Introduction

History of Science and Medicine is a semi-autonomous, interdisciplinary Program in the History Department. It provides a framework in which students at all levels can examine the development of science, technology, and medicine in relationship with society. Students examine a wide range of issues in the past for their own sake and their relevance to the present. These topics include science in the Enlightenment; medicine and public health in western societies; science and medicine in China and Latin America; science, technology, industry, and national security; molecular biology and biotechnology; epidemics and chronic diseases; drugs and the pharmaceutical industry; eugenics and human genetics; plant and animal breeding; evolutionary biology and its social applications; the cultural history of the body; and colonial medicine and global health. An important feature of the Program is its strong link to the History of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, where a number of its faculty members have their primary appointment.

As a field, HSHM prepares students for a better understanding of the world in which we live as well as for a wide variety of careers, including medicine, public health, academic life, museum work, journalism, law, industry, and public service. Students study under the guidance of a diverse and expanding faculty with expertise in many disciplines, periods, and societies. The links here invite you to explore the curriculum at the graduate and undergraduate levels; to examine the requirements for the BA, M.A, and Ph.D degrees; to view the research and teaching interests of the faculty; to get information about the conferences and colloquia sponsored by the Program; and to find the contact information of our staff.

                                       Our Next HSHM Colloquium

Our next HSHM Colloquium of the 2011-2012 academic year will be held on January 30, 2012. The guest lecturer will be Naomi Oreskes, Professor of History and Science Studies, University of California at San Diego.

The title of her talk will be "The Crucial Experiment that Wasn't: Acoustic Tomography of Ocean Climate, 1957-2000"  To learn more about Professor Alexander, click on this link.