For years, readers have asked for information about folk medicine in our area, and I had little to offer. That has changed with the publication of Anthony Cavender’s "Folk Medicine in Southern Appalachia," a work that sets the standard by which future regional examinations of medicine and culture will be judged.

In the first comprehensive exploration of the history and practice of folk medicine in the Appalachian region, Cavender melds folklore, medical anthropology, and Appalachian history and draws extensively on oral histories and archival sources from the nineteenth century to the present. He provides a complete tour of ailments and folk treatments organized by body systems, as well as information on medicinal plants, patent medicines, and magico-religious beliefs and practices.

He investigates folk healers and their methods, profiling three living practitioners: an herbalist, a faith healer, and a Native American healer. The book also includes an appendix of botanicals and a glossary of folk medical terms.

Demonstrating the ongoing interplay between mainstream scientific medicine and folk medicine, Cavender challenges the conventional view of southern Appalachia as an exceptional region isolated from outside contact. His thorough and accessible study reveals how Appalachian folk medicine encompasses such diverse and important influences as European and Native American culture and America’s changing medical and health-care environment. In doing so, he offers a compelling representation of the cultural history of the region as seen through its health practices.

Individuals interested in more traditional medical practice in Appalachia will enjoy "House Calls" by Alma Dolen Roberts and "Country Doctor: The Story of Dr. Claire Louise Caudill" by Shirley Gish. We also have several books in stock about Mary Breckenridge and the Frontier Nursing Service.

Books about medicine and medical practices are a small part of the broad range of Kentucky and Appalachian books available at the Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore, 1645 Winchester Avenue in downtown Ashland.

Regional Readers, please note a change in reading assignment and meeting schedule. Our next meeting is Tuesday evening, March 9th, from 5:45 - 6:45 in the JSF Conference Room and we’ll be discussing "Muddy Branch" a memoir of coal camp life in Johnson County by Clyde Roy Pack. The author will be with us for the session to discuss his book and answer your questions. If you would like to join our group, call the JSF at (606) 326-1667 and Becky will provide additional details.