The BSHS is delighted to invite submissions for the Singer Prize 2018. The prize, of up to £300, is awarded every two years to the writer of an unpublished essay, based on original research into any aspect of the history of science, technology or medicine.
The prize is intended for younger scholars or recent entrants into the profession. Candidates must be registered for a postgraduate degree or have been awarded such in the two years prior to the closing date. All nationalities are welcome.
Essays must not exceed 8,000 words and should be submitted in English. They should adhere to BJHS guidance to authors in all respects.
The prize may be awarded to the writer of one outstanding essay, or may be awarded to two or more entrants. Publication in the British Journal for the History of Science will be at the discretion of the Editor. Essays under consideration elsewhere or in press are not eligible.
The deadline for submissions is 30 April 2018. Submissions should be emailed to the BSHS Executive Secretary, Lucy Santos, office@bshs.org.uk with ‘Singer entry’ and the author surname in the subject line.
For further information please see http://www.bshs.org.uk/prizes/singer-prize
Charlotte Sleigh
Professor of Science Humanities
University of Kent
A: School of History | Rutherford College | University of Kent | Canterbury CT2 7NX | UK
E: c.l.sleigh@kent.ac.uk
Tw: @KentCHOTS
Bl: http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/sciencecomma/
W: http://www.kent.ac.uk/history/staff/profiles/sleigh.html
Showing posts with label History of Medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History of Medicine. Show all posts
British Society for the History of Pharmacy: Byzantine Pharmacology between East and West
British Society for the History of Pharmacy
Maplethorpe Lecture Theatre,
UCL School of Pharmacy,
29-39 Brunswick Square,
London WC1N 1AX
Monday 5 February 2018, 17:30
Lecture by Dr Petros Bouras-Vallianatos, Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in Medical Humanities.
All welcome, no need to book, no admission charge. Refreshments from 17:00
The Byzantine Empire, with its capital in Constantinople (now Istanbul), then a mainly Greek-speaking region, constituted a natural crossroads between East and West for more than a millennium (AD 324–1453). This lecture aims to determine the degree of influence on Byzantine pharmacology from Arabic, Persian, and Latin pharmacological traditions, and reassess the notion of the primacy of tradition over empiricism. Decisively overturning the view that Byzantine medical tradition was ‘stagnant’, simply preserving the best ideas from antiquity, and that Byzantine literature consisted of mere compilations, this paper aims to demonstrate that Byzantine pharmacology in particular was far more open to outside influence than has hitherto been thought and that Byzantine physicians were eager to inform their material with observations derived from their daily contact with patients.
Email Queries
Lecture by Dr Petros Bouras-Vallianatos, Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in Medical Humanities.
All welcome, no need to book, no admission charge. Refreshments from 17:00
The Byzantine Empire, with its capital in Constantinople (now Istanbul), then a mainly Greek-speaking region, constituted a natural crossroads between East and West for more than a millennium (AD 324–1453). This lecture aims to determine the degree of influence on Byzantine pharmacology from Arabic, Persian, and Latin pharmacological traditions, and reassess the notion of the primacy of tradition over empiricism. Decisively overturning the view that Byzantine medical tradition was ‘stagnant’, simply preserving the best ideas from antiquity, and that Byzantine literature consisted of mere compilations, this paper aims to demonstrate that Byzantine pharmacology in particular was far more open to outside influence than has hitherto been thought and that Byzantine physicians were eager to inform their material with observations derived from their daily contact with patients.
Email Queries
Wellcome Trust Post-Doctoral Fellowships at LHRI
Leeds Humanities Research Institute (LHRI), University of Leeds
Wellcome ISSF Post-Doctoral Fellowships
Deadline 23 January 2017The University of Leeds has been awarded a grant of £1.25m over 5 years from the Wellcome Trust ISSF to support biomedical and related research, which has been matched by an equal investment by the University. A major component of this funding will support early career researchers in order to enable them to realise their potential, and position themselves for competitive external Fellowship applications. We therefore seek applications from candidates at either the latter stages of their PhD work, or after one or two post-doctoral positions, dependent on the type of Fellowship envisioned. Previous rounds have supported researchers from Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the wider academic areas of Medicine and Health.
These awards will cover both salary costs and a contribution towards consumables, aligned to the needs of the proposed work. Applications are invited from any Faculty, but applicants should be working within the Wellcome Trust remit (see http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/index.htm).
Applications will be considered on an annual basis. For the 2017 round, applicants should complete the appropriate proforma by 23 January 2017. The ISSF Management Committee will then assess the applications and invite shortlisted candidates for interview during the week commencing 13 February 2017 (TBC). The interview will consist of a short (5 minute) presentation by the candidate, followed by questions from the panel, which will comprise a subset of the Management Committee representing the breadth of academic interests within the ISSF portfolio.
