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Pharmaceutical markets in the German Empire: profits between risk, altruism and regulation
Pharma-Märkte im Deutschen Kaiserreich: Profite zwischen Risiko, Altruismus und Regulierung
[journal article]
Abstract "For the first time in August 1894, phials of anti-diphtheria serum went on sale in German pharmacies. Anti-diphtheria serum was a major therapeutic innovation in the treatment of a terrible infectious disease. The anti-diphtheria serum also signalled the evolution of new regulatory institutions, as... view more
"For the first time in August 1894, phials of anti-diphtheria serum went on sale in German pharmacies. Anti-diphtheria serum was a major therapeutic innovation in the treatment of a terrible infectious disease. The anti-diphtheria serum also signalled the evolution of new regulatory institutions, as well as new markets in industrially produced pharmaceutics. The new serum therapy offered not only a cure for diphtheria and other fatal infectious diseases, but also promised high profits for the manufacturers who could stabilize the production process. It attracted the state's attention for a number of reasons: the ambiguous legal situation, the production of serum for the free market and the prospect of high profits for the serum industry, and finally the novelty of serum therapy itself and the lack of information about its long-term effects. Drawing on concepts from economic sociology, I will argue that the evolving serum market was formatted by state authorities from the very first moment. This regulation was not imposed by 'the state' but negotiated among actors like state officials, medical and public health professionals, and serum producers." (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
German Empire; nineteenth century; pharmaceutical industry; market; risk; regulation; national state; altruism; contagious disease; medicine; pharmaceutical market; economic sociology; health care delivery system; social actor; institutionalization; framing approach; historical analysis
Classification
Social History, Historical Social Research
Sociology of Economics
Economic Sectors
Method
descriptive study; historical
Document language
English
Publication Year
2011
Page/Pages
p. 182-201
Journal
Historical Social Research, 36 (2011) 3
Issue topic
Change of markets and market societies: Concepts and case studies / Wandel von Märkten und Marktgesellschaften: Konzepte und Fallstudien
DOI
https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.36.2011.3.182-201
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed