Edited by
Jean-Claude Dupont, University of Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens), France.
ISBN : 9781789452105
Publication Date : March 2026
Hardcover 292 pp
170 USD
Co-publisher
Writing the recent history of life sciences is an exciting but demanding undertaking. Some disciplines are emerging while others are disappearing; above all, they are now intertwined and overlapping, constantly shifting their boundaries. However, despite the resulting complexity, certain fundamental cross-disciplinary concepts continue to structure research, giving biology a coherent overall identity.
History of Life Sciences and Medicine 3 takes a conceptual approach to history, aiming to reflect the contemporary constitution of the field of life sciences. It thus addresses some of the most representative concepts from a historical and epistemological perspective, for example, those that have particularly structured the field of life sciences since the 19th and 20th centuries. Ten key biological concepts are analyzed: the origin of life, evolution, the ecosystem, the cell, metabolism, the gene, development, immunity, the brain and pathology.
1. Theories for the Origin of Life in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Stéphane Tirard.
2. The Reception of Evolutionary Theory in France, Olivier Perru.
3. The History of the Ecosystem Concept, Julien Delord.
4. The Cell: The Basic Structural and Functional Unit of Living Organisms, François Duchesneau.
5. The History of the Metabolism Concept: From Its Beginnings to Maturity, Jean-Claude Dupont.
6. The History of the Gene, Antonine Nicoglou.
7. Microcosm, Type and Individuation: Understanding Animal Development, Ghyslain Bolduc.
8. A Conceptual History of Immunology, Alfred I. Tauber.
9. Human Brains: Representations, Explorations and Stimulations, Mathilde Lancelot.
10. Modern Medicine and the Sciences: A History of Ruptures, Mathieu Arminjon.
Jean-Claude Dupont is Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens), France. He is a specialist in the history of life sciences and medicine.
