Department of Medical History

Aims and Scope

The Department of Medical History of The Gazette of Medical Sciences (The GMS) is dedicated to advancing historical scholarship concerning medicine, health, disease and the sciences associated with human well-being. The Department welcomes original historical investigations, critical reviews and interdisciplinary studies that examine the development of medical knowledge, clinical practice, healthcare institutions and public health systems from antiquity to the contemporary era. Its purpose is to encourage historically informed understanding of how medical ideas, discoveries, treatments and institutions have emerged and changed over time.

The Department encourages research into the medical traditions of different civilizations, including the contributions of ancient, medieval, early modern and modern societies to the understanding and treatment of disease. Studies may explore traditional healing systems, the transmission of medical knowledge across geographical and cultural boundaries, the development of medical education, the emergence of scientific medicine and the historical foundations of contemporary specialties. Comparative investigations highlighting connections between medical traditions and societies are particularly welcome.

An important area of interest concerns the social, cultural, political and economic history of health and medicine. The Department welcomes analyses of epidemics and pandemics, healthcare inequalities, humanitarian medicine, colonial and postcolonial healthcare, medical ethics, health legislation, hospitals, professional organizations and the relationship between medicine and social development. Contributions may investigate how medical institutions and public health policies have responded to changing social conditions and how historical events have influenced access to healthcare, professional practices and population health.

The Department also recognizes the historical significance of individual and family medical histories, clinical records, diagnostic practices and changing classifications of disease. Historical studies may examine how physicians recorded symptoms, interpreted illness, developed differential diagnoses and assessed the significance of hereditary, occupational, environmental and social factors. Research involving patient records, medical archives or personal health narratives should address historical context, source limitations, privacy and applicable ethical requirements. A clinical case history alone is not necessarily a historical research study; submissions should clearly explain their historical question or contribution.

The Department welcomes interdisciplinary approaches drawing on the history of science, anthropology, sociology, archaeology, philosophy, archival studies, material culture, science and technology studies, ethnology and environmental history. Contributions may employ archival research, oral histories, textual analysis, comparative historical methods, biographical investigation or other appropriate scholarly approaches. Authors are encouraged to critically evaluate primary and secondary sources, distinguish historical evidence from interpretation, acknowledge uncertainty and demonstrate the relevance of their findings to broader histories of medicine and health.

Areas of Interest

• History of Medicine
• History of Healthcare
• History of Medical Sciences
• Ancient Medical Traditions
• Medieval Medicine
• Early Modern Medicine
• Modern Medical History
• Contemporary Medical History
• Comparative Medical Traditions
• Traditional Healing Systems
• History of Ayurveda
• History of Chinese Medicine
• Greco-Roman Medicine
• Islamic Medical History
• Indigenous Medical Knowledge
• Transmission of Medical Knowledge
• History of Medical Discoveries
• History of Clinical Practice
• History of Diagnosis
• History of Differential Diagnosis
• History of Disease Classification
• Historical Medical Conditions
• Family Medical Histories
• Patient Histories and Narratives
• Medical Records and Archives
• Historical Epidemiology
• History of Epidemics
• History of Pandemics
• History of Infectious Diseases
• History of Public Health
• History of Preventive Medicine
• History of Vaccination
• History of Hospitals
• History of Nursing
• History of Surgery
• History of Pharmacy
• History of Pharmacology
• History of Anatomy
• History of Physiology
• History of Psychiatry
• History of Obstetrics
• History of Medical Technology
• History of Medical Instruments
• History of Medical Education
• Medical Professionalization
• History of Medical Ethics
• History of Health Policy
• History of Health Legislation
• Medicine and Society
• Social History of Medicine
• Cultural History of Medicine
• Political History of Healthcare
• Economic History of Healthcare
• Medical Humanitarianism
• Medicine and Global Development
• Colonial Medicine
• Postcolonial Healthcare
• History of Health Inequalities
• Medicine and Gender
• Medicine and Disability
• History of Medical Anthropology
• Ethnological Approaches
• Environmental History of Health
• Occupational Health History
• History of Nutrition and Dietetics
• History of Allergies and Therapeutics
• Historical Biographies
• Oral Histories of Medicine
• Archival Medical Research
• Medical Material Culture
• Microhistory of Medicine
• History of Scientific Ideas
• History of Medical Research
• History of Patient Autonomy
• Historical Perspectives on Health Risks