History of science courses
In ancient societies, sacred astronomy and alchemy were the sciences of their day, showcasing power, knowledge and ambition. Later, societies saw the emergence of metallurgy, herbal medicine and combat engineering.
Today, we speak of much broader fields of science, technology and medicine, linking the universe to the smallest parts of our bodies.
Shared across the ages, are the links between knowledge, application and society.
In our history of science courses, you will therefore explore and contextualise knowledge, discoveries, innovations across different epochs and regions and unpack the implications for society or humanity more broadly.
Browse our history of science courses below and enrol today.
14 courses available
Blood, pain and infection: how surgery was transformed from 1840 to the present dayThe course examines key developments in surgery, as a critical aspect of modern medicine, between 1840 and the present day.
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026David IngledewFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00- Meet the Scientists: Isaac Newton
Explore Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking contributions to the development of physics during this History of Science Late.
Online
Thu 22 Oct 2026Gary RetallickFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - From cradle to the grave: a history of the NHS 1948 to the present
The course examines the creation, consolidation, development and reorganizations of the NHS from 1948 to the present day.
Online
Tue 27 Oct 2026David IngledewFull fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - Bodysnatching & Anatomy in London, c.1780-c.1845Join Sarah Wise to explore the clandestine world of 'resurrection men,' the bodysnatchers who supplied human bodies to anatomy schools and the impact of the 1832 Anatomy Act on the trade.
Keeley Street
Sat 31 Oct 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Blood, Guts & Gore: How Human Emissions, Fluids & Excretions shaped ideas & societiesThis course takes an alternate view of history, exploring the past from the perspective of the substances removed, expelled or eliminated from the body as waste products, demonstrating their economic, environmental or symbolic value.
Online
Tue 10 Nov 2026Linsey HunterFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Sanity & Insanity: A brief history of mental health and its treatments before the 19th century
We will look at the way mental health was understood and treated in the medieval period, then under the Tudors & Stuarts, and during the long eighteenth century, up to 1815. Tutor: Dr. Kathleen Chater.
Kean Street Wellbeing Centre
Sat 28 Nov 2026Kathleen ChaterFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Meet the Scientists: The Restoration Era & the Royal Society
Trace the origins and early modern history of the Royal Society during the Restoration era, whose founders included Sir Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle and William Petty. Explore some of the society's early experiments and research, with particular reference to Hooke's Micrographia and the Dutch influenced 'observation of little animals' which gave rise to the concept of microbiology.
Online
Mon 14 Dec 2026Ellen CarpenterFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Six drugs that changed the world: from aspirin to chemotherapy
Join us to discover the origins, use, development and impact of six key drugs in the history of medicine.
Online
Tue 12 Jan 2027David IngledewFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Sensing the Past: '6 Senses' in Historical Context
Join Dr. Linsey Hunter to discover the history of 6 senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell...and the belief in the ability to see beyond the rational world. How were these senses understood by people in the past?
Online
Tue 19 Jan 2027Linsey HunterFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Meet the Scientists: Edward Jenner
Meet Edward Jenner and explore Jenner's role the development of the first smallpox vaccine in the context of the impact of smallpox on previous societies, together with Jenner's impact and legacy.
Online
Mon 25 Jan 2027David IngledewFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - An introduction to the history of 19th & early 20th century mental health
We will explore the various diagnoses and altered states of consciousness that 19th and early 20th century doctors devised. In addition, we will take a look at the administration of ‘lunacy’ law, with particular reference to the private and public asylums in and around the London area.
Keeley Street
Sat 6 Feb 2027Sarah WiseFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Meet the Scientists: Mary Somerville, 'Queen of Science'
Meet Mary Somerville, renowned Scottish scientist, mathematician and astronomer, who is widely regarded as ‘the queen of science’. In 1835 she and Caroline Herschel were the first elected female Honorary Members of the Royal Astronomical Society. Join us to find out more about this extraordinary polymath's life and work during this science history late.
Online
Mon 22 Mar 2027David IngledewFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - 'Everybody Hurts': The History of Emotions, Mindsets and MentalitiesThis course explores the tantalising history of how people in the past thought and felt about the triumphs and losses they experienced, seeking to view the world through their eyes.
Online
Tue 27 Apr 2027Linsey HunterFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Meet the Scientists: Mary Anning, Mother of Paleontology
Explore the life and work of Mary Anning, whose groundbreaking discoveries along England's Jurassic Coast changed the way we perceive prehistoric life, extinction, and the history of the Earth. What challenges did Mary face as a pioneering women scientist in the 1800's?
Online
Mon 14 Jun 2027Ellen CarpenterFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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