Beyond Home Remedy: Women, Medicine, and Science March 12, 2011

Syrup of violets, plague water, a drink made from snails - these are some of the "healthy" recipes concocted by women in Shakespeare's England that will be featured in this fascinating look at historic medicine. This exhibition highlights women at all levels of society - from the Countess of Kent and Lady Castleton to Hannah Woolley and Mrs. Anne Coates - who were known to practice medicine. Manuscript, text, and image from the Folger's collection bring the work of these women to life, while natural history specimens and instruments from the Smithsonian help to demonstrate the elaborate nature of the recipes women constructed and shared with one another.