How Was Tuberculosis Medically Defined in the early 1900s? When affecting the lungs, it was often referred to as pulmonary tuberculosis or consumption and was classified as an infectious and communicable disease. It was common in humans and some animals, especially in cattle. About 1/4th of all deaths occurring in humans during adult life in…
The Louisville Mental Hygiene Clinic
Established in 1914, the Louisville Mental Hygiene Clinic began as a program of Louisville’s Board of Education as an attempt to aid with “unusual” children both “defective” and those of “superior” intelligence. Approximately six years later the program developed into a Psychological Clinic that was located on East Walnut Street. Aside from moving once again…
A Brief History of the Ambulance
Early Ambulance History In 1864 the United States Congress enacted the Union Army Ambulance Corps. Getting sick and wounded soldiers to surgeons as quickly as possible proved to be a frustrating issue with both the Union and Confederate armies. The sheer ratio of soldiers to surgeons prohibited most surgeons from going directly to soldiers on…
They Call Her Sybil: The Case of Shirley Ardell Mason
It was a case that entranced the entire nation and, arguably, the world during the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Cornelia B. Wilbur, a medical doctor, and psychiatrist, previously on staff at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, presented the case of Sybil Isabel Dorsett to the nation. The case of young Sybil resulted in a…
Epidemics and How History Can Potentially Save Lives
Epidemics in Kentucky Cholera Yellow Fever “Spanish” Influenza Tuberculosis Smallpox and Pest Houses Kentucky, and the world at large, is no stranger to epidemics. Whether it is cholera, yellow fever, tuberculosis, or influenza, Kentucky has seen nearly everything. Perhaps the most well-known, or infamous, epidemic in Kentucky was “Spanish” influenza in 1918. At the early…
Resurrectionists in Kentucky & the New Albany Affair
“The anatomy of the human body must be studied, and with or in spite of legal enactments, it will be, for it is the true cornerstone of medical study. Without it the healing art would cease to be healing, the processes of disease would be unknown, the means of cure, a sealed book.” -Dr. David…
The 1833 Cholera Epidemic at Lexington, Kentucky
What is Cholera? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the toxigenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 or O139. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe. Approximately one in 10 (10%) infected persons…
The 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic at Hickman, Kentucky
The Progression of Yellow Fever Observations sur la fièvre jaune, faites à Cadix, en 1819 / par MM. Pariset et Mazet.Images from Wellcome Collection. CC BY. Development of yellow fever. What is Yellow Fever? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yellow fever is a disease caused by a virus that is spread through…
Kentucky’s African American Men and Women of Medicine
February is National African American History Month, which honors the sedulous contributions of African Americans across the nation and serves as a reminder of their struggles in seeking equality and freedom. We celebrate the hardworking men and women who fought tirelessly to help others in need in Kentucky. These are just a few of the…
Kentucky Historic Institutions 