The Abbot Vincent Taylor Library is pleased to display a number of historical medical books donated to us from the estate of Dr. William L. Esser (1911-2003). Dr. Esser founded the Esser Health Ranch (formerly Esser’s Hygienic Sanatorium, St. John’s Island, SC) and directed it for 65 years. He specialized in “plant-based nutrition, exercise and therapeutic fasting” (Esser Health Website). Among the books donated are nineteenth century medical texts, including one by Florence Nightingale. Some of the medical approaches represented in these texts seem familiar to us today, while others appear bizarre or discriminatory. Please come and explore the world of hydrotherapy, nutrition, physiognomy, spiritualism, motion therapy, etc., as seen from the perspective of the nineteenth-century medical profession. All are welcome!
MARCH 1 - MARCH 27, 2024
Be sure to visit our Becoming the United States exhibit, open now outside the Carter Center on the upper floor.