Medical History Round Up

January is a big month for medical history milestones.  This month marks 158 years since Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to receive her medical degree and 40 years since the first heart transplant.  In those years, many, many important medical advances and discoveries have been made. 

Stephanie True Peters takes us back to 1918 while keeping one foot firmly planted in the latest research in 1918 Influenza Pandemic.  This exceptional work of nonfiction for middle and high school students is a must-have for collections looking for history and science.  Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster is another fascinating look at the history of science and medicine for this grade range. 

High schoolers interested in the history of small pox and vaccinations may be interested in Julia Alvarez’ historical fiction novel Saving the World, which fictionalizes a journey to the New World with the vaccine.  And the Alex Award winning Year of Wonders chronicles the Black Plague as it broke out in England from the perspective of a woman in a village that chose to quarantine itself to keep the sickness within its borders. 

These are just a few books that bring history and science together in ways that will fascinate your students.