The Susquehanna University Medical Humanities Initiative will sponsor a book talk by historian Karol K. Weaver on April 30, 2012 at 6:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge of Seibert Hall. Weaver’s recent publication, Medical Caregiving and Identity in Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Region, 1880-2000 shows how the men and women of the anthracite coal region crafted their gender and ethnic identities via the medical decisions they made. Weaver will read a selection from her text and a reception with refreshments will follow. The event is free and open to the public.
“Karol Weaver spins a compelling tale about the practice of vernacular medicine among the immigrant communities of Pennsylvania’s anthracite region,” said Janet Lindman, president of the Pennsylvania Historical Association.
In her book, published by Penn State Press, Weaver employs an impressive range of primary sources, including folk songs, patent medicine advertisements, oral history interviews, and jokes, to tell the story of neighborhood healers, midwives, Pennsylvania German powwowers, medical self-help, and the eventual transition to modern-day medicine in Pennsylvania’s anthracite region. This work continues Weaver’s investigations into diverse forms of healing and medical caregiving, a subject she has explored in numerous articles and in her first book, Medical Revolutionaries: The Enslaved Healers of Eighteenth-Century Saint Domingue.
Karol Weaver is an associate professor of history and director of the women’s studies program at Susquehanna University. She grew up in the anthracite coal region and proudly calls herself “a coalcracker.”
Founded in 1858, Susquehanna University is a national liberal arts college that prepares students for achievement, leadership and service in a diverse, interconnected world. Academic excellence, study away and service learning, student-faculty collaboration, and rich opportunities for creative and personal growth are hallmarks of a Susquehanna University education. Susquehanna students come from 30 states and 12 countries, and more than 90 percent of them find jobs or pursue graduate study within six months of graduation. The university is located in central Pennsylvania, in the town of Selinsgrove, along the banks of the scenic Susquehanna River and about three hours from major East Coast cultural, financial and recreational centers. For more information, visit www.susqu.edu.
[box type=”shadow”]Photo via Paul Weaver on Flickr.[/box]
