Congratulations to Justin Rivest, Ph.D., who recently defended his dissertation, “Secret Remedies and the Rise of Pharmaceutical Monopolies in France during the First Global Age.” Justin’s dissertation is a study of early pharmaceutical monopolies in France, circa 1680-1740. It explores the links between chymical medicine, the arrival of new therapeutic substances in Europe, and the emergence of large-scale pharmaceutical supply contracting. It focuses particularly on the careers of a small set of vendors who built large-scale pharmaceutical supply relationships with bulk consumers, such as the French military, long-distance trading companies, and missionary organizations.

From left to right: Prof. Gianna Pomata, Justin Rivest, Prof. Mary Fissell, Prof. Jeremy Greene, and Prof. Michael Kwass.