Marju Kõivupuu: “Wolf sweat and god-roots, please! On diseases and their treatment in changing times”

How have people understood and treated diseases in different eras? What means have they used to restore their health, and where have they sought help when doctors’ knowledge or capabilities were limited? On 3 December at 17:00, cultural historian Marju Kõivupuu visits the 19th-Century Citizen’s Museum to talk about diseases and their treatment in changing times. The lecture will discuss people’s healing practices and beliefs related to health, and explore how folk knowledge, experience and scientific understanding have intertwined. Earlier treatments may seem strange or even unbelievable to people today. Yet they were part of the worldview and efforts of people of their time to cope with illness. Even in the 19th century, when medicine made great advances, new treatments were used alongside old knowledge passed down from generation to generation. The lecture is part of the public programme for the 19th-Century Citizen’s Museum exhibition “Who Will Survive? Tartu’s 19th-Century Health Lottery”. The lecture is FREE. To help us plan the space and seating, please let us know if you plan to attend, if possible, here: https://forms.gle/KFfERLZCVkYGWezD7. Registration is not required, but it helps us estimate the number of participants. Read more