Today Americans think of medicine as a science. Yet, for most of the history of health care in America, medicine has fallen within the province of folk medicine and patent (proprietary) medicine. The same holds true of medicine in Appalachia. Folk cures and patent medicines remained popular well into the 20th century. The Archives holds materials that document various medical approaches, from descriptions of folk remedies found in diaries and folklore collections to local investigations into illness and toxic waste.

Browse our Suggested Reading List for books of interest.

Manuscripts

Robert Bell Collection
Includes a nineteenth century home remedy book of cures for various illnesses and injuries.

Broadside Television Collection
Includes videotaped programs on early health care undertaken by women; gathering of herbs and ginseng for medicinal uses; the symptoms and treatment of high blood pressure; health screening programs for senior citizens; mental health problems and services in the region; water quality and other health issues related to the Bumpass Cove (Tenn.) landfill controversy of the 1970s; and interviews with midwives.

Bumpass Cove-Embreeville Collection
Includes material on health issues related to environmental pollution involving a landfill operation in the Bumpass Cove-Embreeville, Tenn. area in the 1970s.

Burton-Manning Collection
This folklore collection includes recordings of Appalachian residents discussing such topics as childbirth and midwives, folk medicine, herb gathering, early physicians, superstitions, and other health issues.

Cass Family Business Records
Includes records of East Tennessee Medicine Company, a proprietary company founded by Dr. Marie Hendrick Phillip Panhorst in Jonesborough, Tenn. in 1890 and purchased in 1901 by the Cass family of Johnson City, Tenn. Records cover 1891-1925 and include financial papers, correspondence, and advertising materials. Also included are records related to the Ferguson Drug Company, a drug store which operated in Johnson City, also partially owned by the Cass family.

Congress for Appalachian Development/Gordon Ebersole Collection
Includes correspondence, reports, articles, and other material related to various aspects of health and health care in Appalachia, including coal industry pollution concerns, cybernetics, black lung disease, and mine health and safety.

Council of Nursing of Upper East Tennessee Collection
The council's goals have been to provide continuing education for area nurses and to foster continuity in nursing care in East Tennessee. The collection includes financial records, correspondence, publications, and other organizational material and relates to such topics as diabetes control, drug therapy, stroke rehabilitation, and the Mid-South Regional Medical Program.

Council on Appalachian Women Collection
Includes correspondence, reports, research files, photographs, and other material related to such topics as abortion, domestic violence, child care, infant mortality, and other health issues, especially as these relate to women in Appalachia.

D. P. Culp Papers
Administrative papers (in the University Archives) of ETSU President D. P. Culp include documentation on the establishment of the medical school at East Tennessee State University during Culp's tenure (1968-77).

Charles Gunter, Jr. Collection
This collection of audio recordings includes discussions of such health-related topics as early area physicians, the practice of medicine, and midwifery.

Nat E. Hyder Papers
Includes account books documenting Hyder's career as a Carter Co., Tenn. doctor between 1874-1900. The books include patient names, dates, type of service rendered, fees, and method of payment.

John A. Jones Almanac Collection
Consists of 93 almanacs published between 1849-1929 by various companies, primarily patent medicine firms. Almanacs include information on health, medicine, and the advertising of medicines.

Appalachian Files

Files may include articles, reports, clippings, etc. relating to the following: Appalachian Regional Commission; Appalachian Regional Council for Health Advancement Health System Agency; Chattanooga Medicine Company (Chattanooga, Tenn.); Embreeville--Bumpass Cove; Folk Medicine; and Frontier Nursing Service.

University Archives

Materials in the University Archives document the creation and development of the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. Further information about the Quillen College of Medicine and about regional medical history can be found at the History of Medicine Museum and Library in Johnson City, Tennessee. For more information about the History of Medicine Museum and Library contact: Martha Whaley, Medical Library, Quillen College of Medicine.

Suggested Reading from Special Collections

The following is a list of selected titles relating to medicine and health care in the region. For a complete listing, consult Sherrod Library Online Catalog.

Cavender, Anthony. A Folk Medical Lexicon of South Central Appalachia. 1990.

Gunn, John C. Gunn's Domestic Medicine. 1833.

Hamer, Philip A. The Centennial History of the Tennessee State Medical Association, 1830-1930. 1930.

Hamel, Paul B. and Mary V. Chiltoskey. Cherokee Plants and Their Uses: A 400 Year History. 1975.

Looff, David H. Appalachia's Children: The Challenge of Mental Health. 1971.

Mathes, A. H. The Botanic Physician or Family Medical Advisor. 1837.

Platt, Samuel Joseph. Medical Men and Institutions of Knox County, Tennessee, 1789-1957. 1969.

Polansky, Norman A., Robert D. Borgman, and Christine DeSaix. Roots of Futility. 1972.

Walters, Russell S. A Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia. 1971.

Waggoner, Tim. The Poor Man's Medicine Bag: (home remedies and helpful hints). 1984.