Discovering Healing Through History: Introduction to Medical Humanities Visits the History Collections
On February 17, 2026, Dr. Erin Prophet’s RELI 1200: Introduction to Medical Humanities class visited the History Collections at the Laupus Health Sciences Library for a hands-on experience that explored how faith, medicine, and lived experience intersect in meaningful ways.
Students observe an anatomical flap book from the early 1600s.
Situated on the fourth floor of Laupus Library, the History Collections houses rare books, artifacts, personal papers, and archival treasures that illuminate the evolution of health care all the way from the 16th century to today. These extraordinary materials, from historic medical instruments and microscopes to oral histories and hospital records, provide primary-source windows into the evolution of healthcare across time, geography, and cultural context.
Archivist Mollie Frazier helps with a research project question about doctor/patient communication practices from the 1800s.
Beyond the Classroom
For Dr. Prophet’s students, the visit was more than a change of pace from regular class time. It was an opportunity to work directly with the kinds of sources that shape how we understand medicine, culture, and ethics. By examining archival materials and artifacts firsthand, students were able to connect course conversations about healing, suffering, belief, and human dignity to historical evidence rooted in real places and human experiences.
From early medical texts in our rare book collection to handwritten notes from regional practitioners, such as country doctors, and oral histories preserved in the library’s collections, the materials encouraged students to think more critically about how medical care has been practiced, experienced, and understood over time and the stories recorded along the way.
Students compare medicinal treatments from the 1880s to those of the 1930s.
Why the History Collections Matter
The History Collections at Laupus Library are not just for historians. Our collections full of resources for instructors across disciplines. With materials that cover a wide range of topics, such as the early practice of nursing and public health to the social contexts of medical care, faculty in religion, ethics, history, anthropology, literature, and health sciences will find compelling, primary-source content to support learning goals.
Students journal their observations of domestic health advice in the 1800s.
Notable in our collection are:
- Rare books and medical manuscripts that trace health care knowledge through the ages.
- Artifacts and instruments that reveal how practice and technology evolved.
- Photographs, hospital postcards, and collections on regional health care history, including materials related to Pitt County Memorial Hospital (ECU Health) and local practitioners.
- Oral histories capturing firsthand experiences of caregivers, patients, and community members.
Both physical and digital collections are available to enrich classes, seminars, and research projects. Many items are also accessible through the ECU Digital Collections portal for students and faculty who cannot visit in person.
Schedule a Tour
Tours are available by appointment and can be tailored to you or your students’ interests. We welcome faculty, students, classes, community groups, and anyone interested in the history of health care in our region.
Email: hslhistmed@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-744-3181 (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.)
Learn more: Visit the History Collections website
Come see how the past lives on in the records of those who shaped it and discover what history can teach us about the future of health care.