Introducing the Becker Library Special Collections Book Club
Anyone with an interest in medicine, literature or history is invited to take part in Becker Library’s Special Collections Book Club. Every few months, we’ll hold a discussion about a novel that features some aspect of medical history, then look at the primary sources that bring the stories to life.
1914 Rare Book Donation Tied to Influential Doc
William Osler (1849-1919) is one of the most influential figures in North American medicine.
2017 Rare Books Highlights
Becker Library’s rare book collections have had an excellent year! Richard Chole, MD, donated his fantastic collection of rare otolaryngology texts earlier this year, and we’ve recently managed to acquire two more noteworthy monographs to complement our existing collections.
New Exhibit: "Introducing the Book - The Title Page from 1500-1900"
How many of you take the time to look at a title page when you buy a new book? Most of the time there’s no real need to do so – we can read the book’s title and author right on the front cover. Hundreds of years ago, however, the title page played a much more important role. During the early modern period, when printed books were first becoming popular, books were usually either sold unbound or with simple paper wrappers. Therefore, the title page was responsible for both providing information about a work and luring prospective buyers.
Before There Was Copyright
Some of the most famous images in the history of medicine can be found in Andreas Vesalius’s “De humani corporis fabrica,” published in 1543 by Johannes Oporinus. Medical illustration prior to Vesalius tended to be rather crude and schematic, but the woodcuts that appeared in the Fabrica managed to capture an extraordinary amount of detail with a high degree of artistic beauty. No one had seen anything like quite like them, and they marked a huge leap forward in the illustration of human anatomy.
The Salernitan Regimen of Health
Medical knowledge has undergone, shall we say, significant changes since the medieval and early modern periods.
Keeping the Spleen at Bay
April is National Poetry Month and, as in past years, we’re celebrating by showing off an example of poetry that has a medical flavor.
Hair of the Dog
There are a number of home remedies that claim to cure hangovers. Greasy breakfasts, black coffee, and attempting to sleep it off all come to mind.
