Staff – Page 7

Processing Collections Part I: Allen R. Myers’ and Arthur Asbury’s Presidential Papers, and the Babies Hospital

Staff Intern work, Out of the stacks February 28, 2020February 18, 2020Archival procedures, Archives, Institutional records, Processing

– by Morgan Rafel, Archives intern

My favorite part of Kent State’s Masters of Library and Information Sciences program is that the final semester before graduation consists of a culminating experience. We could choose between a thesis, a research paper or project, or an internship. Seeing as I had little to no archival experience when I started the program, I knew I would have to find an internship. I knew I wanted to be in a museum setting, so I began applying mainly in the DC/Maryland area, but had no luck. I had reached out to Chrissie Perella, the Archivist at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (CPP)’s Historical Medical Library, about their archival internship about a year beforehand, so I decided to reach out again and see where it would go…

Fast forward a few months and I began my internship at the Historical Medical Library in January 2020. During this time I have, so far, had the opportunity to process three different collections; two Presidential Papers collections and the Babies’ Hospital of Philadelphia collection…well, half of it, but more on that later.

Medical Schools and Their Reputations, a Concern both Past and Present

Staff From our researchers, Out of the stacks February 19, 2020February 18, 2020History of medicine, Human cadaver dissection, Medical education

– by Wood Institute travel grantee Laura Smith*

On November 1, 1874, Dr. James H. Lenow procured the cadaver of an African American man from the state penitentiary in Arkansas and began dissecting it in a shed at the Little Rock Barracks, a military facility. Lenow would become an early faculty member at what would eventually be known as the University of Arkansas Medical School (UAMS) which was also located in Little Rock. The story of the dissection gave him prestige among the city’s residents and inspired local confidence in a growing medical status in the South. Lenow’s was the first legal dissection in Arkansas, and the state was so mesmerized by the deed that they built a monument to the dissection in May of 1927 on the spot it took place. The monument still stands today.

Conceptualizing Malaria in Medical Terms, 1827-1838

Staff From our researchers, Out of the stacks February 5, 2020February 3, 2020Eighteenth century medicine, Fevers, Malaria, Miasma, Nineteenth century medicine

– by Wood Institute travel grantee Urmi Engineer Willoughby*

It is difficult to pinpoint the presence of the disease presently called “malaria” in early America because of the inconsistent terminology used by doctors in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

This is partially because the symptoms of malaria, which include fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, nausea, jaundice, vomiting, and general malaise, resembled other common diseases such as yellow fever, typhoid fever, and influenza. For much of the nineteenth century, doctors in Europe and North America referred to the disease using descriptive terms that indicated observed symptoms and environmental factors. The most distinctive features of malaria are its periodicity and alternating of chills and fever, evident in the medical term “intermittent fever,” the more common “fever and ague,” and more specific terms that identified the intervals between attacks of fever (quotidian, tertian, and quartan fever).

Briarcliff Lodge

Staff #TravelTuesday February 4, 2020February 4, 2020Diets, Health resorts, Sanitariums

This month we are going to West Chester County, New York, the home of the Briarcliff Lodge. The lodge was of Tudor Revival architecture and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. The lodge opened in 1905 by Walter Law, who hired Guy King to construct the lodge on the highest point of his estate.

Digitizing early medical education

Staff Breaking news, Out of the stacks, Staff projects January 29, 2020January 29, 2020Digitization, Grant projects, History of medicine, Medical education, Philadelphia history

We are pleased to announce that over 20,000 pages of lecture notes and related material has been digitized to date as part of “For the Health of the New Nation” grant. “For the Health of the New Nation: Philadelphia as the Center of American Medical Education, 1746-1868” is a two-year project funded by CLIR and organized by the Philadelphia Area Consortium for Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL). The initiative will digitize, describe, and provide access to 140,000 pages of lecture tickets, course schedules, theses, dissertations, student notes, faculty lectures notes, commencement addresses, opening addresses, and matriculation records, sharing not only the voices of the medical greats, but also the often unheard voices of students.

Red Sulphur Springs

Staff #TravelTuesday January 7, 2020January 7, 2020Health resorts, Spring water

Red Sulphur Springs Hotel opened in 1832 in the unincorporated community in Monroe County, West Virginia. Dr. William Burke built the hotel to accommodate 350 guests, hoping to use the springs for health. Dr. Burke personally used the springs for pulmonary health, but also claimed the springs could heal inflammations, whether stomach, liver, spleen, intestines, kidneys, or bladder. Large parties were hosted nightly, making it a popular summer resort.

Pine Tree Inn

Staff #TravelTuesday December 3, 2019December 4, 2019Health resorts, New Jersey, Nineteenth century medicine

This month we are visiting the Pine Tree Inn in Lakehurst, New Jersey!

Lakehurst, New Jersey, was known early in American history for its industry. It was the official location for a railroad stop in the Pinelands in New Jersey, along with acting as the Federal Forge during the Revolutionary War, and exporting cannonballs during the American Civil War to the Continental Army.