Museum Blog
A Note from the Collection: The Surgical History of Diabetes
A Note from the Library: Dr. Paulus Pfann’s Mysterious Book of Medical Recipes
A Note From the Library: Facial Reconstruction in the 1940s and the Guinea Pig Club
Quotes and Marginalia from Inside the Woman Doctor’s Life
The saddest part of the culmination of any research or creative project is realizing how many pieces will be left out of the final whole—whether for reasons of focus, relevancy, or space. Finding books that actually gave voice to the experiences of women in medicine was rare enough, so it is extra difficult to have to choose to elide some from the final work. And so, I’d like to offer a sampling of quotations from inspiring women physicians alongside some peeks into the pages of the books otherwise locked up in the glass cases of the museum library.
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.
Sex and Medicine, Artist in Residence Talk
What follows is a transcript of an Artist’s Talk delivered by Carrie Olivia Adams, the Museum’s Spring 2017 Artist in Residence, on May 5, 2017.
One Woman with a Wee Umbrella: Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson
As a preview for my upcoming artist talk on May 5th, I thought I’d explore the history of the College and Dr. Stevenson’s matriculation into the national medical community in greater detail.
Remembering Eleanor Robinson Countiss
A citizen, a businesswoman, a socialite, a mother, and a wife, Eleanor Robinson Countiss’s life has much to tell about life in Chicago during the first part of the 20th century.
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.