Short biography

Axel Karenberg, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Medical Ethics in Cologne/Germany. After completing his medical degree at the University of Cologne and an additional internship at the Medical Faculty of Montpellier/France he specialized successfully in neurology and psychiatry and received a formal training in the history of medicine. In 1992 he was granted a prestigious scholarship by the German Research Association which enabled him to stay as Research and Teaching Fellow at the Department of Medical Humanities at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). After completing his Ph.D. in 2000, he was appointed Associate Professor of the History of Medicine. In addition, he is “Professeur titulaire” at the Université du Luxembourg.

Axel Karenberg wrote extensively on historical and ethical aspects of the neurosciences and psychiatry and on ancient medicine as well as the history of hospitals and medical education. His previous publications include Learning at the Bedside: German University Clinics 1760 to 1840, The Healing Art in Ancient Civilizations (in two volumes), Amor, Aesculapius & Co.: Classical Mythology and the Language of Modern Medicine. He is also author of several textbooks on medical terminology.