History of the Institute

On June 11, 1964, the Medical Academy Lübeck opened as II. Faculty of Medicine of the Christian-Albrechts Universität in Kiel. In 1973, the academy became independent and after the opening of the faculty for preclinical sciences in 1979, information sciences in 1993 and molecular life sciences in 2001 it was renamed University of Lübeck in 2002. In the beginning teaching history of medicine was offered by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Rudolph from Kiel University. Together with the preclinical courses the first chair for history of medicine was established in 1983 with Prof. Dr. Dietrich von Engelhardt and the Institute for History of Medicine and of Science. At first the institute’s rooms were located in the institute of chemistry, then in the attic of the nurses home on the universities campus in Ratzeburger Allee, and finally, in 1991, the institute moved to the historical center of the world heritage city of Lübeck into a building which happen to be erected for the local branch of the German Reichsbank. Following the retirement of Prof. Dr. Engelhardt, Prof. Dr. Cornelius Borck was appointed as chair in history, theory and ethics of medicine and sciences and director of the institute in 2007.

Bioethicist Prof. Dr. Christoph Rehmann-Sutter was appointed to a newly established professorship in the theory and ethics of the life sciences in 2009.

With the establishment of the program in psychology the institute appointed Prof. Dr. Lisa Malich from a newly established professorship in the history, theory and ethics of psychology and psychotherapy in 2016.

In 2023 Prof. Dr. Christian Herzog was appointed to professorship in ethical, legal and social issues of artificial intelligence and director of the Ethical Innovation Hub affiliated with the institute.

In line with the University of Lübecks focus on medicine, life sciences, technology and informatics the institute addresses the humanities in relation to medicine and health and does not limit itself to history of medicine. Since 2008 the name “Institute for History of Medicine and Science Studies“ reflects the broad yet specific thematic orientation.

In 2011, the institute initiated the founding of the Center for Cultural Research Lübeck (ZKFL), a consortium of academic and municipal institutions. Currently, the institute is working on establishing a new major with its focus on philosophy of science. In the universities section for sciences the institute stands together with the ZKFL for the universities research agenda in cultures of knowledge.