It requires a very specific set of communication skills to engage an audience, present information in an interesting way and spark imaginations. Diane Whitcomb possesses those abilities, as well as a captivating topic with which to work.

Drawing from a love of history and a love for medicine, Whitcomb will lead a discussion on medicine in the 1800s as part of the next installment of the public lecture series organized by the Lititz Historical Foundation (LHF). Medicine has been playing a key role in human beings' pursuit of health ever since the onset of illness.

"When I read about the healing arts or anything associated with disease or traumas, everybody wants a pill to cure everything," said Whitcomb. "Today, when we say medicine, we mean a substance we put into our bodies. If we say health care, hopefully we think about our entire situation, our families. Medicine is used to stay healthy or become healthy. The study of medicine is what I find fascinating."

A family nurse practitioner for several decades, Whitcomb will speak on "The Healing, the Harmful, and the Quackery: Medicine in the 1800s" at the Lititz Public Library (LPL), 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz, at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15. The discussion is free to attend, but registration, which will begin on Saturday, Feb. 1, is required at https://calendar.lancasterlibraries.org/event/lititz-%20historical-foundation-74715 or by calling LPL at 717-626-2255.

Whitcomb will wear a replica of an 1800s-era dress during her presentation.

"I want to speak to people's interests and give them something to think about in a way that they haven't thought about before," said Whitcomb. "I'm going to talk about some of the items on display at the (LHF) museum. It's history presented in a really cool and interesting way. I want to benefit the museum. I want to make history come alive."

As many as 100 local history enthusiasts are expected to attend.

"I want to make sure the discussion stays in a place of somewhat comfort for everyone," said Whitcomb. "But I still want the audience to have that sense of wonder. We're picking up a time in history that many audience members' great-grandparents lived through. That kind of brings it home for me. It was a world my ancestors lived in, and how did they survive? It's not just medicine. Everything flows together."

Whitcomb's 30-minute, interactive presentation will feature a slide show, visual aids and opportunities for audience feedback.

"We will have a great time," said Whitcomb, who has gained her knowledge through books, lectures and historic trips. "I like to ask people to time travel with me and think about how medicine was then. For the most part, they were kind people who wanted the best for everyone. But why didn't they wash their hands when they performed medical procedures?"

Some of the medical practices of the 1800s may seem out of date, maybe even archaic today. But the medicine of the 1800s paved the way for the advances of 21st-century health and well-being.

"They tried," said Whitcomb. "What are people going to say about our medicine 150 years from now? We think of (past medical procedures) as antiquated. At that time, they did the best they knew how to do."

Whitcomb, a resident of Mount Joy, has presented a number of similar historical medical discussions in a variety of settings, including to small medical groups, gatherings of paramedics and EMTs (emergency medical technicians), historic sites and museums.

"I don't want to go backward," said Whitcomb, "but I want to know where we came from."