Medical schools in empires: connecting the dots.

Area of Science:

• History of Medicine
• Medical Education
• Imperial Studies

Background:

• Historiography of medical education has focused on imperial metropoles.
• Research has compared national medical schools and traced academic mobility.
• Medical education in colonial empires was shaped by negotiation, exchange, and hybridisation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the historiography of medical education in imperial contexts.
• To call for greater attention to the connections between medical schools across empires.
• To introduce a special issue examining 'Medical Education in Empires'.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing research on medical education in imperial metropoles.
• Analysis of historical scholarship on medicine in colonial empires.
• Juxtaposition of diverse case studies of medical schools in imperial contexts since the eighteenth century.

Main Results:

• Medical schools were shaped by imperial dynamics, including funding, medical models, and social change.
• The study examines student and teacher experiences, and graduate career paths.
• Historical analysis reveals the long-term impact of empires on the global medical world.

Conclusions:

• Medical education played a crucial role in imperial expansion and transformation.
• Understanding these historical connections is vital for contemporary medical education.
• The special issue offers new insights into the global history of medical education.