Written by Erin Torell
Healing at Home: Midwives, Households, and Everyday Medicine is on rotation from Aug. 24 to Oct. 26.
The history of American medicine cannot be told through hospitals and clinics alone. Its stories extend into the familiar confines of home, where resilient and resourceful women led the way, serving as nurses, midwives, and everyday healers in rural and newly settled communities. In the Healing at Home: Midwives, Households, and Everyday Medicine rotation, explore how women assumed authority over community and family health through rare books on domestic medicine, midwifery manuals, infant care texts, and artifacts from the McGoogan Library collection.
The “From Colony to Country: Medicine in America’s Founding Era” exhibition at the Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Stories and artifacts provide opportunities to examine different topics related to health, illness and healthcare during the colonial period, the Revolutionary War and the early American republic.
The exhibit, located on Level 8 of the library, rotates every two months, highlighting different topics through rare books and artifacts.
The exhibit is also accessible online, and we welcome requests for tours by emailing history@unmc.edu.