A Visit by Professor Florian Steger

On 29 April 2024, Dr. Florian Steger (Director of the Institute of History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine at Ulm University and member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences) visited the Department of Languages and Medical Terminology. Prof. Steger is a doctor, ethicist, historian and classical philologist, all of which gives him deep insight into many areas of medicine. The academic staff of the Department discussed with him not only the system of medical education at Charles University as well as the one conducted at Ulm University but also potential cooperation. As part of the elective course "Medical Terminology: History and Present", Prof. Steger gave a captivating lecture on Galen's Quod Optimus Medicus, which showed very clearly how critical many competencies from the humanities are for doctors. The interdisciplinary field of Medical Humanities should be integral to studying medicine.

The next day, a meeting was held with Petr Valo, the director of the Karolinum publishing house, to discuss the translation of Prof. Steger's highly critically acclaimed monograph on ancient medicine: a work that includes original sources on the history of medicine. The translation of this book will also involve the staff of the Department of Languages and Medical Terminology, resulting in a joint endeavour. In addition, Prof. Florian Steger has kindly agreed to deliver a lecture at the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in the fall of 2024 as part of the Medicine as Science series.