This class aims to provide a better understanding of the foundations of modern medicine by investigating how the traditions of ancient Greek medicine were passed down through the centuries from antiquity to the present day. The seminar will be divided into two parts : first, a presentation of the art of medicine in ancient Greece; and second, a trip through time and space, starting in ancient
Greece, passing on to Rome, Byzantium, the Arabic World, the Renaissance,and ending with modern scholarship and historical research. Readings will include major ancient texts (extracts in translation) as well as recent interpretations. We will also visit UCLA libraries so as to have personal contact with the books that conveyed ancient medicine up to the 21st century. Enrollment will be capped at 15
students (first come, first served! ).
The instructor, Dr. Alain Touwaide is the Scientific Director of the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution. He is a historian of Medicine and Science who researches medical traditions, especially therapeutics, from the ancient world to the present day. His institute fosters border-crossing research and education in the Medical Humanities
Monday 2:00-5:20PM, Public Affairs 1256
(Class meets Week 2-9 only)