Women in Early Modern Medicine
Monday, April 15, 2024
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm CET/GMT+1
This online lecture by Maria Avxentevskaya will take place over Zoom.Early modern medical theories and practices transitioned from perusing ancient texts to processing observations. Keen attention to the human body and its mechanics, standardized training for physicians and midwives, as well as various popular healing methods, created a rich palette of medical knowledge and experience. Many practitioners addressed female health and encouraged women to learn more about their bodies. However, women were mostly limited to practicing medicine within the household. We will discuss the promises and pitfalls of early medicine for women as part of gender relations in science.
View the two readings for the lecture here and here.
Maria Avxentevskaya specializes in the premodern history of science and medicine and the longue durée history of scientific communication, including humanism, semiotics, translation, rhetoric, and networking. Her research has been supported by the Max Planck Society, Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Klassik Stiftung Weimar, the Herzog August Bibliothek, and the Warburg Institute. Maria is currently working on the monograph Rhetoric and Persuasion in Early Modern English Science. Her publications include the forthcoming volume Signs and Signification in a Global Comparative Perspective, co-edited with Glenn W. Most (Brill, 2024) and Premodern Experience of the Natural World in Translation, co-edited with Katja Krause and Dror Weil (Routledge, 2022). Maria has taught science communication, early modern science, and knowledge in translation at Bard College Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and the University of Sydney. Her science journalism pieces have been republished by the Independent and Scientific American.
For more information, e-mail [email protected].
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm CET/GMT+1