electronic mail: margaretdelacy@comcast.net
PhD. (1980), Princeton University (History)
BA (1973), Harvard University (History and Literature), Magna Cum Laude
BOOKS
Contagionism Catches On: Medical Ideology in Britain, 1730-1800, (Palgrave Macmillan: 2017)
The Germ of an Idea: Contagionism, Religion and Society in Britain, 1660-1730 (Palgrave MacMillan, 2016)
Prison Reform in Lancashire, 1700-1850: A Study in County Administration (Stanford University Press, 1986, published in England by Manchester University Press, 1986).
ARTICLES
"Dr Richard Davies (1708–1761): Reform, Contagion, Blood and Inflammation" Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsnr.2023.0083
"From princess to assassin: My mother in the media," Explorations in Media Ecology, 16, No. 4, 1 December 2017, 303-310(8) https://doi.org/10.1386/eme.16.4.303
"Nosology, Mortality and Disease Theory in the 18th. Century" Journal of the History of Medicine, 54, (April, 1999) 261-284.
"A Linnaean Thesis concerning Contagium Vivum: The "Exanthemata Viva" of John Nyander and its place in contemporary thought, with a new translation by A.J. Cain," Medical History, 39, (1995), 159-185.
"Influenza research and the medical profession in Eighteenth-century Britain," Albion, 25, (Spring, 1993), 37-66.
"The Conceptualization of Influenza in Eighteenth-Century Britain: Specificity and Contagion," Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 67, (Spring, 1993), 74-118.
"Puerperal Fever in Eighteenth-century Britain" Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 63, (Winter, 1989), 521-556, rpt.in Diseases of Pregnancy and Childbirth, ed. Philip K. Wilson, vol. 5 of Childbirth (Hamden CT: Garland Publishing, 1996)
"George Armstrong, M.D." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
"James Currie, M.D." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
"John Fothergill, M.D. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
"Matthew Dobson, M.D., F.R.S." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
"William Hey, M.D., F.R.S," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,
"Benjamin Marten, medical author," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
"Edward Alanson, M.D." Dictionary of National Biography, Supplement
"Grinding Men Good? Lancashire's Prisons at Mid-Century" in V. Bailey, ed., Policing and Punishment in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Rutgers and Croom Helm, 1981).
Book reviews for Albion, the American Historical Review, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Isis, the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences and the Scriblerian
"Piecing together the story of Philip de la Cour (1710-1785): A Jewish Physician in Enlightenment Britain," Scientiae Conference, Brussels, June 2024
"Sir John Pringle and Mineral-Based Antisepis in the Eighteenth-Century" Scientiae Conference, Prague, June 2023
"Containing Contagion? Reassessing Territorial Plague Barriers in 18th. Century Europe," American Historical Association, Pacific Coast Branch, Portland meeting (online), August 10,2021
"The Early Eighteenth-Century Apocalypse," Center for Early Modern History, lecture series on "Panic and Plague in 1720 and 2020: The View from Minnesota" Virtual lecture, December 4, 2020 (also presented to the Northwest Independent Scholars Association)
"Fever Hospitals in Ireland, 1780-1804," Matters of Containment Conference. Lisbon 2020 (online)
“'Reasons for Classing of Diseases, Medicine and Physicians:' John Bellers (1654-1725), Quakerism and medical reform," Columbia History of Science Group conference, Friday Harbor WA, March 7, 2020, Scientiae Conference, June 2021 (online)
"Dr. Richard Davies (d. 1761): Reform, Reputation and Inflammation" Scientiae Conference, Belfast Ireland, June 12-15, 2019
“Healers and Hellions: the formation of London’s medical reform community in the mid-eighteenth century,” Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies, Santa Barbara, March 23, 2018
Workshop on "Democratizing Research Access: Overcoming Exclusion from Well-Resourced University Research Libraries," American Historical Association, Washington DC, January 6, 2019.
