Frontier Medicine - Book Launch

Join us for the launch of Frontier Medicine: stories of illness and survival in South Australia 1836-1856, a new book by medical historian Margaret Boult, whose research focuses on early South Australian history. The launch will be introduced by Professor Guy Maddern.

Based on the diaries and letters of settlers between 1836 and 1856, Frontier Medicine explores how people managed illness, injury, and childbirth in a time before hospitals, formal public health systems, or fully regulated medical practice. Drawing on first-hand accounts, the book highlights the realities of daily life and medical care in the early colony — a period about which surprisingly little has been written.