Moralité et médecine

Morality and Medicine in the Scientific Age

Call for papers

2016 History of Science Society Annual Meeting

Atlanta 

from November 3rd to November 6th

This panel seeks to examine the relationship between the emergence and nature of modern medicine and morality. Discussion of morality in the history of medicine is nothing new, particularly in narratives of public health, but this panel aims to explore morality in the more intimate context of the relationships and interactions between healthcare practitioners and their patients. With this in mind, this panel will include papers that address questions along the following lines: How have doctors/nurses/genetic counselors/lactation consultants/surgeons/etc. acted as moral agents? What moral systems and codes have they operated by and helped to enforce – and how have these changed over time and/or in relation to space (i.e. the home vs. the clinic)? How have interactions with patients of various types shaped dominant conceptions of medical morality? Have there been alternative or counter-constructions of medical morality at various points in time, and how have these shaped and been shaped by the dominant discourse? My paper will address the struggles of Catholic physicians’ throughout the 20th century as they sought ways to reconcile the rules of medical morality expressed officially by the Church with the demands and realities of their patients on the ground. If you are interested, please send me a brief bio/cv and a 250-word abstract by April 1, 2016.

- Jessica Martucci (jmartucc@mail.med.upenn.edu)