Written By: Erin Torell
On June 22, a new exhibition opened at the Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “From Colony to Country: Medicine in America’s Founding Era” examines different topics related to health, illness, and healthcare during the colonial period, the Revolutionary War, and the early American republic. Discover how “heroic” medical practices dominated the era, characterized by harsh, often poisonous medications and a reliance on bloodletting. Learn about the health difficulties of the colonies’ last monarch King George III and the country’s first president George Washington.
The exhibit, located on level 8 of the library, will rotate every two months, highlighting different topics through rare books and artifacts. Stop by regularly to learn more and view new objects on display. The exhibit is also available online.
June 22-August 24
“From Forest to Physick: Nature as Cure and Threat in Early America”
The American climate, terrain, and flora presented new challenges to colonists and early Americans. Different than Europe, North America demanded that Americans adapt. Building upon a botanical and medicinal knowledge of European plants, Americans developed medications based upon plants from their new environment. The basis of medical treatment, cataloging plants, and distributing recipes in books, for medical personnel and domestic caregivers, allowed for the dissemination of healthcare knowledge. View McGoogan Library rare books on the medicinal properties of plants and artifacts used by apothecaries such as scales and preserved medicinal botanicals.