The appeal of medical history among first-year medical students was evident to Dr. Jeffrey Baker, who developed a History of Medicine Interest Group at the beginning of the Spring semester, 2009. Meeting on a voluntary basis every few weeks, the group examines topics of ranging from Medicine before Science, Paris Medicine and the Invention of Physical Diagnosis, Germ Theory, and Medical Education to Eugenics, Race and Medicine, and Women in Medicine. Five to 17 students have participated in each meeting and examined books and artifacts related to the topic they were currently exploring.

 

The group provides an opportunity for first-year medical students to discuss issues of common interest and to learn about the history and people of their profession. It also prepares students early in their medical education to consider future options, such as the Haas History of Medicine Scholarship that helps support third-year research and the Haas History of Medicine Essay Prize for fourth-year students.

 

The History of Medicine Interest Group is currently being reorganized for the Fall semester, 2009. For more information about the group, please contact Dr. Baker at baker009@mc.duke.edu.

 

Students engaged in Dr. Baker's History of Medicine Interest Group Photo Credit: History of Medicine Collections, Duke University Medical Center Library