The History Department at King’s College London is delighted to have the opportunity to host the biennial Kass Lecture on the History of Medicine. The Amalie and Edward Kass Lecture Fund was originally created in 1988 in honour of the 70th birthday of Edward Kass and the 60th birthday of his wife Amalie Kass. It was made possible thanks to the generosity of their eight children. The gifts additionally acknowledged and honoured their parents’ scholarly contributions. Edward and Amalie Kass had, in 1988, finished writing a published biography of Thomas Hodgkin. Research for this publication led them to spend a sabbatical year together in England, away from their home in the USA. Their time spent in the UK motivated their children to direct the gift towards a lecture on medical history, to be held in the UK. It was originally set up as a partnership between the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine and Guy’s Hospital (due to links with Thomas Hodgkin). The Department of History at Kings College London became the host venue in 2015.