Published by Claire Olszewski. While wrapping up the first half of my internship at the International Museum of Surgical Science and preparing for summer break, I have found myself thinking about the oddities and intriguing objects I have come into contact with during my time cataloging the collection. Because of this, I would like to … Continue reading A Note from the Collection: “A Recollection”
Published by Claire Olszewski. With Memorial Day having just passed, I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss objects I have found within the collection that have been dated between 1930 and 1960, during World War II. While we do not have evidence that the items in our collection were actually used in the … Continue reading A Note from the Collection: Hypodermic Needles, Syrettes and Ampoules from the World War II Era
Published by Sally Monroe. The Thorek Manuscript and Rare Book Collection is home to Melchior Weikard’s Der Philosophische Artz, a book which is perhaps most famous in the medical community for containing the first accurate description of what we now call Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Published in 1790, the Museum’s copy of Der Philosophische Artz happens … Continue reading A Note from the Library: Prominence and Peril as a Royal Court Physician
Published by Tannaz Motevalli. As one of the International Museum of Surgical Science’s Collection Interns, I have been working specifically in archiving documents pertaining to the house history and early College history. I’ve been able to get fascinating glimpses of what this historic mansion once held, from the time it was the home of the … Continue reading A Note from the Archive: Stories of and from “the Help”
Published by Sally Monroe. Cinco de Mayo is here, and to celebrate the occasion we are delving into our collection to examine what may be the earliest Mexican contribution to modern medicine: a Tlatilcan figurine thought to have been sculpted between 1200 and 700 BCE. The Tlatilcans were a pre-Columbian people who lived in a … Continue reading A Note from the Collection: The Pretty Ladies of Tlatilco
Published by Claire Olszewski. Poisons, while not common in everyday life today, were abundant in the medical sciences of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. We all know the symbol for poison, the skull and crossbones, that marks lethal substances. Within the International Museum of Surgical Science’s collection are examples of various concoctions that were … Continue reading A Note from the Collection: Pick Your Poison
Published by Sally Monroe. When we catalogue texts at the Thorek Manuscripts and Rare Books Collection, one of the pieces of information we are sure to record is a book’s provenance. Often, this means looking for the name of a donor. Recently, it came to my attention that one of the most prolific donors to … Continue reading A Note from the Library: Dr. Louis Shapiro, International Man of Medicine
