Spaces of Control: Medical Practices within the US Army (1890–1950)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Using Giddens’s agency theory, this research explores self-care and institutional care practices in the US Army. This project examines medical and personal care items discarded by US soldiers from Bldg. 104 of the San Francisco Presidio from 1890 to 1950. Artifacts include items such as bottles (e.g. alcohol, medicine, and soda), razors, toothpaste, floss, chewing gum, health-related advertisements and pamphlets, cigarette packaging, and Kellogg’s Corn flakes. Methods include cataloging and analyzing artifacts, conducting archival research at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, as well as examining primary and secondary source documents. This research investigates how soldiers were able to maintain spaces of control while complying with the rules and regulations of the US Army. The US Army provided soldiers with structure, safety, and purpose. Prior to 1890, health and preventative medicine were becoming of great interest to the US Army because of the outbreak of Cholera in the 1850s. In order to ensure the health and well-being of the troops, the US Army took great lengths to educate military personnel on the dangers of illicit sexual activity and consumption of alcohol. Moreover, the items discarded in Bldg. 104 represents the quotidian of the US Army.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32033