History of Public Health and Social Medicine

HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL MEDICINE A new course on the History of Public Health and Social Medicine is now being offered at the School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, in the spring semester of 1966. The purpose of this course is to trace the genesis and the development of scientific fact and ideas, taking into account intellectual exchanges and influences of advancing civilization. The main theme is the evolution of hygiene, state medicine, social medicine, and public health, with the essential background of general economic, political and social history. The course is open to both graduate and undergraduate students in the fields of public health, medicine, nursing, history, and social work. The instructor is Mr. Arthur J. Viseltear, Ph.D., Lecturer in Public Health and Assistant Research Historian at the university. The topics to be considered in the course include: hygiene in antiquity, problems of urbanization in the middle ages, medical care services from antiquity to the present day, plague and leprosy, history of nursing, and history of the science of nutrition. CHINESE MEDICINE An Exhibition on the Traditional Medicine of China was opened to the public in the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum on 28 March 1966. This system of medicine has a history extending over 3,000 years and is still widely practised in China today. Its most remarkable feature is the therapeutic procedure known as Acupuncture, which has become the subject of a considerable cult in many western countries. Acupuncture models of bronze and papier-mache, charts, and a wide range of acupuncture needles of various periods are included in the exhibition. Other notable features are a fine model of a Chinese pharmacy, made in Canton in the 1880s, a comprehensive selection of the Chinese materia medica, coloured anatomical charts from the Ming period, MSS and early printed books in Chinese and Japanese, a series of finely carved 'poison cups' of rhinoceros horn, as well as carvings in jade, ivory, and amber and a number of paintings, drawings and models. The exhibition will remain open until further notice, and an illustrated catalogue (price 7s. 6d.) is available from the Museum. MEDICINE AND CULTURE A Historical Symposium A Historical Symposium on Medicine and Culture is being organized jointly by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum and Library and the Wenner-Gren Foundation of New York and will be held in the Museum on 27-29 September 1966. Lord Cohen of Birkenhead has accepted an invitation to preside over the discussions and papers will be presented by Dr. Jeanne Brand, Dr. John W. Dodds, Dr. Joseph Needham, Professor P. Huard, Dr. lago Galdston, Professor Sir George Pickering, Professor T. A. Lambo, Professor R. M. Titmuss, Professor Sir Aubrey Lewis, Dr. F. Guerra, Professor Douglas Hubble, Professor N. H. Keswani, Professor Michael Polanyi, and Professor W. Leibbrand. Among those who have accepted invitations to take part in the discussions are Professor T. McKeown, Dr. Ming Wong, Professor M. D. Grmek, Dr. J. H. F. Brotherston, and Professor J. S. Weiner. Attendance at the meeting is by invitation only and the proceedings will be published in the Wellcome Library's publication series.