The Child Amputee in Post-World War II America

September 26, 2023, 6-7:15pm Eastern Time

~ Annual Ravitch Lecture ~

Lisa Joy Pruitt, PhD (Middle Tennessee State University)

Dr. Lisa Joy Pruitt, PhD (Middle Tennessee University), will give the Annual Ravitch Lecture to kick off the C.F. Reynolds Medical History Society's 40th lecture season. Before 1945, the standard of care for child amputees and/or those with congenital limb differences was to delay treatment and rehabilitation when possible or otherwise to cope with surgical procedures and prosthetic limbs designed for adults. After 1945, practitioners coordinated their efforts, revolutionized the rehabilitation of child amputees, and profoundly influenced the development of pediatric prosthetics.

A recording of this free public online talk can be found by clicking here.

Image description: The first panel of the comic strip reads, "Do Not." In the second panel, a man with light skin and short black hair wearing hospital pajamas lies on a bed with his left leg bent over the edge; his left foot has been amputated. The text reads "...hang stump over bed." In the third panel a similar man is reading a newspaper. The text reads, "...sit in wheelchair with stump flexed." The image comes from A.B. Wilson, Jr., "Limb Prosthetics Today," Artificial Limbs 7 (1963): 1-42, page 13.

The Edge of Silence: A History of Fanciful Deafness Fads

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

12-1pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

~ Department of Medicine Grand Rounds ~

Jaipreet Virdi, PhD

Assistant Professor of History, University of Delaware

Healing fads thrive on spectacle and fascination, fueled by the media’s obsession with sensational stories and charismatic celebrities undergoing extraordinary treatments. These fads promise a cure and promote the belief that no matter how implausible or dangerous, any cure for a stigmatized condition is worthwhile if it can promise hope. This talk focuses on the history of twentieth-century medical fads for deafness that obtained legitimacy within American medical circles, including magnetism, chiropractic adjustment, and osteopathy. By appealing to the emotional vulnerability of patients and offering optimism, these fads gained prominence—even when their benefits fell short of expected outcomes. Contact Tiffany Rocco (roccotp@upmc.edu) if you would like to attend.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

6-7:15pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

~ Reynolds Society Lecture ~

Recording of evening lecture

In the evening, Professor Virdi presented "Negotiating Normalcy: Deafness Cures in American History," based on her book, Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History (University of Chicago, 2020). She is a specialist in the history of medicine, disability studies, and the history of technologies such as hearing aids. See her website for a Curriculum Vitae and current work.

The C.F. Reynolds Medical History Society thanks the University of Pittsburgh Center for Bioethics and Health Law for its generous support of the continuing relevance of medical history in our world. 

What is the Sound of Happiness? POSTPONED

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

6-7:15pm Eastern Time (US and Canada) CANCELLED

TO BE RESCHEDULED IN FEBRUARY 2023

"Negotiating Normalcy: Deafness Cures in American History"

Jaipreet Virdi, PhD (History, University of Delaware)

This lecture is based on Dr. Virdi's recent book Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History (University of Chicago, 2020), in which she combines historical research with personal memoir. She is a specialist in the history of medicine, disability studies, and the history of technologies such as hearing aids.

Dr. Viridi will give the annual Reynolds Society Grand Rounds for the University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine at noon on the same day; contact the University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine if you are interested in joining that talk via Teams.

At 4pm on Tuesday, Dr. Virdi will join the University of Pittsburgh Science, Technology, and Society interest group for a book discussion on Zoom. If you would like to participate, please contact the Society at cfreynoldsmhs@gmail.com for the link. Plus, we will reimburse you for purchasing the book!