Each award will normally be up to £50K, and applicants should provide a detailed justification for the funds requested. It is expected that these awards will normally run for a maximum of 12 months. If awarded, an appropriate timescale will be agreed and any funds remaining unspent at the end will be withheld for re-allocation in subsequent funding rounds. Awards will be available immediately, or may be taken up at any time during the calendar year following the award, dependent on your current funding position. We invite applications from Leeds-based individuals who are planning to apply for external Fellowships to remain in Leeds, or external candidates intending to move to Leeds.
For more information on these fellowships and how to apply, please go to http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/news/article/4011/wellcomelhri_postdoctoral_fellowships
On the LHRI and the range of activities it supports, please go to our website, http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/info/20045/leeds_humanities_research_institute
The Sharing of Medical Ideas and Information Among Early-Modern Practitioners
A Project Meeting to be held at the Edward Worth Library (1733), in association with UCD Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland
Tuesday 2 August 2016, 2 p.m.-5.30 p. m.
Free Admission – Booking Essential
Venue: The Boardroom, Dr Steevens’ Hospital, Dublin 8
Keynote Speaker: Professor Ole Peter Grell, MA, Ph.D., FRHS
Programme:
Tuesday 2 August 2016
1.00pm: Registration
1.45pm: Official Opening
2.00pm: Dr Jason Harris (Centre for Neo-Latin Studies, University College Cork)
“The Latinity of Renaissance Physicians”
2.30pm: Dr Benjamin Hazard (School of History, University College Dublin)
“Medical Recipes for Military Chaplains in Spanish Flanders.”
3.30pm: Dr Elizabethanne Boran (Librarian, The Edward Worth Library)
“Buying and Selling Medical Books in Early Modern Ireland”
4.00pm: Keynote Chaired by: Dr Catherine Cox (Director, UCD Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland):
Professor Ole Peter Grell MA PhD FRHistS (Professor in Early Modern History, The Open University)
“The Importance of the Republic of Letters for the Exchange of Medical Knowledge and Ideas in the Early Seventeenth Century: The Physician Ole Worm (1588-1654) and his Correspondents”
3.00pm: Coffee Break
5.00pm: Closing Remarks
For bookings, contact: Ben Hazard
Tuesday 2 August 2016, 2 p.m.-5.30 p. m.
Free Admission – Booking Essential
Venue: The Boardroom, Dr Steevens’ Hospital, Dublin 8
Keynote Speaker: Professor Ole Peter Grell, MA, Ph.D., FRHS
Programme:
Tuesday 2 August 2016
1.00pm: Registration
1.45pm: Official Opening
2.00pm: Dr Jason Harris (Centre for Neo-Latin Studies, University College Cork)
“The Latinity of Renaissance Physicians”
2.30pm: Dr Benjamin Hazard (School of History, University College Dublin)
“Medical Recipes for Military Chaplains in Spanish Flanders.”
3.30pm: Dr Elizabethanne Boran (Librarian, The Edward Worth Library)
“Buying and Selling Medical Books in Early Modern Ireland”
4.00pm: Keynote Chaired by: Dr Catherine Cox (Director, UCD Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland):
Professor Ole Peter Grell MA PhD FRHistS (Professor in Early Modern History, The Open University)
“The Importance of the Republic of Letters for the Exchange of Medical Knowledge and Ideas in the Early Seventeenth Century: The Physician Ole Worm (1588-1654) and his Correspondents”
3.00pm: Coffee Break
5.00pm: Closing Remarks
For bookings, contact: Ben Hazard
Eleventh Cambridge Wellcome Lecture in the History of Medicine
Seminar Room 2, Department of History and Philosophy of Science,
Free School Lane, Cambridge
Michael Stolberg (University of Würzburg) will speak about 'Curing diseases and exchanging knowledge: sixteenth-century physicians and their female patients'
In the sixteenth century, 'diseases of women' – thought to originate from their womb – and matters of generation, pregnancy and childbirth attracted growing attention in learned medical writing. So far we know very little, however, about how commonly women consulted physicians – rather than midwives and wise women – in such matters and what they could expect. Drawing on the notebooks and practice journals of sixteenth-century physicians, this lecture will examine the place of gynecological and obstetrical problems in ordinary medical practice. It will trace the ways in which physicians acquired the knowledge and the skills they needed to diagnose and treat these patients – including foetal anatomy, manual examination and the use of the speculum. And it will show that learned physicians were even prepared to take the empirical knowledge of non-academic healers and ordinary womenfolk seriously in this domain to which they traditionally had only limited access.
There will be tea before the lecture, at 4pm in Seminar Room 1, and a drinks reception afterwards, at 6pm in Seminar Room 1.
