The University of Iowa History of Medicine Society and the Iowa Women’s Archives
invite you to hear:
Injections, Itches, and Institutions:
The Experience of Rural Medicine in Iowa, 1910-1950
Jennifer Gunn
History of Medicine Endowed Professor
Director of the Institute for Advanced Study
University of Minnesota
Thursday, January 28, 2016, 5:30-6:30
Medical Education Research Facility (MERF) 2117
Free and Open to the Public
When Clara Skott, an Iowa farm wife living in South Dakota during the 1918 influenza pandemic, received a series of injections to stave off the flu, the hypodermic needle was a symbol of modern medical practice. Iowa doctors’ ledger books show “hypos” were a staple of their treatment repertoire. What was in the hypo was not always clear. Clara was given a homegrown influenza vaccine; other patients received barbiturates, vita-mins, or placebos. $1.00 for an injection was beyond the reach of many Iowans. This talk explores country doctors’ practices and the range of ways rural Iowans handled health issues in the first half of the 20th century.
If you are a person with a disability requiring an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Donna Hirst, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences (donna-hirst@uiowa.edu), 335-9154. The UI History of Medicine Society website is located at: http://hosted.lib.uiowa.edu/histmed/