This book contains a selection of the papers presented at the 2009 Bergen workshop on the history of health and medicine, which explored some of the paths of this important development. The contributions discuss the existence of a Nordic model of social welfare; the development and practices of hospitals, laboratories, institutions and voluntary associations in different parts of Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Spain; and the contribution of medical professions and specific managerial techniques, such as strategic communication, to the development of medical institutions.