The History of Medical Relations Between Switzerland and the USA

Authors

Erwin H. Ackerknecht

Keywords

Medical relations, medical history, swiss contibution

Abstract

When in a symposium concerning the medical relations of Switzerland to other countries reports are given on the relations of Swiss medicine to German, French, Italian, English and Austrian medicine, the reasons are obvious. But it might be at first sight surprising that the USA are added to this traditional list of neighbors. This surprise is partly a consequence of outdated technological and geographical thought. Actually, through the airplane, New York is as close to Zurich as by railroad are Hamburg or Paris. We should become conscious of this new situation. But partly doubts remain legitimate. Have the relations between American and Swiss medicine really been so weighty and so important as to justify such a procedure? They have been weighty and important, but if we have chosen to deal with the subject today, it actually has not been done so much on account of the past, than on account of the present and the future. In medicine, and even in medical history, our traditional neighbors orient themselves today a good deal towards the United States. This is perfectly normal. But it seems then somewhat paradoxical to acquire US ideas or techniques secondhand from our traditional neighbors instead of going

Recommended Citation

Ackerknecht, Erwin H. (1973) "The History of Medical Relations Between Switzerland and the USA," Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter: Vol. 9: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_newsletter/vol9/iss1/5