The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Wilderness Medicine in Early America

The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Wilderness Medicine in Early America with Dr. David Peck 

This program follows the formation of the Corps of Discovery, early American society and medical thinking and practice. It discusses the overall progress of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the medical problems they encountered, as well as the treatments and amazing success and fortune of this nearly unbelievable early American achievement in exploration.

About the Author

Dr. David Peck is a physician, author and ASU Sun Devil. He has spoken at the Annual Barlow Lecture on the History of Medicine LA County Med Society, is a National endowment for the Humanities sponsored speaker/Chautauqua Institute in New York/Montana Historical Society and numerous other venues, co-produced a Montana PBS documentary from Dr. David Peck’s first book, Or Perish in the Attempt, which premiered at Western Spirit in 2016.

David J. Peck’s Or Perish in the Attempt ingeniously combines the remarkable adventures of Lewis and Clark with an examination of the health problems their expedition faced. Formidable problems indeed, but the author patiently, expertly—and humorously—guides us through the medical travails of the famous journey, juxtaposing treatment then against remedy now. The result is a fascinating book that sheds new light not only on Lewis and Clark and the men and one remarkable woman (and her infant) who accompanied them along an eight-thousand-mile wilderness path but also on the practice of medicine in their time and place.

Book availability information will be updated soon

Event Details

Friday, January 26, 2024 | 3:00 – 4:30 P.M.
FREE for Museum Members
FREE with Museum Admission
$8 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)

Click here for tickets

Programs and times are subject to change.

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