Global History of Medicine

A Global History of Medicine provides a comprehensive introduction to the emerging field of writing histories of medicine that capture local, regional, and global dimensions of health and health care. The book explores changing patterns of disease and different medical systems across continents and countries, and suggests ways to understand how healing traditions are shaped by power and privilege. Chapters cover historical developments in health, medicine, and disease in China, the Islamic World, North and Latin America, Africa, South-east Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. The final chapter focuses on smallpox eradication and highlights the need for more effective integration of local and global dimensions of medicine.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 320 pages
\n Publication date: 04 January 2018
\n Publisher: Oxford University Press
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In recent years, there has been a growing interest in writing medical histories that encompass the local, regional, and global dimensions of health and healthcare within the same framework. This pursuit has led to the publication of A Global History of Medicine, a comprehensive introduction to this emerging field. The introductory chapter delves into the challenges of tracing the intertwined histories of the diverse practices that have formed medicine across space and time. It suggests that by examining the complex web of these practices, we can gain a deeper understanding of how healing traditions are inherently plural, permeable, and shaped by power and privilege.

The book is authored by scholars from various parts of the world and accompanied by recommendations for further reading. Each chapter explores historical developments in health, medicine, and disease in different regions, including China, the Islamic World, North and Latin America, Africa, South-east Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. The final chapter focuses on the eradication of smallpox and examines the sources and methods required to effectively integrate local and global dimensions of medicine.

Collectively, the contributions to A Global History of Medicine offer immense value to undergraduate and postgraduate students seeking to expand their knowledge of health and medicine across time. Moreover, the book provides a robust theoretical and empirical foundation for future scholarship in this field.

\n Weight: 236g\n
Dimension: 130 x 195 x 19 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780198803188\n \n