THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY COURSE!

Welcome Life Long Learners! I am delighted that you are participating in my course. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and being part of this adventure with you. This course navigates the development of medicine and healthcare systems in the western society. We will examine the conceptualization and understanding of health, disease, and treatment starting with early ideas in Ancient Greece and trace how these ideas were modified or strengthened with the emergence of theoretical, scientific and technological advances over time. Lastly, we explore the inescapable influence of political and cultural influence in how these entities were used to establish the current healthcare systems, with emphasis one the American healthcare system.

Course Outline

Welcome to The The History of Medicine and Healthcare Mini.

The meeting times for this course will be Tuesdays from 6:30pm—7:30pm from August 7 — 25, 2023. All meetings will be held via zoom. Study questions will be provided prior to each meeting. All reading material will be made available to you via this webpage. Here is a breakdown of what our schedule will be:

Week

1. Introduction. Participants will begin exploration of defining health. Emphasis will be placed on early ideas of physical and mental health using both "scientific" and literary sources particularly from Ancient Greece and Egypt. Participants progress into the means of addressing both physical and mental health from Ancient times to Renaissance.


2. Participants begin to explore the scientific revolution during the Age of Enlightenment and what this means for health and the care providers. Emphasis will be placed on far reaching policy changes throughout the Western World. Participants will also gain understanding of the specific professional roles that are wrought out for care providers.


3. Closing. At this point participants would have gained understanding of the institutions in place to care for and sustain good health. We will transition into the USA and look closely at how these institutions are structured. We will focus on 19th and 20th century healthcare delivery in America. Participants will conclude this course with a look at the current American Healthcare system starting from the Progressive Era to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act