2020 – Page 2 – Fugitive Leaves – from The Historical Medical Library

Not So Scary Skeletons: The Support System of the Human Body

Staff Out of the stacks, Staff research October 22, 2020October 22, 2020Anatomy, Fractures, Gunshot wounds, Skeletal trauma, Skeleton

– by Kristen Pinkerton, Library Assistant

For the month of October, the theme the Historical Medical Library has chosen to highlight is skeletons. Skeletons are commonly viewed as creepy or associated with death and horror, particularly around Halloween. As a trained osteologist, however, I view them as a beautiful structure that supports the human form. This selected theme was an exciting chance for me to explore the fascinating materials we house regarding the human skeleton. While searching through our catalog I came across multiple monographs that piqued my interest. Read more

Silurian Spring

Staff #TravelTuesday October 6, 2020December 5, 2019Health resorts, Spring water

Waukesha, located in Wisconsin, was once home to Silurian Spring, and was competition for the neighboring Bethesda Spring. The land was surveyed and purchased in 1868, and was named after the prehistoric sea that once covered the area. David Jackson, a postmaster, soon fell in love with the springs and built a log cabin on the land. In 1874, he began promoting the springs to visitors.

Berkeley Springs

Staff #TravelTuesday September 1, 2020December 5, 2019Health resorts, Hot springs

Berkeley Springs is located in West Virginia, and before European settlement was used by the native people of St. Lawrence Seaway, Canada. Later, settlers took to the springs because of its warm, healing properties as early as 1730.

St. Clair Mineral Springs

Staff #TravelTuesday August 4, 2020December 5, 2019Health resorts, Miracle cures, Spring water

This month we are visiting St. Clair County Michigan, home of the St. Clair Mineral Springs Company. St. Clair was a popular resort town with two luxurious hotels. The Oakland Hotel, built in 1881, and Somerville Hotel, built in 1888, had a combined 119 rooms that housed visitors.

Valley Ranch

Staff #TravelTuesday July 7, 2020December 5, 2019American Old West, Ranches

This month we are visiting the ranching valleys of Wyoming. Valley Ranch was located 45 miles from Cody, Wyoming, and was opened in 1915 by Irving H. Larry and Winthrop H. Brooks (of Brooks Brothers fame).

I Can’t Say

Staff Out of the stacks, Staff projects, Voices from our collection July 2, 2020June 30, 2020Amputations, Civil War medicine, Digital collections, Patient experiences, Silas Weir Mitchell, Veterans

– by Marie Hathaway, Library Assistant

Prior to the closing of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia for COVID-19, my co-worker Kristen Pinkerton and I were working in the stacks at the Historical Medical Library processing journal volumes for deaccessioning and updating metadata for journals that will remain. Going through the collection volume by volume to update metadata allowed us to get to know the collection in ways we might not have based on researcher requests alone. We were continually surprised. Just in the week prior to closing I found a colorful pamphlet about WWII-era chemical warfare and Kristen found a year book featuring a medical student’s romantic poem about spermatozoa.

As we’ve transitioned from working in the stacks to working from home, Kristen and I have been helping to comb through another part of the library’s collection—its digital resources. Like the physical stacks, the online collection has proven to be full of surprising and fascinating information.
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CALL FOR PAPERS: Silences in the LAMS: Digital Surrogacy in the Time of Pandemic

Staff Breaking news, Happenings June 2, 2020June 2, 2020Call for papers, CLIR-funded grant project, For the Health of the New Nation, PACSCL

CALL FOR PAPERS: “For the Health of the New Nation” Virtual Conference
Title: Silences in the LAMS: Digital Surrogacy in the Time of Pandemic
Date: October 12, 2020 (VIRTUAL)

Intro: The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, in conjunction with the CLIR-funded project For the Health of the New Nation (FHNN) through a partnership with the Philadelphia Area Consortium for Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), invites proposals for a one-day, online conference on the use of digital primary sources.