Feb 28, 2011

Phase 2: A Discovery...Of Sources!

Luckily for us, the Lilly Library in a stroke of genius placed the collections list for the London Lowlife collection online. By going to the Lilly library’s home page, you can find almost anything you might need. For us we started by looking under collections but if you just search London lowlife nothing comes up. So what we did was back on the main page under collections we clicked IUCAT, once there we logged in and in the key word box we typed in London Low Life and in the library section be put all Bloomington libraries. They then gave us this link and it took us right where we needed to be. Here’s the link to the web site: http://www.londonlowlife.amdigital.co.uk/Default.aspx Once there we clicked on documents and then entire London Lowlife collection was in front of us. Another, easier, way is to Google search London Lowlife and Lilly library and it will come up.

This possess of finding the collections list is the same that can be used to find any other sources in this collection. But we decided to use IUCAT as well. When we started to look for more information on The London Low Life Collection we used IUCAT and looked up the phrase "Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Great Britain." One result we found useful was the Report from the Select Committee on the Contagious Diseases Acts : together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, and appendix. We think this is worth looking at because the three letters we have read so far regarding The Contagious Diseases Acts have been from women from the general public. Their insights and opinions regarding the acts certainly is important to analyze because they are speaking on behalf of the population most affected by the legislation, and this helps to round out our understanding of the acts themselves. Written in 1879 it follows suit with the letters we have read in terms of publication dates, which helps us to see what the discourse was between government and the general public at this time.

http://www.iucat.iu.edu.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/uhtbin/cgisirsi/UCegjVb01G/B-WELLS/118201459/9

The second document we looked at, a pamphlet written by Mrs. Hume-Rothery and published in 1871 titled "Women and doctors; or, Medical despotism in England," was found using the Lilly Library's London Low Life Online Database. We first went to the database homepage (http://www.londonlowlife.amdigital.co.uk.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/) and started a search by clicking on "Documents" and looking at pamphlets, essays, and other literature from England in the mid to late 1800's.
This pamphlet may prove to be helpful in better understanding the relationship between doctors, the government, and the common people. Just from reading the first few pages it is apparent Mrs. Hume-Rothery sees an unjust disparity in the amount of power doctors have over the general public. For example, parents have been arrested for not getting their children vaccinated, which Rothery sees as being a decision the parents should make, not the government. This may prove to be helpful in understanding other primary sources even if it does not deal directly with The Contagious Diseases Acts, because it examines broader issues that would affect how the legislation would be received by the public.

Here is a link to the pamphlet:http://www.londonlowlife.amdigital.co.uk.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/Contents/DocumentDetails.aspx?documentid=18853&prevPos=18853&sort=date|asc&docF=13,16,17,18,21,24&view=all&vpath=contentsĪ€=1



Lauryn & Katharine

3 comments:

Meaghan Ternik said...

It sounds like the two of you were able to get a lot of useful information from just a few sources form the Lilly Library. Also, I hadn't even considered looking for/at resources and material outside of the Lilly Library and IUCat. That's a good idea, though. Even if it provides nothing bud helpful background or contextual information I think that would be a great thing to look into. The pamphlets you located sound not only interesting but as though they will be essential to the greater understanding of the situations, times, and social standards in relation to the London Lowlife collection. I also think, by the way, that the collection you're looking at sounds really interesting and I'm looking forward to learning a bit more about it during the third phase of the collection project. I haven't looked very closely at any of the collections with the exception of the Nightingale, which I am really enjoying, but I think the London Lowlife would be my next choice! The two also seem like the two most closely related of the two seeing as how they both deal with health standards and, to some extent, the medical field. Good lick in your continued exploration of related materials and information gathering!

Belle Kim said...

I think you guys did a good job describing the process you went through to attain your information. In addition, I liked that you provided examples of what you found. Not only was I able to see how you discovered any relevant information that helped your research, but I could see what that was and how it related to your topic. I also like that you provided many links that I could click on to find what you had seen.

Deirdre said...

Your extensive research now is definitely going to pay off in the end. I really liked how you provided the links. It helps me grasp what you are researching and it will be nice for you to come back and find easily.
I found it interesting that you said the letters pertaining to the Contagious Disease Act were written by general women. Do you think this credited or discredited their argument? Do you know how these letters were received by the public? You may already know the answer, but I just find it interesting that normal women are writing these.

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