The Intersections of Consumer Choice and Poverty Access in Healthcare: A View From Springfield, Illinois

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Heavily saturated consumer markets, such as downtown Springfield, Illinois in the 1880s, allowed consumers to prioritize other factors beyond basic access requirements when purchasing items. In this paper, I discuss how poverty and other social determinants of health might have influenced the selection and use of a vial of Dr. Thompson's Eye Water uncovered in the Carpenter Street Site excavations in 2015. While the medicine market of Springfield, Illinois was heavily saturated with a range of consumer medicines, some patients still experienced major choice restrictions due to economic limitations and concerns. Some consumers were unable to afford doctor or pharmacy visits, and instead relied on free clinics and "doctoring books". I argue that one of these free clinics greatly influenced the consumer profile and choices of the Mullen household, forcing members of the household to rely on medicines proven to be hazardous in an effort to maintain their health.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow