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9780190053253

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This is an extraordinary look at ordinary Maine physician Jeremiah Barker and his attempt to practice medicine at the turn of the 19th century. We see Barker practicing and writing his ultimately unpublished History of Diseases in the District of Maine amidst the rise and fall of medical theories and practices, the birth of medical journals in this country, and the attempt by orthodox medical practitioners to establish a seemingly rational therapeutics. Complementing Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's contextualization of Maine midwife Martha Ballard in A Midwife's Tale, Kahn places Barker's own evolving theories, practices, and identity, along with the full and annotated transcript of Barker's History of Diseases of the District of Maine itself, into historical context. - Scott Podolsky, MD, Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Director, Center for the History of Medicine, Countway Medical Library, Boston, MA This immensely readable book is the result of Richard Kahn's determination to see Jeremiah Barker's notes and views on the practice of medicine in rural Maine 200 years ago recognised today. Barker's fifty years' journey shows his progression from apprentice to a master of his craft. Throughout, his case notes, with description of the patients and justification for his diagnoses and treatment, reveal an enlightened approach. He noted the characteristics of his patients and their habits along with detailing the local climate and geography to inform his thoughts, particularly with regard to consumption. He believed himself to be a scientific physician and his epidemiological observations led to him addressing life-style changes. This methodology was not that far from that of today and he can be considered a pioneer. * Dr John W. K. Ward, FRCPEdin, FRCGP, Past-president of both the Osler Club of London and the British Society for the History of Medicine * After a publication delay of over 200 years, Diseases in the District of Maine is fully worth the wait. It offers a fascinating and at times dramatic immersion into medical practice in one part of the early American nation. Dr. Barker proves to be an earnest physician and amiable reporter; while Dr. Kahn ably helps out as a meticulous scholar and annotator. -Steven J. Peitzman, MD, FACP, Office of Educational Affairs, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA A remarkable and previously unknown source of diseases and medicine in early America. With meticulous research and sensitive prose, Dr. Kahn has set this treasure in its social, cultural, and scientific context, making it accessible, informative, and engaging for everyone. - Jacalyn Duffin, MD, PhD, Professor Emerita Queen's University, Kingston Canada

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Richard Kahn (1940-) is an internist and medical historian who graduated from Rutgers University and Tufts University School of Medicine, where his interest in medical history began. After internship at Maine Medical Center in Portland, he spent two years in the U.S. Public Health Service, returning to MMC for an Internal Medicine residency. Practicing in Rockport, Maine, he has had teaching appointments at Tufts, Dartmouth, and the University of Vermont medical schools. He has been active in several organizations devoted to medical history, most notably the American Association for the History of Medicine and the American Osler Society. He received the Osler Society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Assisted by his wife Patricia, a medical librarian, Kahn began work on the Jeremiah Barker papers more than 30 years ago with the rediscovery of the Barker Manuscript at the Maine Historical Society Library, culminating at last in the publication of Diseases in the District of Maine 1772-1820.

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