Tag: health

Quarantine and Isolation: A Brief History of Public Health Measures Against Infectious Disease

April 20, 2020

“From isolation in the home to the closure of public spaces, history contains many pertinent lessons in the control of infectious disease.” By now, most of us are no strangers to the idea of quarantine. “Self-isolation” and “social distancing” have come to be the new normal for many people all over the world as we … More Quarantine and Isolation: A Brief History of Public Health Measures Against Infectious Disease

A Lifetime of Service: The Medical Career of Lieutenant Colonel Allan M. Davidson

September 10, 2019

A museum collection is more than an assortment of objects. It is a gateway into our collective past. Objects provide a tangible connection to the stories that make up individuals and communities. Of all the artifacts in museum collections, photographs provide perhaps the most visceral connection to the past. Photographs are snapshots of a moment … More A Lifetime of Service: The Medical Career of Lieutenant Colonel Allan M. Davidson

Getting a Leg Up: A Brief History of Prosthetics through the lens of our collection

June 18, 2019

Though Ernest was a farmer, and—according to family—was not a particularly wealthy individual, he was lucky enough to acquire two full, well-made, advanced prosthetic legs. The history of an individual prosthetic limb can be difficult to trace, as good documentation is often lacking. The Museum of Health Care at Kingston has six prosthetic limbs in … More Getting a Leg Up: A Brief History of Prosthetics through the lens of our collection

Domestic Nursing: An Introduction to Maintaining the Sick-Room

June 22, 2018

Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management: A Complete Cookery Book (1861) was perhaps the most well-known and referred-to home advice manual of its time. It was originally published in 24 separate parts from 1859 to 1861, and then compiled as a bound book in 1861, soon becoming a staple in most Victorian homes. … More Domestic Nursing: An Introduction to Maintaining the Sick-Room

Health Care in the Victorian Home

June 1, 2018

I am very excited to be able to research and share with you a topic I personally find fascinating – health in the Canadian home during the Victorian era. I will be using home advice manuals, written primarily by women authors, to explore how the day-to-day health of families did not primarily fall underneath the purview of the doctor or the midwife, but was left in the care of the mother of the home or the ‘Angel in the House’. … More Health Care in the Victorian Home