Send your science-loving sweetie a valentine from Becker Archives and Rare Books!
Right-click on the image (control-click on a Mac) to copy or save a valentine for your sweetheart.
It’s basic science! You’re mine, Valentine
Featuring Aubrey Morrison, MBBS, in a laboratory, circa 1980s. Morrison, a nephrologist, was a pioneer in the study of inflammatory processes in the body. He was the first Black faculty member at WashU Medicine to be named a full professor, in 1987. (VC265-S254-i001)
Vim, Vigor and Vitality—Let’s study our anatomy, Valentine
Featuring an advertisement for Kola-Cardinette, which was “an exceedingly palatable cordial-tonic” made from the kola nut. Kola nuts contain caffeine, and the remedy was intended to “generate vim, increase vigor, and enhance vitality.” Pacific Medical Journal, October 1898.
I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours, Valentine
Featuring Virginia Minnich, MA, and Carl V. Moore, MD, at work in a laboratory, circa 1965. Minnich and Moore were professors at WashU Medicine and conducted pioneering studies in iron metabolism and nutrition. (VC039021)
You’re the Onesie for me, Valentine
Featuring an advertisement for buckskin undergarments. D.C. Hall & Co. claimed their perforated long johns prevented diseases like pneumonia and rheumatism. The undergarments were purported to keep the body comfortable in both warm rooms and
in cold winds. New Remedies, November 1883.
It’s no stretch! Our love is ageless, Valentine
Featuring two women stretching in an OASIS exercise class, circa 1988. OASIS (Older Adult Service and Information System) is a national nonprofit founded in St. Louis in 1982. In the 1980s, it was affiliated with Jewish Hospital. (VC265-S112-i042)
There’s no question—I’m yours, Valentine
Featuring an advertisement for Terraline. Terraline claimed to be a purified petroleum product that cured a variety of illnesses. While it was made from petroleum, it was not medicinally purified and was not an effective medical remedy. International Journal of Surgery, April 1902.