Library hosts national exhibit on African-American health care providers during Civil War

East Carolina University’s Laupus Library is hosting a national traveling exhibit through Sept. 24 that tells the story of African-Americans who served as surgeons and nurses during the Civil War.

An opening reception for “Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African-Americans in Civil War Medicine” will be held 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, on the library’s fourth floor in the Evelyn Fike Laupus Gallery.

Dr. Todd Savitt, professor of bioethics and interdisciplinary studies in the Brody School of Medicine, will present “Entering a White Profession: How Black Physicians Joined the Medical Field after the Civil War.”

Many histories have been written about medical care during the Civil War, but the participation and contributions of African-Americans as nurses, surgeons and hospital workers often have been overlooked. The six-banner exhibit, developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, examines how their work as medical providers challenged the prescribed notions of race and sex.

To view the online exhibit, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/bindingwounds/exhibition.html

Visitors can view the exhibit during normal operating hours posted at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/laupuslibrary/hours.cfm or call 252-744-2219. Metered parking is available in front of the library. For more information, call Kelly Rogers Dilda at 252-744-2232 or email rogerske@ecu.edu

Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at (252) 328-6799 (V) or (252) 328-0899 (TTY).