical learning today.
This course will also introduce students to the advancements and discoveries that shaped the field of medicine and the biomedical sciences and highlight the challenges doctors and medical professionals faced before technologies such as anesthesia, x-rays, and vaccines, and how these advancements transformed these fields. Through reading, discussion, and assignments, you will gain a deep understanding of the ethical and social implications these advancements brought, and how cultural and social factors influenced both medical and scientific practices.
By the end of the course, you will have a strong foundation knowledge of western and some non-western medicine and an appreciation for the diverse approaches to healing and health. You will also find that history is not about presenting dry facts about the past, but rather about reflecting the human condition. Medical history is thinking about the ways in which man is dealing with health and illness, with pain and death – both in the past and in the present.

This ten-week course is part of the research master’s History and Philosophy of Science offered by the Descartes Centre for the History and Philosophy of Sciences and the Humanities and is also open to all MA students from the Graduate School of Life Sciences.

Registration:
You can register for this course via Osiris Student. More information about the registration procedure can be found here on the Students' site.
The maximum number of participants is 15.

Mandatory for students in own Master’s programme:
N.A.

Optional for students in other GSLS Master’s programme:
Yes, for all GSLS students and students from the History and Philosophy of Science Master

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