Introduction

The Asian Society for the History of Medicine (ASHM) was founded in July of 2001, at a gathering at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Kyoto), which brought together medical historians from numerous Asian countries.
The Society is a purely academic, non-profit organization, devoted to advancing the study of the history of medicine (non-Asian as well as Asian, and including the histories of public health, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and allied arts, sciences, and professions) in Asian countries. Its chief purpose is to foster international cooperation and scholarly exchange among medical historians working in Asian countries, and to serve as a bridge for these historians to other medical history organizations around the world.
 Specifically, the Society plans to:

     1.  Organize meetings once every two years
     2.  Issue a newsletter every six months
     3.  Maintain a registry of medical historians in Asia

The Secretariat of the Society is housed in the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica in Taipei.

The Secretariat can be contacted at:
Address: Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
Email: ashm@mail.ihp.sinica.edu.tw Fax: 886-2-27868834

Officers

The officers of the Society are comprised of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, and News Editor. They will be elected in meetings of the ASHM by a vote of the Society's contributing members (see the article on Membership below)
The current officers of the Society are:
        
         Secretary: Wu Yu-chuan   (Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica)
        

Memberships

Membership is open to individuals of any country who are interested in the history of medicine and allied disciplines.
Memberships are of two types:

1. Contributing members: Dues for contributing members are $50 US for five years. This modest sum goes toward supporting   the ASHM's informational activities. All those who can afford to do so are urged to support the Society by contributing. In addition to receiving the newsletter, contributing members are eligible to vote on ASHM policies, and in officer elections.

2. Non-contributing members: Those unable to afford the contributing member dues can still become members of the Society simply by registering, and receive the newsletter. All registered members will be listed in the Society directory.

To become a contributing member, please contact Mr. SUZUKI akihito, e-mail: akihitos@l.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Taniguchi Medal

The Taniguchi Medal commemorates the great contribution of Mr. Taniguchi Toyosaburo, whose foundation supported the International Symposium for the History of Medicine East and West over the course of twenty-three consecutive years (1976-1999). The Medal will be awarded at meetings of the ASHM to a graduate student for an outstanding essay (whether published or not yet published) on some aspect of the history of medicine.  

Any graduate student who meets any one of the following criteria is eligible to apply: 1) is enrolled in an Asian university, 2) works on Asian medicine, 3) is of Asian nationality. Recipients of the Medal will be invited to attend the meeting courtesy of the Society.

Past Events

1. The First Meeting of the Asian Society for the History of Medicine: Symposium on the History of Medicine in Asia: Past Achievements, Current Research and Future Directions.
Conference Period: 2003.11.4-8.
Conference Location: Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.

2. Conference on RELIGION AND HEALING andthe Second Meeting of the Asian Society for the History of Medicine.
Conference Period: 2004.11.16-19.
Conference Location: Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.

3. The Third Conference of the Asian Society for History of Medicine (ASHM): Health and Medicine in History: East-West Exchange.
Conference Period: 2006.11.2-4.
Conference Location: Committee Room, School of Social Sciences-I, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067.

4. The Fourth Conference of the Asian Society for History of Medicine (ASHM): Crossing the Social and Ethnical Boundaries.
Conference Period: 2008.11.4-6.
Conference Location: Lijiang, Yunnan, China.

5. The Fifth Meeting of the Asian Society for the History of Medicine: Climate, Environment and Disease: Crossing Geo-Historical Boundaries.
Conference Period: 2010.10.7-9.
Conference Location: Ajou University & Suwon LIG Ingenium, City of Suwon, Republic of Korea.

6. The Sixth Conference for the Asian Society for the History of Medicine: Medicine, Society and Culture in Asia and Beyond.
Conference Period: 2012.12.13-15.
Conference Location: Keio University （Hiyoshi Campus）, Japan.

7. The Seventh Conference for the Asian Society for the History of Medicine: Food and Health.
Conference Period: 2014.12.15-17.
Conference Location: Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.