***************************************************
Plus, earlier in the day (11:30, Seminar Room 1), Michael Stolberg will lead a discussion about uroscopic pregnancy diagnosis in early modern Europe 11.30am in Seminar Room 1 – all welcome
Historians like Barbara Duden have lamented a devaluation of women's authentic experience of 'being with child' by modern methods of 'objective' pregnancy diagnosis. This argument is somewhat at odds with the finding that another 'objective' method – examining women's urine for signs of pregnancy – was widely requested and practised in early modern Europe. Records of inquests against unlicensed uroscopists, physicians' personal notes and case histories and visual representations of uroscopic pregancy diagnosis in early modern genre painting suggest a complex interplay of female expectations, physicians' reservations and a desire to unveil the secrets of women even against their wishes.
Suggested reading: Michael Stolberg, Uroscopy in Early Modern Europe (2015), pp. 1-2, 5-8, 105-10, 117-21, 160-6. Copies of the book and a document consolidating the selected pages are on reserve in the Whipple Library. Please email if you need help accessing the readings.
These events are a collaboration between Generation to Reproduction (http://www.reproduction.group.cam.ac.uk/) and the Casebooks Project. They are supported by the Wellcome Trust.
Visit http://www.magicandmedicine.hps.cam.ac.uk/ for the latest updates to the Casebooks Project: A Digital Edition of Simon Forman's and Richard Napier's Medical Records
Dr Lauren Kassell
Department of History & Philosophy of Science University of Cambridge Free School Lane Cambridge CB2 3RH www.hps.cam.ac.uk
+44 1223 767173
Pembroke College
Cambridge CB2 1RF
www.pem.cam.ac.uk
+44 1223 330897
The Marginalisation of Astrology
Utrecht, 19-20 March 2015; Deadline 30 September 2014
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
· History of astrology. Although the project is about people NOT practising astrology rather than about astrologers, the history of astrology proper remains of course central. At the very least, an attempt should be made to compare differences in astrological practice (and their marginalization) between various local, cultural and religious contexts. Other relevant questions concern criticisms and apologies of astrology and attempts at astrological reform.
· History of science. The idea that astrology was discredited directly because of new scientific discoveries is no longer regarded as credible; on the other hand, it does not appears believable that there was no connection at all. The dismissal of astrology implied a transformation of the work and the identity of astronomers. In natural philosophy, it implied a rejection of the idea of celestial influence, which had become an integral part of scholastic philosophy.
· History of medicine. Medicine was a major application of astrology. Medieval physicians would routinely cast horoscopes for diagnostic and other purposes. The question is when and how this changed. Obviously, both the supply and the demand sides have to be taken into account.
· Court culture. Important on the side of demand were princely and noble courts. In the sixteenth century, princes would regularly employ court mathematicians/astronomers, whose task it was to cast horoscopes. In the seventeenth century, on the other hand, Louis XIV spent a fortune on the Paris Observatory, while casting horoscopes was not among the tasks of this institution. Again, the reasons behind this change are not clear.
· Print culture. Almanacs, ephemerides, and prognostics, in conjunction with information on their makers, editions, and distribution, should enable us (at least) to get some idea of the popularity, or lack of popularity, of astrological ideas and practices. This is a field wherein some work has already been done.
· History of religion. The era of the Reformation and Counter Reformation saw important developments in the field of theology, Church discipline and organization, which may have affected the status of astrology. One should also look to what one might call religious anthropology: shifting attitudes toward the supernatural and a changing definition of “superstition”, more or less identifiable with Weber’s “disenchantment of the world”. It is not clear to what extent astrology (as a learned practice) was placed in the same category as other superstitions, but the question should be asked.
· Finally, the question to what extent this development remained limited to Western Europe, and whether similar things happened elsewhere (and when), should not be forgotten, even if it is probably hard to answer at this stage.
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
· Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
· Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
· History of astrology. Although the project is about people NOT practising astrology rather than about astrologers, the history of astrology proper remains of course central. At the very least, an attempt should be made to compare differences in astrological practice (and their marginalization) between various local, cultural and religious contexts. Other relevant questions concern criticisms and apologies of astrology and attempts at astrological reform.
· History of science. The idea that astrology was discredited directly because of new scientific discoveries is no longer regarded as credible; on the other hand, it does not appears believable that there was no connection at all. The dismissal of astrology implied a transformation of the work and the identity of astronomers. In natural philosophy, it implied a rejection of the idea of celestial influence, which had become an integral part of scholastic philosophy.
· History of medicine. Medicine was a major application of astrology. Medieval physicians would routinely cast horoscopes for diagnostic and other purposes. The question is when and how this changed. Obviously, both the supply and the demand sides have to be taken into account.
· Court culture. Important on the side of demand were princely and noble courts. In the sixteenth century, princes would regularly employ court mathematicians/astronomers, whose task it was to cast horoscopes. In the seventeenth century, on the other hand, Louis XIV spent a fortune on the Paris Observatory, while casting horoscopes was not among the tasks of this institution. Again, the reasons behind this change are not clear.
