333 Cedar Street: an oral history. A chapter in the history of contemporary medicine

This paper contains excerpts and colloquies selected from interviews which will appear in a proposed book-length oral history of the Yale University School of Medicine. The book, which considers all the constituent members of the Yale academic medical community, is a statement about contemporary issues in medicine. Owing to space constraints, only excerpts from students appear in this paper. It is believed that these selections may be used as case studies to explore in depth issues of contemporary medical interest. The excerpts have been categorized into eight thematic clusters considering different aspects of premedical and medical school life.     

Pertinence of the Elias approach in history of medicine

Norbert Elias has notably influenced the historiography of the Early Modern Period since the 1970s. In the course of the borrowing of his concepts by different disciplines, the uniqueness of these concepts was nevertheless altered. This article aims to show that Elias' 'Sociology of configurations' proposed an original point of view on Longue Durée in history. It thus suggests: 1) to re-evaluate the historical dimension of Elias' sociology; 2) to question eventual contributions to present-day research to the history of medicine and health.     

The natural history of preventive medicine,or breaking the chains of causation.

In the past the natural history of disease has shown chains of causation. With the acute diseases, these chains have usually been quite short and easily broken. With the chronic diseases of today, they are far longer and more complicated. Often they involve patterns of behaviour extending over half a lifetime. These patterns are, in turn, determined partly by genetic make-up, partly by family and social environment. The study of these chains necessitated both observation and social survey methods. The breaking of the chains entails the use of propaganda or mass education. By far the most effective educational agent is the spoken word, coming from someone held in respect. The most effective persuader is fear. In social medicine we can seldom plan large-scale experiments. We have to seize such opportunities as life presents. One such opportunity was the creation of the new towns after the war. It was found that good social planning yielded good results in terms of social satisfaction, and infant-mortality and psychosis rates. The prevention of neurosis is a more difficult matter. In administration and in politics resistance to learning from the experience of others is strong. The preventive medicine of the future will necessitate the teaching of common sense applied to human behaviour to extremely resistant audiences.