Archives and Rare Books

Spotlight on East Asia: A Cross-Campus Speaker Series Recap

When discussing medical history, it is common for narratives to focus predominantly on Europe and America — yet doing so misses large, rich parts of medical history. Spotlight on East Asia was a two-day speaker series focusing on medical history in East Asia (specifically China, Japan, and Korea), and was hosted by Becker Medical Library  [Read more]

Archives and Rare Books

One building with two different names

McMillan, as it is frequently referred to by most campus employees, is a massive 14-story tower with distinctive orange bricks and a terracotta roof that has served as one of the most iconic and recognizable buildings at the WashU medical campus for nearly 100 years. Curiously, the building features two different main entryways, each with  [Read more]

Archives and Rare Books

Hey Archivist, what’s in this collection?

Have you ever stumbled upon one of our collections that just looks a little too…sparse on the details? This post aims to discuss what happens when you find a collection that hasn’t been described in detail yet, like the Albert Fuller Papers pictured to the right. If you have spent time looking through the Becker  [Read more]

Archives and Rare Books

Alchemical Extraction : Materia Medica in Baldur’s Gate 3 

What does multiple awards-winning video game Baldur’s Gate 3 have in common with Becker Medical Library’s rare books collections? In Baldur’s Gate, players can collect plants and monster parts, which are then refined and used in potions that give special effects in the game. This mechanic mirrors the real-life practice of gathering plants and animal  [Read more]

Archives and Rare Books

Dragons Beneath the Skin

If you hear the word dracunculus in a vacuum, chances are you’ll think of dragons. The frontispiece to the 1674 edition of Georg Hieronymus Welsch’s Exercitatio de Vena Medinensi certainly supports that association. Sitting next to the two Greco-Roman deities Diana and Mercury (identifiable by their shield and staff, respectively) is a dragon, which acts  [Read more]

Archives and Rare Books

Health and Fitness in Ancient Greece: A Renaissance Recounting

The Olympic Games are a celebration of athleticism and physical skill, traits prized by the Ancient Greeks. But what did the people of antiquity think of fitness and exercise? These topics are explored in De Arte Gymnastica, one of the earliest books on exercise and physical therapy. De Arte Gymnastica was first published in 1569  [Read more]

Archives and Rare Books

Jerome R. Cox Jr. Papers Open for Research

Did you know the PC was invented at Washington University? Well, not that PC. The Programmed Console. In the spring of 1965, Jerome R. Cox Jr. and Wesley A. Clark co-taught a graduate course in computer design in which teams of students designed working computers. One student, V.W. “Bill” Gerth, also wrote an interactive radiation  [Read more]

Archives and Rare Books

Travel Scholarships Available for Archives and Rare Books Collections Use

To encourage researchers living more than 100 miles from St. Louis to use these collections, Becker Library offers two grants annually of up to $1,000 each to help defray the costs of travel, lodging, food and photo reproductions. Covered expenses will be reimbursed at the conclusion of the visit. Apply by Sept. 1, 2024.

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