The Politics of Public Health: Lessons from Hot Springs, Arkansas

Legacies & Lunch December 2025

Historian Elliott Bowen explores how moral norms shaped early twentieth century public health in Hot Springs. He’s joined by Tim Nutt of UAMS to connect this history to Arkansas’s broader public health story.

Historian Elliott Bowen joins us virtually to discuss his book In Search of Sexual Health, which explores how early 20th century ideas about morality, disease, and social norms influenced the treatment of syphilis in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the wider United States. At the heart of the book is a compelling case study: the role Hot Springs, Arkansas, played in setting national standards for syphilis care. 
 
Dr. Bowen will open with a talk introducing the key themes of his research, showing how medical treatment was often entangled with efforts to police sexuality and enforce moral norms. Following his presentation, we'll be joined in person by Tim Nutt, Director of the UAMS Historical Research Center, for a conversation with Dr. Bowen, connecting his work to the broader history of public health in Arkansas, highlighting how regional institutions and ideologies helped shape national health policy. 
 
Elliott Bowen is a historian of medicine and public health. His research interests center on the history of sexually-transmitted diseases, and (more broadly) on the history of gender and sexuality in the modern US. He received his PhD from Binghamton University in 2013 and was an assistant professor of history at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan from 2016 through 2022. In 2022, he returned to the US to take up a position as a researcher, writer, and communications director at Knology -- a non-profit organization that produces practical social science to drive positive change. Since joining Knology, he has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications focusing on libraries and museums. Though no longer in academia, Elliott maintains an active role as an independent scholar, having recently authored studies of the World Health Organization's campaigns against syphilis and the history of efforts to reduce the stigma associated with this and other sexually-transmitted diseases. 
 
Tim Nutt is currently employed as Professor and Director of the Historical Research Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Previously, he was employed in Special Collections at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville as the Manuscripts and Rare Books Librarian and, later, as the head of the department. Prior to his University of Arkansas work, Tim was the founding Deputy Curator of the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. He co-created and served as the founding Managing Editor and Staff Historian of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture while at the Butler Center. 

Legacies & Lunch is a hybrid program offering participants the opportunity to attend either in person or virtually via Zoom. To participate in person, join us at UA Little Rock Downtown (333 President Clinton Ave). Parking is available in the surface lot or the CALS Parking Deck which you can access from Rock Street. Parking will be validated. Bring your lunch; we will provide drinks and cookies. To participate virtually, register for the webinar using the button above. This program will be live-streamed to YouTube and the recording will be available immediately following the event.

Legacies & Lunch is a free monthly program of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies about Arkansas-related topics.

Past Legacies & Lunch Events