Les Rencontres du MESOPOLHIS #4 | Bertrand Taithe, "Does humanitarian medicine exist?"

Friday 7 March 2025 | 14:00-16:30 | EPS (Research Library)

The historian Bertrand Taitheprofessor at the University of Manchester, will present his work on the theme of "Does humanitarian medicine exist? Historical perspectives on humanitarian medical practices. 1978-2024 ".

Hybrid format: contact peroline.rouillard@sciencespo-aix.fr to obtain the invitation link.

---

Presentation of Bertrand Taithe's speech:

"This work stems from the Wellcome Developing Humanitarian Medicine (https://www.dhm.manchester.ac.uk/), the humanitarian archives and our oral history work, funded by the Wellcome Trust. It focuses on the history of humanitarian medicine and medical practices.

It raises the fundamental question of whether specific medicine, centred on practices in 'austere' environments, complex supply and logistics circuits, standards and norms, constitutes a new branch of medicine or medicine with a humanitarian past and present. 

• Based on work on refugee camps in Thailand and Somalia in the 1980sThis presentation will cover the evolution of a community of practitioners.
• In particular, since the treatment of HIV and non-communicable diseases by humanitarians, this presentation will look at the following issues specific relationships between humanitarian doctors, major pharmaceutical companies and the WHO.
• The case study that concludes this presentation is based on research into the role of humanitarians in the fight against hepatitis C.

The position of the historian in writing a very contemporary history and the role of history in defining a medical discipline and practice will enable us to question these epistemic relationships, which are often more implicit in our work".

For more information on this subject, click here.

Discussants: Léa Nivoix and Lucas Faure (MESOPOLHIS).

---

Programme of MESOPOLHIS 2024-2025 meetings

Download the programme of MESOPOLHIS meetings for this academic year 2024-2025.