Expert Guest: Dr. Jennifer Borland

Professor of Art, Graphic Design and Art History and Director of the OSU Center for the Humanities

Beyond the Physician: Uncovering Everyday Healthcare Practices in Medieval Art

In this session of OSU Research on Tap, we will dive into the world of medieval health and wellness through the lens of art history…revealing how care was practiced far beyond university lecture halls and medical textbooks. Although formally trained physicians played a role, everyday health in the Middle Ages was largely managed at home—through cooking, cleaning, prayer, and caregiving—by women who oversaw the wellbeing of their households. Using historical artifacts such as vividly illustrated household health guides, VPR Sewell will explore with Dr. Borland how she and other art historians examine such images to offer rare and powerful insights into daily life, illuminating practices that rarely appear in written records. Dr. Borland’s research on these visual sources has reshaped our understanding of medieval healthcare practices, showing women to have been the primary caretakers and healers of their communities.

Connecting the community.
With a different researcher each month from the sciences, arts and humanities Research on Tap is an opportunity to have a conversation regarding their work and the impact it has on you and your community.
We hope you will join us the third Monday of each month to enjoy some of Stillwater’s own local brew while chatting about some of the interesting research happening here on the OSU campus. The event begins with approximately 20 minutes of conversation between the Vice President of Research and the researcher, followed by questions and answer session with the audience.