"Summon the Doctor: The Practice of Domestic Medicine in Colonial America" talk by Charles Brett

Name: "Summon the Doctor: The Practice of Domestic Medicine in Colonial America" talk by Charles Brett
Start: 2026-06-16T18:00:00-04:00
Location: 224 Market St, Wilmington, NC 28401-4444, United States

Schedule

Tue, 16 Jun, 2026 at 06:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

224 Market St, Wilmington, NC 28401-4444, United States | Wilmington, NC

Join us on June 16th for a presentation by Charles Brett, as he explores the practice of medicine in colonial North America.
Check-in and Social at 6PM; Meeting begins at 6:30PM
Admission is free to members. $10 for guests. You can join the Cape Fear Revolutionary War Round Table at the door!
The meeting takes place at the Burgwin-Wright House & Gardens at 224 Market Street in downtown Wilmington. (corner of 3rd & Market St.) There's street parking in front of the Burgwin-Wright House, meters are free after 6:30PM. There's also parking at the city parking deck and open-air lot on 2nd and Market St.
About the Talk
The practice of medicine in colonial North America ranged from access to professional trained physicians and surgeons to basic domestic medicine performed by community healers, family and church clergy. Many of the theories, methods and practices used during this time seem crude and rudimentary by medical standards today, but for patients and practitioners in the 17th and 18th century in North America, they were considered innovative and scientific breakthroughs.
A large portion of medicine was not practiced in hospitals, professional care facilities or doctor’s offices, but in homes, farms and towns throughout the colonies. Many people relied on natural resources, medicinal gardens, kitchen recipes and occasional trips to the Apothecary for treatment of the most basic ailments and most severe symptoms of the prevailing global epidemics.
During this interpretive presentation, Charles will discuss the professions association with the practice of medicine during this era, common medical theories and regimes, what medicines were used to treat ailments, agues and miasmas. Attendees will visit with the Apothecary to see what medicines are available, how they are procured and sold and what role Apothecaries play within the colonial medical community. Finally, we will discuss how the home and family played a critical role in the practice of domestic medicine, discuss common home remedies and ways to prevent citizens from becoming patients. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own home remedy examples to discuss, as not all domestic medicine was practiced from published sources, but past from generation to generation through diaries and experiences.
About the Speaker
Charles Brett is a volunteer interpreter and researcher for Tryon Palace in New Bern, North Carolina where he interprets 17th and 18th century colonial medicine, apothecary and surgery. He has previously worked for the Pasteur and Galt Apothecary Shop in Williamsburg, Virginia and the Navy Medicine Historical Society and has participated in multiple historical events throughout Virginia and North Carolina. He is a Navy veteran retiring from pharmacy practice in 2013 and is currently a senior program manager with the Defense Health Agency.