Many histories have been written about medical care during the American Civil War, but the participation and contributions of African Americans as nurses, surgeons, and hospital workers has often been overlooked.

The National Library of Medicine’s traveling poster and online exhibit entitled Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine looks at the men and women who served as medical providers and how their service challenged the prescribed notions of race and gender and pushed the boundaries of the role of African Americans in America.

Through historical images and period documents, the exhibit explores the life and experiences of surgeons Alexander T. Augusta and Anderson R. Abbott, as well as nurses Susie King Taylor and Ann Stokes, as they provided medical care to soldiers and civilians while participating in the fight for freedom. “Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries opens the door to this rarely studied part of history and brings a voice to those that have remained silent for nearly 150 years,” says Curator Jill L. Newmark.

This exhibit will be on display at the UT Southwestern Health Sciences Digital Library & Learning Center’s South Campus location (E2) from December 22, 2015, through January 30, 2016. It was developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine with research assistance from The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.