For our final #MuseumWeek post we’re talking about why we LOVE medical history and why we hope that love is contagious! #loveMW<\/p>\n
It’s not uncommon for the Dittrick Medical History Center to be referred to a bit like a cabinet of curiosities, \u00a0a niche museum, or perhaps more kindly, a “hidden treasure.” Although we’ve always worked to make collections accessible and major public engagement efforts are underway, we still often have to make the case for the (sometimes not so) implicit question “Why should I care about medical history?”<\/p>\n
The answer tends to go a little like this:<\/p>\n
Medical history is the\u00a0history of how we come into the world<\/strong>. Our\u00a0Re-conceiving Birth<\/em> gallery is not only about doctors, nurses, and midwives — it examines the experiences of women and babies from the 18th century to the 1940s. Beyond the particular questions of labor position, pregnancy diet, and types of forceps, this gallery calls visitors’ attention to larger, still pertinent questions: Is birth a normal or pathological event? Who’s experiences and knowledge are important during labor? Should birth hurt? How are difficult decisions made when both the mother and infant are at risk?<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t