Course syllabus

The study of medical history aims to enhance understanding of past societies. A basic premise of the course is that the history of medicine can only be understood in the context of the society of which it is a part. The ways in which health providers, legislators and the general public responded to health problems reveal a great deal about social attitudes and power structures within that society. The primary focus will be Britain, but the thematic approach means that other cultures will also be drawn on. The course will increase students’ ability to assess critically the different ways of writing history and different interpretations of the past. Various perspectives on the writing of medical history will be discussed and analysed.  The course is organised both thematically and chronologically – the first half is concerned primarily with the nineteenth century and the second half with the twentieth century. Themes within those time frames will be focused on.

Skills

This course aims to build on students’ skills of historical understanding and communication. These include:

•  An awareness of historiographical debates, an ability to assess them critically in relation to the sources on which they are based
• An ability to access information and use it constructively to formulate arguments in a logical way
• Ability to engage in scholarly debate and communicate effectively on historical issues in small group discussions

This course (HISTORY210) is taught concurrently with HISTORY367. Students should be aware that the course requirements, assessment tasks, and expectations of achievement for the two courses are different even though the lectures are common to both courses. If you are enrolled in HISTORY210 be sure that you comply with the requirements at 200-level History.

Course co-ordinator and lecturer is Professor Linda Bryder, whose office is located in Arts 1, room 729, phone 9237319, and email is l.bryder@auckland.ac.nz.

The best way to arrange a time to meet is by email or after the class. Please note there is a two-hour lecture and one-hour discussion group per week for this course.

Lectures are Wednesday 1-3pm, in Architecture, room 201 (ALR/421W-201)

Discussions of readings are on Wednesday 4-5pm, Architecture Building West, room 301. 

Lecture Programme: 

8 March: Introduction 1: Social History of Medicine

Introduction 2: ‘The Role of Medicine’

15 March: Nineteenth-century Public Health

Contagious Diseases Acts

22 March: Nineteenth-century Hospitals     

Nineteenth-century Nursing

29 March: Mental Health and Nineteenth-century Asylums

“Out of sight, Out of Mind” – film documentary

5 April: Colonial Medicine: British India

Tuberculosis

12 April: National Efficiency and Inefficient Mothers

Child Health

Mid-semester 14 April – 29 April

3 May: no lecture

10 May: Medicine and War 

1918 influenza epidemic

17 May: Twentieth-century Hospitals

Health consumerism

24 May: Childbirth

Birth Control

31 May: Modern Public Health (1)

Modern Public Health (2)

7 June: Conclusions