EAS Miscellany encourages educators to integrate articles from our journal into the classroom. As a part of our series “Teaching EAS,” we invite you to use this lesson plan as a model for designing your curriculum and teaching Early American Studies articles. If you would like to create other lesson plans using EAS articles, please download our template here and share your plan with us.
Teaching EAS: “Writing and Sensory Knowledge in a Rural Clinical Practice” by Chris Blakley
Albigence Waldo, a lesser-known figure in early American medical history, provides a valuable case study of the intersection between medicine, culture, and rural life in Revolutionary-era Connecticut. As a physician and surgeon practicing in the late eighteenth century, Waldo navigated the challenges of building his status in the medical profession, the demands of rural healthcare, and the personal and professional toll of the Revolutionary War. Early American scholars who want to teach the health humanities and bridge the divide between the humanities and STEM fields will find that exploring his experiences in the classroom is fruitful. Waldo’s experiences, as detailed in his diary and other personal papers, resonate with many of the issues and difficulties healthcare providers face today, particularly those working in rural settings. Waldo’s career reflects the importance of active listening and inquiry in rural healthcare. His meticulous documentation of his patients’ symptoms, treatments, and outcomes provides an archive into the medical practices of rural healers and their patients. For example, in his casebook, Waldo detailed his treatment of a young man named Clark, whom he noted “Shewed me a Tumour.” If we imagine Clark’s vulnerability in that moment, and Waldo’s sensitivity towards his patient’s unease, we can appreciate the healer’s commitment to careful observation and documentation. More importantly, we can imagine the hesitation and anxiety of patients who exposed their skin, limbs, and extremities to Waldo’s intimidating gaze and touch. Healthcare is a deeply interpersonal field, made even more so by the face-to-face and intimate nature of life in small villages.
Moreover, Waldo’s personal reflections on the emotional toll of caring for the sick and wounded offer a poignant reminder of the human dimensions of healthcare. In his diary, he wrote about the challenges of treating soldiers at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War, noting the misery and suffering he witnessed among the sick, wounded, debilitated, and disabled soldiers. His reflections underscore the importance of empathy and compassion in the face of overwhelming adversity. This rings true as well for many of our students who will serve in challenging medical settings like home healthcare. As a profession, they are vulnerable to an ongoing healthcare crisis created by staffing shortages due to the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Waldo’s approach to medical care, grounded in empathy, observation, and a willingness to learn from his patients, aligns with contemporary efforts to foster patient-centered care. His reliance on both textual knowledge and experiential learning offers a historical precedent for the integration of traditional healing practices with evidence-based medicine. For instance, Waldo used herbal remedies, such as cicuta, to treat various ailments. His willingness to experiment with local herbal remedies and to learn from the communities he served, reflects a holistic approach to healthcare that is valued in contemporary practice.
The challenges rural healthcare providers face today, such as access to resources, isolation, and burnout, are not new. Waldo’s experiences as a rural physician highlight the unique demands of practicing medicine in such settings. His ability to adapt to changing circumstances and overcome the difficulties he faced serves as a powerful inspiration for contemporary practitioners. By studying Waldo’s life and work, students in the medical humanities can develop a greater sense of resilience and adaptability that they can later apply in their own practices.
In 2024, when history departments face declining enrollments, teaching about Albigence Waldo offers new potential. Doing so can be particularly beneficial for undergraduate students in nursing and pre-medicine programs. His life story provides a rich historical context for understanding the evolution of medical practice, the importance of patient-centered care, and the challenges healthcare providers faced in rural settings. By engaging with Waldo’s experiences, students can develop a deeper appreciation for the complexities of healthcare and the critical role that empathy, observation, and inquiry play in providing effective care.
This lesson plan serves to meet the following objectives:
- Students will:
- Analyze historical primary sources to identify specific medical cases and understand the challenges faced by Dr. Albigence Waldo and his patients during the Revolutionary War.
- Evaluate the social and historical context of 18th-century medicine by examining patient-doctor relationships, resource limitations, and the impact of wartime conditions on healthcare practices.
- Communicate findings effectively through a concise presentation, summarizing complex historical analysis and collaborating with peers to share insights on early American medical practices.
Click “Download” below for a PDF of this free lesson plan:
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab Primary Sources:
- Albigence Waldo papers, 1768-1793 (inclusive), undated. B MS c21. Boston Medical Library, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Boston, Mass. Link: https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/worlds-of-change/catalog/149-MED00223C00019.
- Waldo, Albigence. “Valley Forge, 1777-1778. Diary of Surgeon Albigence Waldo, of the Connecticut Line.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 21, no. 3 (1897): 299-323. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20085750.
Chris M. Blakley is an adjunct/contingent instructor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Coppin State University, and Morgan State University. Their first book Empire of Brutality (2023) is published by Louisiana State University Press. They are currently writing a history of the senses, race, and emotions in American military-scientific expeditions in the long nineteenth-century.
Read Blakley’s article “Writing and Sensory Knowledge in a Rural Clinical Practice” in EAS’s Fall 2024 issue.