The exhibit, “’No Small Presumption’–Surgical Works From Six Centuries,” will feature rare books from the earliest days of surgery through the twentieth century. Although chloroform and ether were not widely used before the second half of the 19th century, a surprising number of surgical procedures were employed hundreds and even thousands of years ago, including operations for cataracts, bullet removal, hernias, club foot, and bladder stones. The open house will allow visitors to view and page through the early texts and illustrations used by surgeons for instruction and guidance.

Of special interest are the woodcuts and engravings of the elaborate and sometimes quite modern instruments developed over the centuries for specific tasks, including drills, scalpels, and saws designed with speed and efficiency in mind. Important early works in anesthetics and antisepsis will also be featured.

The exhibit is part of a series of public lectures and presentation sponsored by the University of Iowa History of Medicine Society.

The John Martin Rare Book Room is located on the fourth floor of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. For additional information, please contact Ed Holtum, Curator at 335-9154.

*This event is open to the public.

The deadline for comments is June 2nd.

… and 50+ countries around the world - Canada, UK, China, Spain, Turkey …

  *   *   *   *   *   *

[medical information, medical sites, medical websites, health info, hardinmd]

On Thursday, May 1, Charisse Madlock-Brown will be teaching a class on how to use the online management tool RefWorks.

RefWorks is a web-based citation management and bibliography tool. It can help you to efficiently store, organize, and share citations and easily format them for papers and bibliographies.

It is also compatible with other databases and EndNote users can easily export their citation databases directly into RefWorks.

The workshop will be held at 3pm in the Info Commons East Room of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.

To register for the class, go online to:
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/find/refworks/workshops.html

Reporting to the Assistant Director for Collections and Outreach, the Clinical Education Librarian plans, promotes and provides information services that support the needs of residents and, to a lesser degree, faculty, researchers, staff and students, of the Carver College of Medicine and the affiliated hospital.
• As liaison to academic and clinical units, cultivates relationships with residents and faculty to identify opportunities for library partnerships with education and health care programs.
• Develops and teaches tailored library education sessions. Coordinates education services for liaison units. Works with faculty to integrate library education into the curriculum.
• In support of research and education, assists patrons with research and information management tools and skills through individual and small group consultations. Coordinates consultation services for liaison units.
• Partners with other librarians to market library services and promote increased awareness of scholarly communication issues on the health campus.
• Provides information and circulation services at the public service desk in-person and via telephone, email and instant messenger.
• Investigates new technologies and works with others to develop and revise programs to respond to the changing information needs of members of the health campus.
• Works with other Hardin Library staff members on public services projects for the health campus and health professionals and consumers in the State of Iowa.
• Serves on Hardin Library, University Libraries, health colleges, university and hospital committees and working groups.
• Contributes to and learns from the profession through such avenues as local, state and national professional organizations and publications.

The lustrous images in this exhibit have been copied from a facsimile of a remarkable manuscript published in the last part of the 15th century, Le livre des simples médecines (The book of simple medicines). The original manuscript is housed in the Russian National Library at St. Petersburg [Barcelona: M. Moleiro, 2000].

Beginning around the 11th century, European scholars began translations of ancient Greek works, using as their sources, Arabic translations that were preserved during the Middle Ages by Islamic scholars. One of the most important of these translations (De medicinis simplicibus (“On simple medicines”) was completed in the mid 12th century by Matthaeus Platearius (d. 1161), a physician from Salerno, Italy, an important translation center.

Platearius’ text found its way into numerous manuscripts but none as beautiful as the codex produced for Count Charles of Angoulême and his wife Louise of Savoy. Most of the text is taken from Platearius’ French translation with additional material from later writers. The text includes sections on herbs and flowers, trees, metals & minerals, and animal products. It is followed by a magnificent 116 page atlas depicting “simples” – plants used in treating diseases. The striking artistry was probably the work of Robinet Testard (fl 1475–1523), the French illustrator and illuminator.

Of interest, too, are the written annotations added by two physicians who insert Latin and Greek names for many of the plants and who provide additional commentary.

Dr. Schalick’s research interests include medieval medicine and pharmacology, the history of children with physical disability in 19th and 20th century Europe and the US, and the practical ethics of pediatric emergency research. His is in great demand as a lecturer and has delivered presentations on four continents. Dr. Schalick is also the recipient of numerous honors, including the William b. Bean Award from the American Osler Society. After completing his undergraduate work at Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Schalick received his PHD and his MD from Johns Hopkins University.

“Medical Libraries with a Public Good Focus — There are a number of medical school libraries that consciously fill a public good role. The Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Iowa has a very extensive site, Hardin MD (http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/index.html). The site is well maintained, and it links to some key resources in Spanish, medical illustrations, and hundreds of other medical library sites throughout the world.”

Here’s a Flickr picture of the citation and the page in Google Book search.

  *   *   *   *   *   *

[medical information, medical sites, medical websites, health info, hardinmd, medical pictures, common good, google books, google book search, medical libraries]

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-060.html