Thomas Söderqvist Pharmaceutical history has long been dominated by a somewhat antiquarian interest in old apothecaries; post-WWII-developments have been fairly neglected, and the history of Big Pharma, biotech and the ‘pipeline’ has been virtually non-existing. But things are changing! Thus the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy organizes a meeting on ‘Perspectives in Pharmaceutical History’ in Madision, Wisconsin, 17-18 October, 2008 which promises to take these major contemporary trends into account:
The evolution of the modern pharmaceutical enterprise over the long twentieth century—from its early intersection with the image and later the structure of scientific research, to its dramatic postwar expansion and late-century saturation of medical and marketing media—has implications that stretch far beyond the traditional history of pharmacy and medicine to impact broader social, cultural, economic, business, legal, regulatory, and political developments. This conference seeks to foster and reflect on the growing body of pharmaceutical scholarship across historical disciplines and encourage novel theoretical and methodological developments by featuring newer scholars alongside more established figures in the field.
The organizers want one-page proposals by 1 February 2008; send to modernmedicines@aihp.org. More info here.
