HISTORY 376: Disease and Medicine in Early America

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the history of disease and medicine in North America, from the fifteenth-century “virgin soil” epidemics to the Influenza Pandemic of 1919. Lectures, readings, and discussions will address how diverse societies responded to the spread of disease after 1492, the development of the medical profession in the early United States, and its growing influence within American society and culture. Students will reflect on how disease and medicine have shaped our modern, global world, and consider what role they may play in humanity’s future.