A pair of shiny well used bone rasps and a certificate to allow the sale of opium in an Elkins pharmacy are just a few of the compelling items to see in this exhibit on health, healing and medicine in Arkansas. The 19th and 20th century materials exhibited provide a broad perspective on the evolving attitudes and approaches to disease and wellbeing.

Advertisements and souvenir books from Eureka Springs and Hot Springs, Arkansas, reflect the once widespread belief in the efficacy of hydrotherapy and the healing power of mineral water. 19th century books on cholera and yellow fever serve as potent reminders of some of the afflictions that were once significant health concerns. Photographs of caregivers reveal more of the rich story of medical care in Arkansas. Nurse Elsa Juhre Schmitz of Rogers, Arkansas, is shown serving in the Pacific during World War II. Dr. Fred T. Jones, a remarkable African American physician who worked to establish hospitals in both Little Rock and Pine Bluff in the first half of the 20th century, also has a portrait on exhibit.

To learn more visit Special Collections to see the exhibit and explore our manuscript, photograph, and rare book collections.