Register now! HHH summer event (June 30) – Keynote & Filmscreening on Sensing the History of Medicine

We are excited to announce the next HHH meeting, which will take place on June 30 in Amsterdam. The event is organised in conjunction with the HHH/Huizinga Summer School “Sensing the History of Medicine: Sources, Methods, and Results.

Explore the role of the senses in shaping medical history during this afternoon. The event kicks off with the Daniël de Moulin lecture given by Professor Jonathan Reinarz (University of Birmingham), followed by a special film screening introduced by Dr. Arjan Nuijten (University of Amsterdam).

Programme

Keynote: Seeking the novel in the familiar: exploring the senses in the history of medicine and health (Daniël de Moulin lecture)

This lecture will begin by briefly surveying work on the senses in the history of medicine that Jonathan Reinarz has undertaken and been involved with in the past two decades, before touching on some notable projects that have challenged us to integrate the history of the senses and medicine more creatively. It will then shift to some classic texts in the history of medicine to consider how these might look different from the lens of the sensory scholar. It will address some notable gaps in the field directly connected with the scientific study of the senses, as well as the rich sources left by medical missionaries. It will then present some troubling ways in which the senses have been employed around politically sensitive topics in women’s health, before concluding with the way in which consideration of the senses might also improve treatment for medical patients today.  

Jonathan Reinarz is Team Lead for Person-Centred Research, a research group comprising more than two dozen qualitative researchers in the School for Health Sciences in the College of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Birmingham. He has researched various subjects in the history of alcohol, medicine (including medical education and accidents) and the senses, especially smell. Though diverse, some of these themes have started to come together in projects that have explored, for example, the history of burns and scalds, as well as whisky and Scottish identity. Most recently, in a project entitled ‘Playing Doctors and Nurses’ (with Gayle Davis, University of Edinburgh), he has been researching the use of simulation in medical specialties, including, surgery, obstetrics, dentistry, nursing and emergency medicine.

Before the filmscreening starts, the Stichting Zuster Vernède Thesis Award will be presented to this year’s winner.

Filmscreening of Perfect Sense (rated R for language and some scenes of a sexual nature/nudity)

Perfect Sense is a science fiction romantic drama film from 2011 that features actors Eva Green and Ewan McGregor. The world is faced with a pandemic that takes away the senses one by one. As the audience, we see a love story unfold while the world slowly descends into chaos. With the Covid Pandemic fresh in our minds, this film invites us to compare and reflect on this science fiction drama. Moreover, the film showcases the importance of our senses and enables us to reflect on their significance in medical history.

The film will be introduced by dr. Arjan Nuijten, a teacher of Modern History at the University of Amsterdam specialized in the history of drugs and drug policy in the Netherlands. He successfully defended his thesis ‘Regulating Paradise: The Local Origins of Harm Reduction in the Netherlands’ in April 2024. In his thesis, Nuijten shows how ideas on harm reduction measures were born locally in Dutch cities but needed crises on the streets to be enacted. At the UvA, Nuijten teaches medical history courses such as the history of public health in the Netherlands and a ‘Literatuurtentamen’ on Drugs and Drug Policy.

At the end of the afternoon the programme will conclude with informal drinks.

Date, time, location
Date: Monday 30 June
Time: (arrival 13:15) sharp start at 13:30–17:30, followed by drinks
Location: Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam

Please note: places are limited, so make sure to register early to secure a spot!
Students enrolled in the summer school are automatically registered and do not need to sign up separately.

Register by sending an email to: historyhealthhealing@gmail.com