"Dr. Richard Davies: Contagion, Inflammation, and the Blood," Western Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Santa Barbara, February 17, 2017
“Debate over the Manchester House of Recovery: contagion, controversy, and communication,” International Conference on the History Science, Technology and Medicine, July 26, 2013
“Fellows of the Royal Society and their ideas about contagion in the late seventeenth century,” American Association for the History of Medicine, May 18, 2013
"Communication, contagion and reform: the Medical Society of London, 1773-1803," Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies, March 11, 2012
"Benjamin Franklin and Eighteenth-Century English Medicine" Northwest Independent Scholars Association, Portland OR, January 27, 2006
"Smallpox Controversies in the Early Eighteenth Century" Northwest Independent Scholars Association, Portland OR, March 26, 2003
"Medicine, Religion and Society in the Eighteenth Century" Conference on British Studies, Portland, Oregon, October, 1987; Columbia History of Science Group, April, 1988; invited lecture, Humanities Center, Eugene, 1989)
"Social Medicine and social institutions in eighteenth-century Lancashire" (read at the Social Science History Association, Bloomington, Indiana, 1982, and the Western section of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, San Francisco, 1983).
"Albion's Fatal Tree and the Problem of Eighteenth-Century Crime" (Read at Reed College, 1979)
"Counting Criminals: The Rev. John Clay of Preston and Nineteenth-Century Penal Reform" (Read at the Institute for Historical Research and at Reading University, 1978).
"Early Nineteenth-Century Penal Theory Reconsidered" (Read at the Institute for Historical Research, 1977)
"Advocating for your child", Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted Conference, October 10, 2015
"Advocacy for Parents of Talented and Gifted Students", Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted Conference, October 6, 2006
Testimony before the Revenue Options, School Funding and Accountability Task Force, Oregon State Legislature, December, 2002 and legislative testimony on many other occasions
"Fellowships and Grants for Independent Scholars from the National Endowment for the Humanities," session chair (Richmond, NC, National Coalition of Independent Scholars, October 2000)
"Grant writing and the World of Independent Scholarship" (Phi Alpha Theta, Portland State University, May 6, 1997)
"A Legislative agenda for OATAG" presented at the conference of the Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted, Woodburn OR, Sept. 23, 2000
"Advocacy at the State Level" WAETAG/OATAG joint conference, October 2005
"TAG 101: Talented and Gifted Policy in Portland," presentation to Portland District Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee, Sept. 24, 1997, 1998, 1999
Presentations and memos on the World Conference of the World Council on Gifted Children, April, 1998, on research on student grouping practices, and on the WAETAG Conference on Gifted Children, for the Portland Public Schools District TAG advisory Committee
"H-Scholar" The Independent Scholar, 12 (Winter 1998)
"NCIS proposes H-Scholar, A New H-Net List," The Independent Scholar, 11 (Spring, 1997), 2-3.
"Organizing a group" The Independent Scholar, 10 (Spring, 1996), 2-7.
"The National Coalition of Independent Scholars," Council of Chairs Newsletter, Organization of American Historians, 46 (August, 1995), 9-12
"Public-Access Internet" The Independent Scholar, 9, (Summer, 1995), 11-13.
"A National Coalition for Independent Scholars?" The Independent Scholar, Vol. 1, no. 1 (Winter, 1987)
"Report on a National Coalition: Your Responses" The Independent Scholar, Vol. 1, no. 3 (Summer, 1987).
"The 'No Child' Law's Biggest Victims? An Answer That May surprise" Education Week, June 23, 2004 (republished on the website of the National Association for Gifted Children)
Co-author "Meeting the Needs of TAG children in Portland Public Schools: 2002 Revision"
"Skipping a grade can help, not hurt, a gifted child", Portland Oregonian, Monday, February 5, 2001
Co-author: Meeting the Needs of TAG children in Portland Public Schools Position Paper on instruction for TAG students, Portland School District Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee, 1995-6, (This position paper became the basis for the new Portland School District's "framework for meeting the needs of Talented and Gifted Students:" it is also available from ERIC.
Web author of "Links for Portland Parents of Talented and Gifted Children,"
"Grouping Options--Benefits and Disadvantages" article prepared for Portland Public Schools, web edition 2/8/2000
Acceleration for Gifted Students, 1996, web revision 2/18/2000
"Voluntary Vaccination: Deciding the Danger" distributed to more than 300 metropolitan daily newspapers and other news services in the United States and North America by the History News Service on December 17th. 2002.
"Oregon Regional Primate Center focuses on Brain Studies" Oregon Scientist, IV no. 1 (Spring 1991), 1, 7.
