How did it feel to be an American colonist in 1776? Probably itchy, achy and slightly nauseated

What was it really like to live in colonial America during the Revolutionary War? According to Katherine Ott, curator of medicine and science at the Smithsonian Institution, the answer involves far more discomfort than history textbooks suggest. By examining the medical tools and practices of the seventeen-seventies, Ott reveals that daily life for colonists was marked by constant physical challenges—persistent itching, aching bodies, and nausea. These artifacts tell a story beyond the idealism of independence: they show the grinding physical toll of simply surviving in that era.

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