Discussions of American healthcare access and the rights of bodily autonomy are often framed based on historical ‘facts’ that are far removed from the everyday experiences of past Americans. Historical archaeologists are uniquely positioned to counter these narratives with tangible objects—it is after all, hard to argue with a bottle of opium recovered from Abraham Lincoln’s well. Evocative Elixirs focuses on understanding how social dynamics, cultural histories, and consumer preferences shaped consumer healthcare choices in the latter half of the 19th century, and the ways that historical context shapes how we view medicine today. To achieve this, the manuscript will use an object history approach that focuses on specific artifacts uncovered during archaeological excavation in households in Springfield, Illinois.
The main themes and objects in the book are based upon archaeological findings and 19th century medicine, but modern social context and historical contextualization expand the scope of the research and writing. Each chapter will be a stand-alone case study that discusses archaeological and archival findings centered on a certain theme. The five case studies in the book discuss the topics of abortion and contraceptive access, poverty and choice restriction, shame and stigma in mental healthcare, opiates and the treatment of chronic pain, and direct to consumer advertising. The act of buying something as personal as medication or health products is socially and culturally charged, and it is reflective of our beliefs and understanding about what it means to be healthy. Understanding how people chose what to buy in the past can engage the reader to think more deeply about the complex negotiation of healthcare choices in the present as social media and digital communities play on the distrust of the modern healthcare complex.
To help readers better connect with the artifacts and individuals discussed in the case studies, each chapter begins with short fictional vignettes set in the daily life of the individual who purchased the artifact at the center of the case study. These vignettes serve as a vehicle to communicate important context and information, a tactic that has been employed by other archaeologists writing for the public such as Janet Spector and Rebecca Yamin. After introducing the individuals and artifacts for the case study in the fictional vignettes, the chapter presents a more detailed historical context and archaeological basis for the life history of the individuals and medical beliefs and treatments that impacted the purchase. Finally, the chapter discusses similar products on the market today and how the historical context from the 19th century still impacts current societal perception. These vignettes paired with historical context and modern parallels analysis will help the reader to follow the transformation of modern American healthcare across 150 years.
Springfield, Illinois is an ideal location to examine the social context of purchases since much of the town’s ephemera of daily life has been preserved in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library due to the national interest in all things “Lincoln”. The people and artifacts selected for the case studies have detailed site histories, artifact assemblages, and purchasing records attributed to them and range from impoverished immigrants to Abraham Lincoln himself. This cast of characters will be used as a platform to show direct links between past events and modern trends, such as the ways that pharmaceutical companies have continually promised that this new narcotic solves the addiction issues of every previous iteration or how social spaces can fuel distrust of scientific advances, like the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Through a series of case studies, the manuscript will show readers how parts of the modern healthcare industry was formed as well as the realities of past beliefs about health through the lens of mundane objects uncovered in archaeology research.
More than anything, this book is a love letter to the imaginative possibilities of archaeology and the everyday people who were faced with the same mundane choices we face today. Too often archaeology books focus on the evidence and artifacts to the point of exclusion of the worldbuilding capabilities and reader interest it can naturally command. Historical and scientific facts often invoke more spectacle and intrigue than period drama media pieces, and the history of modern healthcare is no exception. Evocative Elixirs is written to both appeal to a passionate scholar with its academic rigor, while also engaging the curious lay person.
Emma L. Verstraete 