This six-panel, traveling exhibit, developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, highlights the story of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a young woman driven mad by the rest cure. An artist and writer, Gilman was discouraged from pursuing a career to preserve her health, at a time when scientific experts drew on notions of female weakness to justify inequality between the sexes. Instead, Gilman rejected these ideas in a terrifying short story titled The Yellow Wall-Paper. First published in 1892, it has been reprinted many times and is now considered a classic of feminist literature.

You may flip through the pages of her story online, download a copy, or check one out at the Library Service Desk.

Special Exhibit

Hysteria, Nerve Disorders, and the Rest Cure
July 21 - October 17
Medical Center Library, Lower Level
Many physicians prescribed the rest cure for individuals suffering from a variety of nerve disorders in the late 19th century. This exhibit includes materials related to hysteria, nerve disorders, and various treatments for these conditions.