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Summary and Objective
A major struggle facing early Americans was dealing with disease. By discussing and examing artifiacts in the collections students will understand how early Americans used a variety of strategies to survive sickness. This was done using preventive and natural remedies as well as doctor prescribed interventions. Students will compare these practices to today's treatments.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
The class will discuss the "health enviroment" during the period of time being studied. They will list what were the common ailments of the era. They will discuss what were common diseases. They will look at common occupations and lifestyles and how these may have contributed to illness.
Step 2.
The class will be divided into 2 groups. Each group will brainstorm and list common remedies not including prescription medicines that are employed today to treat health.
Step 3.
Each group will be provided with 2 pages that have been translated from pages 40-44 in "The Pocumtuc Housewife: A Guide to Domestic Cookery." They will review these common practices and identify if any are still in practice today. They also will be provided with the " The New Hydropathic Cook-Book" and "Old Cinnamon Cordial" They will determine if the claims made by these artifacts are valued in today's treatment of health.
Step 4.
Each group will be given page 45 of "The Pocumtuc Housewife; A Guide to Domestic Cookery." They will compare and contrast the diets outlined on this page to "doctor" the sick to ones that are used today.
Step 5.
The class will review " Dr. William Stoddard William's description of a throat distemper diagnosis." They will compare and contrast it to today's practice of treatment for a sore throat.
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