Human Biosciences in 1925 : The Origins of Modern Medical Research

Mark D. Berry
Biochemistry (Human Biosciences programme)
Professor & Head

September 15 1-2pm CSF-1302 or online at https://mun.webex.com/mun/j.php?MTID=mb51d7e7f638b99fcc79fabfbf0835523

Reception with coffee to follow

It was This Day in History. To celebrate MUN’s 100th anniversary, its newest academic programme, Human Biosciences, will take a look back at how the content of a Human Biosciences programme would have looked in 1925. Step into a world where the word “vitamin” was still a novelty, insulin was cutting-edge technology, and the human body was more mystery than map. In this fully accessible seminar, our Department Head Dr. Berry will take you on a whirlwind tour through the scientific optimism and controversies, medical missteps, and groundbreaking discoveries of the Roaring Twenties, prohibition and the original “war on drugs”, all in the lead up to the Great Depression. New scientific disciplines emerged as the secrets of the human body were probed with methods that were sometimes ingenious, sometimes outrageous, and occasionally both. From early hormone research, to bizarre beauty fads and questionable cures of the time, this talk uncovers how the science and politics of 1925 laid the foundation for current day Human Biosciences and modern medicine.

No prior science background needed—just curiosity and a sense of humour. General public welcome. Come for the history, stay for the free coffee and door prizes, and leave with a newfound(land) appreciation for the origins of modern day science and policy