Standard drugs and drug standards
A comparative historical study of pharmaceuticals in the 20th century
News
The first ESF DRUGS Preprint Circulation of Antibiotics: Journeys of Drug Standards, 1930-1970 is now available. Download it here.
Harmonizing Drugs. Standards in 20th Century Pharmaceutical History Edited by Christian Bonah, Christophe Masutti, Anne Rasmussen and Jonathan Simon. The volume based on our opening conference in Strasbourg is ready.
Evaluating and Standardizing Therapeutic Agents, 1890-1950, Edited by: Christoph Gradmann, Jonathan Simon is now available. Order here.
Ways of Regulating: Therapeutic Agents between Plants, Shops, and Consulting Rooms. Eds. Jean Paul Gaudillière and Volker Hess (=Preprint 363). Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin 2008.
Announcements
Call for Papers
"Beyond the Magic Bullet: Reframing the History of Antibiotics"
Workshop 17-19 March 2011, Oslo, Norway
Organisers: Christoph Gradmann (Oslo) and Flurin Condrau (Manchester)
Call for Papers
"Drugs, Standards and the Practices of Globalization"
An international conference of the European Science Foundation DRUGS Research Networking Program organized by CERMES3 (Centre de Recherches Médecine, Sciences, Santé et Société) with the support of Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.)
To be held in Paris December 9-11, 2010.
11th Congress of the International Society of Ethnopharmacology (ISE 2010)
Continuity and change in ethnopharmacology:
Transdisciplinary science for our future.
September 20 to 25th, 2010, Albacete, Spain
Standardizing and Marketing Drugs in the 20th Century
CALL FOR PAPERS
Conference 7-8 October 2010
Charité Institute for the History of Medicine, Berlin Germany
Collaboration: ESF DRUGS and DFG-ANR
The DEADLINE for the submission of an abstract is 15 January 2010
Organised by Ulrike Thoms, Charité, Berlin
Drugs, Living Things and the Problems of Standardization
CALL FOR PAPERS
ESF Research Networking Program DRUGS
Workshop 25-27 March 2010
Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
+++ The DEADLINE for the submission of an abstract is 30 October. +++
Organised by the ESF DRUGS network, Group Biologicals
Drugs, Standards, and Chronic Illness
CALL FOR PAPERS
ESF Research Networking Program DRUGS
Workshop November 27-28, 2009
Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine
University of Manchester
Org.:
Exchange program
The ESF RNP "Drug standards" offers exchange/travel grants in the field of modern drug history and standardization.
Call for Applications for Exchange Grants for visits of 4 to 24 weeks to Network member institutions.
Open to:
- postgraduate students
- post-doctoral researchers
- early career researchers
- established researchers
DEAD LINE: 1 May 2009
Download the call for application
Circulation of Antibiotics: Journeys of Drug Standards, 1930-1970
CALL FOR PAPERS
ESF Research Networking Program DRUGS
Workshop June 16-18, 2009
Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
Org.: Ana Romero (ana.romero@cchs.csic.es) and María Jesús Santesmases (mariaj.santesmases@cchs.csic.es)
The pharmaceutical life cycle. Scientific perspectives and interdisciplinary analysis of medication: product in evolution.
3rd International Conference
Call for paper (download)
Milan, September 21‐24, 2009
University of Milano – Bicocca, Milan, Italy
http://www.cespeb.it/3congressofarmaci/
Opening Conference
The Opening Conference for DRUGS will take place
at Strasbourg the 4-5th December 2008.
Maison Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l'Homme - Alsace (MISHA)
Funding :
- European Science Foundation
- Université Louis Pasteur
- Maison Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l'Homme – Alsace
- Institut de Recherches Interdisciplinaires sur les Sciences et la Technologie
- Région Alsace
- Institut Universitaire de France
Abstract :
Using the theme of standardization, applied both to objects and practices, the network proposes to explore the development of twentieth-century medicine by looking at the production, distribution, prescription and consumption of major classes of therapeutic agents, such as sulfa-drugs, hormones, and psycho-active drugs.
The aim is to evaluate the contribution of industrial, administrative and clinical standardization to the ‘therapeutic revolution’ (1920-1990) in which a series of ‘miracle’ drugs changed the face of Western medicine. Rather than taking twentieth-century developments in the production and evaluation of drugs as ‘natural’ responses to a series of practical problems, we examine the evolution of industrial standards and drug trials, along with prescription and clinical practices, from a historical perspective. Thus, for example, by looking at the role played by accidents or proposed, but rejected, alternatives to standard modern practice, we aim to reveal the multiple forces that have shaped our modern medical world. This approach takes us beyond the usual protagonists in this history – research scientists and their clinical partners – allowing important groundwork in the contextualization of this field with respect to the intervention of the state, industry, and other actors.
A richer view of the context for the scientific innovation that lies behind the modern pharmaceutical industry promises to open up new perspectives in the analysis of today’s health systems. Furthermore, as standardization is a theme common to a number of disciplines, the proposed approach will open up interdisciplinary discussion allowing fruitful exchange between researchers who otherwise might not meet. Thus, we propose an international networking experience around a rich theme with a rich historical terrain, and significant contemporary interest.
The opening conference will launch the ESF DRUGS program and intends to bring together the participating groups as well as outside experts in order to discuss the general issues of drug standardization.
Download the practical information
Postgraduate/Postdoctoral Programme 2009-2010
The next exchange programme will be announced in the begining of February 2009, after the Steering Committee meeting.
Postgraduate/Postdoctoral Programme 2008-2009
SELECTED APPLICANTS FOR 2008-2009
The aim of the Postgraduate/Postdoctoral programme is to encourage young researchers to engage in comparative international or transnational research projects on the development of 20th century medicine with a European perspective.
The ESF RNP "Drug standards" offers four exchange/travel grants in the field of modern drug history, notably oriented to the four following major drug classes:
- psychochemicals,
- antibiotics,
- hormones and sera,
- cardiacs
The fellowships will be distributed following an evaluation of the applications responding to the call for application. Grantees will be chosen based on the evaluation of their proposed projects. An evaluation will also occur at the end of each travel term.