In France, women have long played a vital role in the military. Like most modern militaries, in multiple conflicts the […]
“If you liked this interview, you’ll love this book”: A Review of Sarah Milov’s The Cigarette: A Political History (2019)
The history of the cigarette does not begin and end with Big Tobacco. On March 2019, writers Danuta Kean and […]
When Third Place is a Win
On September 30, 2019, medieval historian Ruth Karras launched a poll on Twitter. “What medieval woman should I nominate,” she […]
Sunday Morning Medicine
A weekly check-up of gender, medicine, and history in the news Beyond Harriet. Steal this archive? A history of vaping. […]
Help! Talk Radio Ate the Presidency!
In November 2016, my Facebook feed was filled with friends’ dreaded anticipation of Thanksgiving with extended family, and particularly with […]
Ruth Taylor Ballard: A Nursing Pioneer In the Jim Crow South
In 1954, the public school system of Mobile, Alabama, launched its first training program for black nursing students. It […]
Waiting for a Death Revolution: A Review of HBO’s Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America
I can’t decide what to do with my corpse. Embalming, the bread-and-butter of the American funeral industry, feels wrong. Is […]
Anoint an Aries with Sheep’s Blood: Finding the Familiar in the Astral Medicine in Ancient Mesopotamia
From so far in the future, the medicine of ancient Mesopotamia looks strange. After all, it’s easy to dismiss the […]
In Vitro Fertilization: From Science Fiction to Reality to History
It was not that long ago that “test tube babies” only existed in science fiction. I remember my shock when, […]
Butter and the History of U.S. Dietary Guides since 1894
Creamy, sometimes salty, and optimistically yellow, butter is one of my favorite foods. It’s also a scientific and cultural barometer. […]
