Les méthodes d’évaluation de nouveaux remèdes dans la première moitié du 19ème siècle: l’exemple des médecins genevois

Abstract

Recent research on the history of medicine has shown that during the 18th century, the pharmacological market has steadily expanded. For medical practitioners, this influx of novelties triggered constant challenges to the process of cure assessment. This study analyses six historical controversies surrounding new remedies in Geneva during the first half of 19th century. The overview of fifty years of therapeutic questioning shows how Genevan practitioners managed to judge the usefulness of a specific remedy on the basis of observations – usually quite numerous – and how they started to elaborate methodological principles underlying a populational approach.