Library – International Museum of Surgical Science

April 24, 2020

A Note from the Library – A Horrible Laceration: The Impact of the Minié Ball in the American Civil War

Published by Kelly Christian Many of the surgical textbooks held in the Thorek Manuscripts and Rare Books Collection reference how to operate on and care for wounds from war. The nuance of military surgery varied based on a book’s publication date, which accounts for the many differences in medical technology. Books from the late 19th … Continue reading A Note from the Library – A Horrible Laceration: The Impact of the Minié Ball in the American Civil War

March 12, 2020June 2, 2020

A Note from the Library: Florence Nightingale Through Letters

Published by Erin Newton While surgical textbooks and treatise on diseases can tell us much about the history of medicine, it is important to remember that the men and women who labored in medicine—as doctors, surgeons, nurses and midwives—are as much a historical object as the procedures and theories of the body. In addition to … Continue reading A Note from the Library: Florence Nightingale Through Letters

January 23, 2020March 19, 2020

A Note from the Library: Smellie’s ‘Treatise on Midwifery’: A debate between theory and practice

Published by Erin Newton “William Smellie,” photoprint. Accessed 1/8/2020. <http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101429306> William Smellie (1697-1763) is often referred to as the father of British obstetrics. He spent most of his long career overseeing and assisting in birth, reconciling the health of both mother and child in hundreds of cases. During this time, he developed a number of … Continue reading A Note from the Library: Smellie’s ‘Treatise on Midwifery’: A debate between theory and practice

January 18, 2020January 17, 2020

A Note from the Library: One Hit Wonder of 1698

Published by Nada Abdelrahim Even those of us that are only slightly acquainted with the medical field can appreciate the way it has come to be an interdisciplinary practice. Medical professionals of our modern era collaborate with engineers and dieticians, psychologists and more to approach patient care in a more well rounded and successful way. … Continue reading A Note from the Library: One Hit Wonder of 1698

November 27, 2019November 19, 2019

A Note from the Library: On Obstetrics and Gender in Tokugawa-Period Japan

Published by Erin Newton Japanese historians commonly refer to the years between 1603 and 1867 as the Tokugawa Period, named for the Tokugawa Shogun whose family ruled the country during this time. It is widely considered one of the most politically stable periods in Japanese history, during which time the economy grew steadily and the … Continue reading A Note from the Library: On Obstetrics and Gender in Tokugawa-Period Japan

November 20, 2019November 19, 2019

A Note from the Library: De Medicina—A Complete Medical Text for its Time

Published by Nada Abdelrahim Above Left: Spine view, De medicina. Alter, ut ab almeloveenio editus est. A. 1713. Above Right: Back view, De medicina. Alter, ut ab almeloveenio editus est. A. 1713. Originally written in the first century CE, the copy of De Medicina in the IMSS’s library is “newer”— from 1713—written almost sixteen centuries … Continue reading A Note from the Library: De Medicina—A Complete Medical Text for its Time

October 23, 2017October 24, 2017

A Note From the Library: Facial Reconstruction in the 1940s and the Guinea Pig Club

Published by Lorca Jolene. Tremendous advances in facial reconstructive and plastic surgery occurred during the 1940s due to the sheer number of World War II soldiers who sought treatment for disfiguring injuries that they sustained in combat. At the beginning of the war, surgeons would have prepared for such cases by consulting texts like Samuel … Continue reading A Note From the Library: Facial Reconstruction in the 1940s and the Guinea Pig Club

May 18, 2017October 28, 2018

A Note From the Library: Max Thorek and Testicular Transplantation

The International College of Surgeons and International Museum of Surgical Science’s founder, Dr. Max Thorek, was well known for his pioneering spirit in the field. Of his many advancements, the museum has maintained a curiosity towards some of his more controversial undertakings. Continue reading A Note From the Library: Max Thorek and Testicular Transplantation

March 16, 2017October 28, 2018

A Note from the Library: Franz Anton Mesmer and Hypnotism

Viewing large collections, such as the Thorek Library, is a wonderful way of visualizing how ideas in medicine change and morph into standards that we know today. Continue reading A Note from the Library: Franz Anton Mesmer and Hypnotism

February 23, 2017October 28, 2018

A Note from the Library: Frederick Wood Jones’ “The Principles of Anatomy as Seen in the Hand”

The most remarkable aspect of this book is the fact that nearly half of the pages include some form of infant scribbling. Some scribbles are large and heavy, others tight and soft, but all include an unrestrained confrontation with motor development. I find it so fitting that the author and the scribbler both sought one in the same thing, through the same object—to better understand the hand. Continue reading A Note from the Library: Frederick Wood Jones’ “The Principles of Anatomy as Seen in the Hand”