Mary Fissell
@maryfissell.bsky.social
1.1K followers 570 following 210 posts
Historian of medicine, gender, sex. Part time metalsmith. Book on the long history of abortion out now! US: https://bit.ly/4iwTsoL UK: bit.ly/4aCNEqu Substack: https://maryfissell.substack.com/
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
maryfissell.bsky.social
If you are in Baltimore this evening... great program!
Image of stone Christ on a cross,  poster for concert @ Emmanual Episcopal Church in Bmore Oct 8
maryfissell.bsky.social
Feeling like a quick medieval ghostly tale? Today's Substack post has got you covered.
maryfissell.bsky.social
Hey bookshop.org has FREE Shipping today! catch my book at at a discount AND free shipping: bookshop.org/p/books/push...
Reposted by Mary Fissell
monicamedhist.bsky.social
#histmed #MedievalSky Minji Lee's book, The Medieval Womb: Hildegard of Bingen’s Views on the Female Reproductive Body, has just been released #OpenAccess: library.oapen.org/handle/20.50...
Cover image of Minji Lee, The Medieval Womb: Hildegard of Bingen’s Views on the Female Reproductive Body. On the complex imagery reproduced on the cover, read the book!
maryfissell.bsky.social
Honored to give the 2025 Sig Synnesvedt Lecture at SUNY Brockport, with extra bonus of visiting graveyard where Susan B. Anthony AND Frederick Douglass are buried. Synnesvedt was an early anti-racist, felt so right.
maryfissell.bsky.social
and let's not forget that a concept that needs bringing back: public service. I bet most of those 800 generals know lots about that. Too bad their bosses don't.
maryfissell.bsky.social
Or how about one before the Civil War?
maryfissell.bsky.social
And even more so, no I do not want the AI summary. Yes, I know the article is "long" by AI standards. That's OK, it's what we do, think complex thoughts in long-form writing.
maryfissell.bsky.social
The frequency with which he invokes transgender stuff is a great indicator of how threatened he feels, IMHO.
maryfissell.bsky.social
Maybe you thought my Substack would have a tough time finding a topic for the letter Q? LOL no; this week is about quickening.
Stitched letter Q from a sampler
maryfissell.bsky.social
thank you -- this is wonderful! It feels so rare these days to connect universities with the life of the mind, when that's why most of us chose to work in that sector in the first place.
maryfissell.bsky.social
and my sources never say the value of the stamps!
Reposted by Mary Fissell
histmedjhu.bsky.social
This week in The Work of Healing we’re exploring how skeletal remains might be analyzed by historians as well as archaeologists, including an extraordinary burial from medieval Lund, pictured here.

For more information on our online program, visit hopkinshistoryofmedicine.org/online-progr...
Reposted by Mary Fissell
aahmhistmed.bsky.social
The Committee on Student Affairs is hosting Virtual Co-working Hours, held Fridays between 3-5 ET on Zoom. Whether you're working on seminar papers, dissertation chapters, or abstracts, join the Student Affairs Committee on Zoom for some camaraderie in writing! #histmed histmed.org/committee-on...
AAHM Virtual Coworking Hours flyer featuring a spiral-bound notepad design. The main text reads "AAHM Virtual Coworking Hours" with an illustration of hands writing. The flyer advertises weekly virtual writing accountability sessions on Fridays beginning 9/12 from 3-6 p.m. Eastern on Zoom at http://bit.ly/3VVWBT. It invites AAHM members seeking camaraderie while working on academic projects like seminar papers, dissertations, applications, abstracts, or books-in-progress. The sessions include goal setting, muted timed work periods, and end-of-session check-ins for reflection. Contact information shows aahmstudents.slack.com and https://histmed.org/committee-on-student-affairs/. The design uses blue and cream colors with notebook paper styling and small clips along the top edge.
Reposted by Mary Fissell
histmedjhu.bsky.social
This 13th century French silver container held - yes you guessed it — the arm of a saint. This week in The Work of Healing, we are looking at the role of relics in healing.

For more info on our online program, visit hopkinshistoryofmedicine.org/online-progr...
maryfissell.bsky.social
This week's Substack is about pennyroyal, a plant used to end pregnancies for millennia. It's a story about a 17th century village drama.
maryfissell.bsky.social
I have an RM2 to read & mark up PDFs (without internet distraction). But to email markup, I have to pay a subscription fee... Supernote is more transparent, can just upload to Google, Dropbox etc without a subscription. The tactile writing experience is different too. Try before you buy!
maryfissell.bsky.social
Delighted that this popped up in my mailbox today! Congrats @sarahebull.bsky.social !