The latest episode of one of my favorite podcasts, BackStory, looked at the history of diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the United States this week. I like this podcast because it looks at a theme over several centuries and takes pains to set the right context for each time period. The experts they… Continue reading more on mental illness with Backstory podcast
Medicine in a log cabin
Last week I was out-and-about again at Mill Creek Park for a presentation about medical history for a group of summer campers. What made this presentation so exciting was that it took place INSIDE the AUTHENTIC log cabin of the first Youngstown-born physician. Talk about setting the context! I had read about the log cabin… Continue reading Medicine in a log cabin
Debating women’s “nervous temperament” in the 1890s
The Melnick Medical Museum is pleased to host a banner exhibit from the National Library of Medicine called "Literature of Prescription: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "The Yellow Wall-Paper." The exhibit examines the interesting subject of "nervous exhaustion" and the Rest Cure during the late 1800s. It is on display in the Cushwa Hall cafe until… Continue reading Debating women’s “nervous temperament” in the 1890s
Introducing our new “Digestive Elixir”
The Melnick Medical Museum is out and about in the community this summer, taking advantage of partnerships with other cultural institutions in the Youngstown area. Last Saturday, we had fun at the Mill Creek Metro Parks Alice in Wonderland themed Garden Adventure Day. For this event, we created a new activity- a color changing elixir! … Continue reading Introducing our new “Digestive Elixir”
Overlooked and Undervalued: The role of African Americans in Civil War medicine
The Melnick Medical Museum is pleased to partner with the Mahoning Valley Historical Society to present a lecture by Betsy Estilow called "Overlooked and Undervalued: The role of African Americans in Civil War Medicine." The lecture will take place at the Tyler History Center (325 West Federal Street, Youngstown, OH) on Wednesday, April 30th at… Continue reading Overlooked and Undervalued: The role of African Americans in Civil War medicine
Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries
The Melnick Medical Museum is pleased to host another banner exhibit from the National Library of Medicine called Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine. This exhibit highlights the contributions of African Americans as nurses, surgeons, and hospital workers, which has often been overlooked. This exhibit looks at the men and women… Continue reading Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries
New exhibits in Cushwa Hall
Last week I installed the first exhibits in the lower level of Cushwa Hall near the auditoriums. This is a busy hallway and I noticed many students looking at the displays as soon as I finished them. I am very excited to have these spaces to feature cool stuff from the museum's collection. In the… Continue reading New exhibits in Cushwa Hall
Student nurses back in class
Work on the new display cases in Cushwa Hall (home of the Bitonte School of Health and Human Services) continues. There are new items in the four cases near the Lincoln Avenue entrance. These cases now feature artifacts from a wonderful recent donation to the museum from a local surgeon. You can read more about… Continue reading Student nurses back in class
Bon Voyage!
The museum's 1952 Emerson Iron Lung is on its way across the country in a comfy climate controlled, air-ride equipped trailer. It was picked up last week and will travel to San Francisco to be part of a documentary on the life of a woman who lived in an iron lung for more than 60… Continue reading Bon Voyage!
Lecture recordings
January was a busy month with a traveling exhibit "Life and Limb: The toll of the American Civil War" and two lectures on veterans related topics. I am pleased to share that the audio recordings of these lectures are now available here. This page contains links for ALL lectures sponsored by the Melnick Medical Museum… Continue reading Lecture recordings
Melnick Medical Museum 