medical history

Why Has Medicine Looked at PCOS Through the Lens of Fertility Instead of Pain?

by Alaina DiSalvo

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome has had a complicated history in medicine. But its path toward recognition has been unfortunately colored by a concern for preserving fertility instead of improving women's quality of life—even in groundbreaking feminist health guides like Our Bodies, Ourselves. 

Ozempic is the Latest Vain Pursuit of a Scientific Solution to Addiction

by Simon Torracinta

Now that the diabetes drug has been used off-label to suppress appetite, scientists are speculating about its use to suppress neurological aspects of addictive behavior. History suggests this is misguided. 

Access to Mifepristone Could Hinge on Whether Pregnancy is "Illness"—What History Says

by Kristi Upson-Saia

Although antiabortion judges have mocked the idea that pregnancy is an illness, medical thought back to the ancient Mediterranean world have recognized the sharp downturn in women's health when they become pregnant. 

Should Medicine Discontinue Using Terminology Associated with Nazi Doctors?

Hans Asperger had been identified as an Oskar Schindler figure in the German medical community, with the diagnosis that bears his name helping to save many people from death under Nazi eugenic policies. But he also helped determine who would fall into the unfavored categories. Historian Edith Sheffer says it's time to retire his name.

If it's Ineffective and Harmful, Why is Gay Conversion Therapy Still Around?

by Andrea Ens

Conversion therapies endure because their purpose is political, not therapeutic. They seek and symbolize the eradication of LGBTQ people from society and are promoted by groups who want that eradication to happen. 

Jonathan Kennedy Tells the World's History through Eight Plagues

A new book asks whether microbes have been bending the narrative arc of history all along. 

Medical Drawings of Pregnancy Have Centered Fetuses and Uteruses—While Erasing Women

Early depictions of the fetus in utero—imaginative as much as descriptive—were a boon to obstetric medicine, but also placed the fetus above the mother in terms of the medical system's concern, contends medical historian Rebecca Whiteley

Gender-Affirming Care Has a Long History, and Has Affected Non-Trans People Too

by G. Samantha Rosenthal

Medical intervention to make people's bodies conform to their assigned place in the gender binary has a long history; it has been controversial principally when the same treatments have been used by transgender people.

The PR War for Cancer Awareness has Reduced the Stigma, but not the Cost, of Illness

Elaine Schattner examines the work of activists who brought cancer diagnoses into the light and demanded that resources be invested in treating patients. It's not clear what can be done to help a typical American affort those treatments, though. 

History of Reproductive Law Shows Women in Power aren't the Solution

by Lara Friedenfelds

The end of Roe v. Wade makes difficult pregnancies and miscarriages potentially legaly perilous for women. The history of how the law determines fault in a lost pregnancy shows that women are as capable as men of participating in a regime that punishes other women for the ends of their pregnancies. 

"If they were White and Insured, Would they have Died?"

by Udodiri R. Okwandu

Texas's new maternal mortality report shows that historical patterns of medical racism are continuing, and the state plans to do little but blame Black women for the inadequate care they receive. 

Does Sen. Fetterman's Depression Disclosure Signal Change in Mental Health Acceptance?

by Jonathan Sadowsky

51 years ago the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Senator Thomas Eagleton, was dropped from the ticket when it was revealed he had received treatment for depression. A historian of mental health says it's too simple to declare progress without acknowledging ongoing stigma. 

Historical Data on Mosquito Range Shows Climate Change is Spreading Malaria Risk

Data stretching back to 1898 show mosquitoes spreading further from the equator in Africa year by year, with recent acceleration consistent with climate change estimates.

Medical Historians: We've Been Taught to Forget What We Used to Know about Head Injuries in Sports

Stephen Casper, Emily Harrison and Jeremy Greene argue that league-affiliated researchers who claim the jury is out about whether head injuries in competition contribute to long-term cognitive and mental deterioration are ignoring a long archive of medical studies that solidifies the link. 

Nobody Has My Condition But Me

by Beverly Gage

Presenting with unusual autoimmune symptoms tied to a thus-far unique genetic mutation placed a reseacher and biographer on the other side of being studied. 

National Library of Medicine Announces 2023 History Talks

NLM History Talks promote awareness and use of NLM and related historical collections for research, education, and public service in biomedicine, the social sciences, and the humanities.

John Fetterman and the Politics of Disability

by Anya Jabour

The personal became political for a historian who experienced disability similar to that affecting the new Pennsylvania senator on the campaign trail. The media must significantly readjust its framing of how disability impacts the ability to perform work. 

Why Has American Progress Stalled? Blame Our Belief in "Eureka!"

Moments of creative innovation matter, but invention depends on a society that is prepared to take advantage and distribute the benefits. 

A Medical Historian Confronts Her Own Diagnosis

by Lindsey Fitzharris

"The experience has got me thinking about the women who came before me and how their pain and suffering accelerated medical advancements from which I am benefiting."

Transgender Youth Have Doubters. They Also Have History

by Pax Attridge

Opponents of gender-affirming medical intervention for trans youth invoke "transtrendiness" or social influence to claim that they're protecting youth from impulsively making medical decisions based on peer pressure. To accept this belief is to ignore the historical presence of transgender youth.