"Health Care Always Rationed--by ability to pay," (article) Portland Oregonian, May 21, 1985
Co-author: Public School Districts in the City of Portland: Equity, Governance and Process (2011)
Co-author: Multnomah County Library System, Portland League of Women Voters, 1986
Co-author: Health Care for the Medically Indigent, Portland League of Women Voters, 1984
Co-author: Adult Correction in Oregon, II, Oregon League of Women Voters, 1983
Co-author, Portland Police Bureau, Study I (Portland League of Women Voters, 1981
National Coalition of Independent Scholars Web Page designer and webmaster, 1997-2007
Editorial board chair, H-SCHOLAR, 1997-2000, editor 2000-present
WEBMASTER or WEB AUTHOR
National Coalition of Independent Scholars http://www.ncis.org/ (1996-2007)
Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted http://www.oatag.org/ (2000-2006)
Links for Portland Parents of Talented and Gifted Children. http://www.tagpdx.org/
Northwest Independent Scholars' Association http://www.northwestindependentscholars.org/
Contagionism in History http://www.contagionism.org/
Tudor-Stuart History, Lewis and Clark College, 1980, 1982
National Endowment for the Humanities: Humanities, Science and Technology program, 1989-1992 (3-year grant)
American Council of Learned Societies, 1986-1987 (1-year fellowship)
Judith Lee Ridge Prize of the Western Association of Women Historians, for the best published article, for "Puerperal Fever in Eighteenth-Century England," 1991
Disease and Dissent: Contagionism and Reform in Eighteenth-Century England
British History (Social and Intellectual), 1485-1880
History of Medicine
History of Science
President, Vice-President and Board Member, Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted, 1999- (webmaster 1999-2006, government relations chair 1999-present, President, 2017- , vice-president, Parent and Community Division 2009-2017, conference chair 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2019 conferences, co-chair 2010, 2014 and 2016 conference, moderate two listservs for parents and community) As government relations chair, successfully advocated for the passage of several bills related to education.
Member: Equity Terminology Task Force, Office of Education Innovation and Improvement, Oregon Department of Education, 2020
Member: Rules Advisory Committee Oregon Department of Education 2020
Member: Oregon State Task Force on Talented and Gifted Education (2011-2)
Member: Senate Bill 300 work group (Expanded Options bill)
President, Portland School District Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee (1999-2003)
Vice-President, Portland School District Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee, 1997-9 (Steering Committee member,
1991-93 )
Member, Portland Public Schools TAG services focus group, 2002
Chair, study committee for ACCESS special focus school, Portland School District, 2000-2003
TAGFEST coordinator, Portland Public Schools, October 2000
Member, Portland School District, Instructional Materials Selection Committee, 2002
Member, Portland School District, Strategic Action Plan Team 4: Minority and Low Income Achievement Disparities, 1999-2000
Member, Portland School District, Audit Task Force on Achievement Standards, 1999
Classroom volunteer, WinterHaven School, 1996-
Member, Site Transition Committee, WinterHaven School, 1997-8
Member, Regional Advisory Committee, Portland School District, 1995-7
Math Enrichment teacher, Duniway School, 1992-5
Member, Education Study Committee, League of Women Voters 2008-2010
Member, Law and Public Safety Standing Committee, Portland City Club, 1985-1987
Member, Interlibrary Committee on Regional Cooperation, 1985
Member, Statewide Committee on Corrections, Oregon League of Women Voters, 1982
Chair, Police Committee, Portland League of Women Voters, 1981
President, Northwest Independent Scholars Association, 1991-present and 1986-8, Secretary, 1988-91, webmaster 1997-Coordinated 2005 conference and workshop, "Selling Your Scholarship: Writing Marketable Non-Fiction"
Chair, Technology committee, and ex-officio Board Member National Coalition of Independent Scholars, 1998-2007
Editorial chair, H-Scholar 1997-2000, http://www.h-net.org/~scholar/ (editor, 2000-)
Board Member National Coalition of Independent Scholars, 1992-1998
Member, Program Committee, Western Association of Women Historians, spring 2001
Member, Nominating Committee, National Coalition of Independent Scholars, 1990
Chair, Study Committee on a National Organization for Independent Scholars, 1986-88
Board Member and Treasurer, The Friends of History, Portland State University, 1988-90
Grant panelist for the Oregon Council for the Humanities, 2005
Grant reviewer and panelist for the National Endowment for the Humanities
Article reviewer for Medical History, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, European Romantic Review