· Print culture. Almanacs, ephemerides, and prognostics, in conjunction with information on their makers, editions, and distribution, should enable us (at least) to get some idea of the popularity, or lack of popularity, of astrological ideas and practices. This is a field wherein some work has already been done.
· History of religion. The era of the Reformation and Counter Reformation saw important developments in the field of theology, Church discipline and organization, which may have affected the status of astrology. One should also look to what one might call religious anthropology: shifting attitudes toward the supernatural and a changing definition of “superstition”, more or less identifiable with Weber’s “disenchantment of the world”. It is not clear to what extent astrology (as a learned practice) was placed in the same category as other superstitions, but the question should be asked.
· Finally, the question to what extent this development remained limited to Western Europe, and whether similar things happened elsewhere (and when), should not be forgotten, even if it is probably hard to answer at this stage.
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
· Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
· Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
CALL FOR PAPERS: Science in the City
On October 3rd 2014, the committee of the Irish Network for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine will host their annual conference at the Edward Worth Library in Dublin. The conference provides an opportunity to strengthen the Irish network of researchers in the history of science, technology and medicine and create further links with practitioners abroad.
The 2014 theme is ‘Science in the City’ and at this time proposals are being sought for papers interpreting this theme.
Abstracts should be emailed to the secretary of the Irish Network for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Dr. Juliana Adelman, at juliana.adelman@dcu.ie by 25 August. Presenters will be contacted no later than 1 September.
For further information on the conference or the History of Science Network Ireland please e-mail juliana.adelman@dcu.ie
Dr Elizabethanne Boran,
Librarian,
The 2014 theme is ‘Science in the City’ and at this time proposals are being sought for papers interpreting this theme.
Abstracts should be emailed to the secretary of the Irish Network for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Dr. Juliana Adelman, at juliana.adelman@dcu.ie by 25 August. Presenters will be contacted no later than 1 September.
For further information on the conference or the History of Science Network Ireland please e-mail juliana.adelman@dcu.ie
Dr Elizabethanne Boran,
Librarian,
The Edward Worth Library (1733),
Dr Steevens' Hospital,
Dublin 8,
Ireland.
Tel: 00 353 1 635 2215.
www.edwardworthlibrary.ie
The Edward Worth Library is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edwardworthlibrary
Dr Steevens' Hospital,
Dublin 8,
Ireland.
Tel: 00 353 1 635 2215.
www.edwardworthlibrary.ie
The Edward Worth Library is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edwardworthlibrary
CALL FOR PAPERS: The Marginalisation of Astrology
Utrecht, 19-20 March 2015; Deadline 30 September 2014
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
- History of astrology. Although the project is about people NOT practising astrology rather than about astrologers, the history of astrology proper remains of course central. At the very least, an attempt should be made to compare differences in astrological practice (and their marginalization) between various local, cultural and religious contexts. Other relevant questions concern criticisms and apologies of astrology and attempts at astrological reform.
- History of science. The idea that astrology was discredited directly because of new scientific discoveries is no longer regarded as credible; on the other hand, it does not appears believable that there was no connection at all. The dismissal of astrology implied a transformation of the work and the identity of astronomers. In natural philosophy, it implied a rejection of the idea of celestial influence, which had become an integral part of scholastic philosophy.
- History of medicine. Medicine was a major application of astrology. Medieval physicians would routinely cast horoscopes for diagnostic and other purposes. The question is when and how this changed. Obviously, both the supply and the demand sides have to be taken into account.
- Court culture. Important on the side of demand were princely and noble courts. In the sixteenth century, princes would regularly employ court mathematicians/astronomers, whose task it was to cast horoscopes. In the seventeenth century, on the other hand, Louis XIV spent a fortune on the Paris Observatory, while casting horoscopes was not among the tasks of this institution. Again, the reasons behind this change are not clear.
- Print culture. Almanacs, ephemerides, and prognostics, in conjunction with information on their makers, editions, and distribution, should enable us (at least) to get some idea of the popularity, or lack of popularity, of astrological ideas and practices. This is a field wherein some work has already been done.
- History of religion. The era of the Reformation and Counter Reformation saw important developments in the field of theology, Church discipline and organization, which may have affected the status of astrology. One should also look to what one might call religious anthropology: shifting attitudes toward the supernatural and a changing definition of “superstition”, more or less identifiable with Weber’s “disenchantment of the world”. It is not clear to what extent astrology (as a learned practice) was placed in the same category as other superstitions, but the question should be asked.
- Finally, the question to what extent this development remained limited to Western Europe, and whether similar things happened elsewhere (and when), should not be forgotten, even if it is probably hard to answer at this stage.
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
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