Food, Medicines and Poisons

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

The theoretical and practical approach to the different topics is done with resort to a multiplicity of supports used in the contemporary construction of History, both at the level of bookish culture and oral history and at the level of multimedia and digital information.

Learning Outcomes

In this course students will learn about food, medicines and poisons in the modern age and will understand the fragility of the borders between them. At the same time, they will become aware of the surprising creative/scientific investment that was made in this domain since Lavoisier’s chemical revolution at the end of the 18th century. The knowledge of some relations between food, medicines and poisons in the modern age, based on an approach to the scientific and social cultures, will allow students to work on topics in this area, to gain aptitudes and skills especially in the field of scientific culture as a culture of respect for the universe, the Earth, life and human dignity. Student also have the opportunity to recognize and identify scientific culture as a culture of sanitary prevention, social education and psychological-behavioral education.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Contemporary Age, Scientific Culture and Planetary Civilization;

2. Scientific Institutions and Industries in the areas of Nutrition, Pharmacy and Toxicology;

3. Biographies of Scientists and the History of Innovations in Food, Medicines and Poisons;

4. Health, Bioethics and Biodiversity Education;

5. The Era of Diets, their myths, publicity and Food Behaviors;

6. Health Food Associations in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Head Lecturer(s)

Ana Leonor Dias Conceição Pereira

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Synthesis work: 20.0%
Mini Tests: 20.0%
Research work: 60.0%

Bibliography

PEREIRA, Ana Leonor — "O paradigma darwiniano da história natural". In: RIBEIRO, Maria Manuela Tavares (coord.) — Outros Combates pela História, Coimbra, IUC, 2010, pp. 257-276
PEREIRA, Ana Leonor; PITA, João Rui — “Pasteur in Portugal: public health and the diffusion of hygiene”. In: História ecológico-institucional do corpo, Coimbra, Imprensa da Universidade, 2006, pp. 21-28.
PEREIRA, Ana Leonor; PITA, João Rui (Eds.) — Saberes e práticas em torno do adoecer da alma e do corpo. Coimbra: GHSCT-CEIS20, 2013. 107 p. ISBN: 978-972-8627-42-3
PITA, João Rui; PEREIRA, Ana Leonor — "The reception of penicillin in Portugal (1945-1950)". In: 39th International Congress for the History of Pharmacy, Vienna 2009 - Remedy and Society. Short lectures – http://www.pharmaziegeschichte.at/ichp2009/kurzvortraege-e.htm
PITA, João Rui; PEREIRA, Ana Leonor (Coords.) — Histórias da saúde. Privada, pública e social. Número temático da revista Estudos do Século XX, 12, 2012. 467 p.