The Emergence of Medical Specialization in the Nineteenth Century

@article{Weisz2003TheEO,
  title={The Emergence of Medical Specialization in the Nineteenth Century},
  author={George Weisz},
  journal={Bulletin of the History of Medicine},
  year={2003},
  volume={77},
  pages={536 - 574}
}
  • G. Weisz
  • Published 2003
  • Medicine
  • Bulletin of the History of Medicine
This essay reexamines the nineteenth-century origins of medical specialization. It suggests that by the 1880s, specialization had become perceived as a necessity of medical science as a result of the realization of two preconditions: First, a new collective desire to expand medical knowledge prompted clinical researchers to specialize; only specialization, it was believed, permitted the rigorous observation of many cases. Second, administrative rationality suggested that one could best manage… Expand
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