science and society
Report on the lecture on the history of tropical medicine held on March 19
Did you miss the lecture on the history of tropical medicine at the Institut Pasteur on March 19? You can watch the event organized by the French Committee for the History of Health Administrations (CHAS), chaired by Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, by clicking on the video below.
The lecture explored France's pioneering role in global health between 1870 and 1940. Find out how military physicians, colonial troops and the Institut Pasteur's scientific networks shaped tropical medicine and helped tackle infectious diseases. Take the opportunity to go on a historical deep dive into the knowledge, research and medical practices that laid the foundations for international public health.
The video includes:
The presentation by Claire Fredj (Paris Nanterre University) and Benoît Pouget (Aix-Marseille University) about how "Pasteurian laboratories" spread across the world.
The round table led by Laurence Isnard (Head of the Institut Pasteur Museum Department), with expert contributions from Yazdan Yazdanpanah (Head of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department at Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital), Anne Marie Moulin (Emeritus Director of Research at the CNRS) and Eric Pichard (President of the French-Speaking Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health).
Alongside the lecture, the museum team would like to draw your attention to the fascinating interview with Sandra Legout, contact person for historical archives at the Institut Pasteur within the Scientific Information Resources Center (CeRIS). Sandra Legout offers an insight into the history of the Institut Pasteur international network, its founding missions and its development worldwide. She answers the following questions:
How was the Institut Pasteur international network structured, and what is its role today?
The Institut Pasteur network developed in a context dominated by colonial expansion and the health challenges of tropical regions. What can the museum's archives and collections tell us today about the history of colonial and tropical medicine?
Do the archive collections reveal important figures, missions or key episodes that illustrate how the Institut Pasteur's research spread to overseas territories and tropical regions?
How can studying and showcasing these archives offer new insights into global health and international cooperation in the field of infectious diseases?
Read the interview with Sandra Legout (in French)
If you are looking for documents about the history of the Institut Pasteur and its scientists, the Archives Division is available to help: archives@pasteur.fr
f you are interested in the latest museum news, have any questions or are in possession of any technical or scientific objects that can provide clues to the past activities of the Institut Pasteur's laboratories, feel free to contact the museum team at musee@pasteur.fr and follow us on social media (LinkedIn and Instagram).