Events

Disease was a major part of everyday life in the American colonies, especially during the Revolutionary War. For every soldier dying of wounds in the war, seven died of infections including smallpox, malaria and typhus. Doctors were influenced by ancient medical thought, and with the best intentions, treated diseases with bleedings, leeches and purges. Ronald S. Gibbs, MD, of Stanford University explores the world of medical practice in the Revolutionary War by discussing the various common diseases, forms of treatments and other procedures that soldiers endured through the conflict. This program accompanies the exhibition Saving Soldiers: Medical Practice in the Revolutionary War, now on display through November 27, 2022.

Registration is requested. All programs are held in person. Virtual options are available.

Currently, all visitors to Anderson House age 2 and older are required to wear a mask while attending a historical program or visiting the museum or library. Read our full COVID safety guidelines here.

About the Speaker

Ronald S. Gibbs, MD, is a clinical professor at Stanford University. While attending medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, he researched eighteenth-century medicine for which he won the History of Medicine Prize upon graduation. Early in his medical career, he served as a major in the Army Medical Corps at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and was a professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at The University of Colorado. He has provided service to The National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and numerous other professional organizations and medical journals.