Image from Hans von Gersdorff's Feldtbuch der Wundt Artzney printed in 1551
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Madeline Huh, Intern Extraordinaire! We have had the pleasure of working with Madeline Huh, the Josiah Charles Trent History of Medicine Intern, over the past academic year. Madeline has assisted with instruction, curated an exhibition, and provided outreach including authoring several engaging blog posts. You can read more about Madeline and her internship experience. Thank you, Madeline!
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Travel Grant Awards
Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Elon Clark History of Medicine Travel Grant winners:
Jessica Brabble, Ph.D. Candidate, College of William & Mary, “Her Best Crop: Eugenics, Agricultural Programming, and Child Welfare, 1900-1964.”
Michael Ortiz-Castro, Lecturer, Department of History, Bentley University, “Acts of Citizenship: Belonging and Biology in the Post-Reconstruction US.”
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A "book for everybody," Smith's work includes botanical recipes for a variety of conditions and diseases. This guide to health critiques the "Old School practice" of patent medicines and other treatments deemed harmful by Smith, instead drawing on experiences and methods Smith declared he learned from indigenous people of the Niagra Falls area.
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This first edition comprehensive textbook of midwifery for urban and rural midwives was written by Essich, based on his extensive readings. Along with presenting information in an accessible way to midwives, Essich includes 16 leaves of plates, the majority of these illustrating difficult presentations such as the one on the right. Topics of the text include the signs and management of pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care.
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Over the past year, the Trent History of Medicine Speaker Series sponsored two public events. Links to the recordings can be found below.
Memento Mori: The Art and Craft of Contemplating Death to Live a Better Life
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Joanna Ebenstein, founder and creative director of Morbid Anatomy, presented Memento Mori: The Art and Craft of Contemplating Death to Live a Better Life. Prior to her keynote, Mary Trent Jones and Rebecca Trent Kirkland shared their recollections of growing up with the Josiah Charles Trent Collection, a remarkable collection of history of medicine materials collected by their father and mother. The event recording can be found here.
Remarkable Stories of American Black Surgeons in the 19th and Early 20th CenturiesThursday, February 13, 2025
Speakers included:
- Jill Newmark, "Without Concealment, Without Compromise: Black Civil War Surgeons"
- Margaret Humphreys, “Searching for Dr. Harris
- Todd Savitt, “Entering a ‘White’ Profession: African American Physicians in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries"
The event recording can be found here.
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We had another busy semester working with numerous classes this spring. Below are a few of the courses and groups we partnered with for primary source instruction.
- Gender & Science
- History of the Book
- History of Medicine Interest Group
- Humanities for Health Justice
- Magic, Religion, Science since 1400
- Monsters Then and Now
- Theology, Medicine, and Culture
- Voices in Global Health
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Defiant Bodies: Discourses on Intersex, 1573-2003
Curated by Trent History of Medicine Intern Madeline Huh, Defiant Bodies will be on display in the Josiah Charles Trent History of Medicine Room May 13-October 4, 2025. You can also visit the online exhibit.
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Manuscript Mysteries! History of Medicine Travel Grant recipient Baylee Staufenbiel shares more about her research in this blog post including the role of translators and production of knowledge in early medical manuscripts (like the one pictured) and how authors balanced classical medical authority with evolving anatomical understanding.
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