John Martin Rare Book Room

pictures of rare books and information about open house from post

Apr 13 2022

John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library Open House 2022 Book List

Posted on April 13, 2022April 13, 2022 by Sarah Andrews

Visit the John Martin Rare Book Room at Hardin Library for the annual open house,
Wednesday, April 20, from 4pm-7pm.
All are welcome/family friendly! Masks encouraged. This is an in-person event.

The following books will be on display:

BLEULAND, JAN (1756-1838). Otium academicum. Trajecti ad Rhenum: Ex Officina Joh. Altheer, academiae typographi, 1828.
SABUCO de NANTES y BARRERA, OLIVA (1562-1646) Nueva filosofia de la naturaleza del hombre, no conocida, ni alcanzada de los grandes filosofos antiguos, la qual mejora la vida y salud humana, con las adicciones de la segunda impression. Madrid: Printed by Domingo Fernandez for Francisco Lopez Fernandez, 1728.
de PORRAS, MANUEL. Anatomia Galenico-moderna / Compuesta Por El Doctor Don Manuel De Porras, Cirujano De Su Magestad, Y De Los Reales Hospitales De La Corte, Y Examinador Del Real Protomedicato. En Madrid : En la Imprenta de Musica, por Bernardo Peralta, 1716.
SCHWANN, THEODOR (1810-1882). Mikroskopische Untersuchungen über die Uebereinstimmung in der Struktur und dem Wachsthum der Thiere und Pflanzen. [Microscopical researches into the accordance in the structure and growth of animals and plants]. Berlin : Verlag der Sander’schen Buchhandlung G.E. Reimer, 1839.
Medicinal Plants Scroll from Japan’s Mid-Edo Period. Japan, 1727.
PARACELSUS (ca. 1493-1541). Des hochgelerten vn[d] hocherfarnen Herren Theophrasti Paracelsi von Hohenheim, beider Artzney Doctoris, etliche Tractaten vor in Truck nie ausskommen. [From the highly educated and high ranking Theophrastus Paracelsus of Hohenheim, doctor of both medicines, a number of never before seen tracts] Printed by Arnold Birckmann’s print shop (the “Heirs of Arnold Birckmann”) in Cologne in 1564.
Aristotle (pseudo). Aristotle’s Compleat Master-piece : In Three Parts : Displaying the Secrets of Nature in the Generation of Man … To Which Is Added, A Treasure of Health ; Or, The Family Physician : Being Choice and Approved Remedies for All the Several Distempers Incident to Humane Bodies. The Fifteenth ed. London: Printed and Sold by the Booksellers, 1723. **note**this book is currently being conserved and may not be available for the open house but is in our permanent collection
NIGHTINGALE, FLORENCE (1820-1910). Notes on nursing: what it is, and what it is not. Printed by Harrison, 1860.
NICANDER, OF COLOPHON (flourished 138-130 BCE) Theriaka; Tou autou Alexipharmaka [Greek title transliterated]. Theriaca; Eiusdem Alexipharmaca. Printed by John Soteris in 1530.
TAGLIACOZZI, GASPARE(1545-1599). De curtorum chirurgia per insitionem. Apud Gasparem Bindonum iuniorem, 1597.
BOURGEOIS BOURSIER, LOUISE (1563-1636) Obseruations diuerses sur la sterilité, perte de fruict, fœcondité, accouchements, et maladies des femmes, et enfants nouueaux naiz / amplement traictees et heureusement praticquees par L. Bourgeois, dite Boursier, sage femme de la Roine; œuure vtil et necessaire a toutes personnes. [Diverse Observations on Sterility, Miscarriage, Fertility, Childbirth, and Diseases of Women and Newborn Children. Discussed in Detail and Successfully Practiced by L. Bourgeois, called Boursier, Midwife to the Queen. A Work Useful and Necessary for All]. Printed by Chez A. Saugrain. 1609.
LONICER, ADAM (1528-1586) Kreuterbuch, kunstliche Conterfeytunge der Bäume, Stauden, Hecken, Kreuter, Getreyde, Gewürtze. Bey Christian Egenolffs seligen Erben, 1587.
MOTONORI, TAKI (1732-1801) Kokei saikyuho [Emergency remedies for the benefit of the people], 1789.
WILLIAM COWPER (1666-1709) The anatomy of humane bodies : with figures drawn after the life by some of the best masters in Europe, and curiously engraven in one hundred and fourteen copper plates, illustrated with large explications, containing many new anatomical discoveries, and chirurgical observations : to which is added an introduction explaining the animal oeconomy, with a copious index. Oxford: Printed at the Theater, for Sam. Smith and Benj. Walford…, 1698.
SCHEDEL, HARTMANN (1440-1514). [Nuremberg Chronicle] Liber chronicarum. 1493.
GALVANI, LUIGI. De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari commentarius cum Joannis Aldini dissertatione et notis. Accesserunt epistolae ad animalis electricitatis theoriam pertinentes. Modena: apud Societatem Typographicam, 1792.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Damien Ihrig in advance at 319-335-9154 or damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu.

Damien Ihrig, white man in front of bookcases of rare books

Feb 23 2022

Work Day in the Life of John Martin Rare Book Room Curator Damien Ihrig

Posted on February 23, 2022February 23, 2022 by Sarah Andrews

A day in Damien’s work life at Hardin Library involves some or all of the following:

Email, email, email
A few meetings with local, state, or regional colleagues
Working with the collection to prepare items for conservation care, digitization, reshelving, shifting shelves, or updating database entries.
Class prep
Working with a donor interested in gifting books to the JMRBR or Hardin
Processing gift books
Research on a book or topic
Writing (usually for the JMRBR or Hardin newsletters)
Updating the JMRBR website
Project or exhibit prep
Professional development (usually a virtual webinar)
Working with a researcher interested in JMRBR materials
Consulting with a clinical researcher about their project
Working on a systematic or other review
A reference desk shift

Interested in visiting the John Martin Rare Book room for research or fun? In-person or Zoom appointments are available. Want to host a class here? Need help with your historical medical research? Contact Damien by email or phone (319-335-9154).

Sep 15 2021

New Acquisition | John Martin Rare Book Room | Bleuland, Otium academicum

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

BLEULAND, JAN (1756-1838) Otium academicum : continens descriptionem speciminum nonnullarum partium corporis humani et animalium subtilioris anatomiae ope in physiologicum usum praeparatarum, aliarumque, quibus morborum organicorum natura illustratur. [Academic leisure: containing a description of several specimens of the human body and of exact animal anatomy prepared for use in physiology, and containing a description of other items with which the nature of organic diseases is illustrated]. Printed in Utrecht by Johannes Altheer in 1828. 168 pages. 37 color illustrations and 35 black and white illustrations. 29 cm tall.

Otium academicum is Bleuland’s catalog for his extensive anatomical collection that was purchased for the University of Utrecht in 1826. It includes descriptions for over 2,000 specimens and 72 beautifully printed illustrations. Domenico Bertolini Meli’s 2017 book, Visualizing Disease is an exceptional book with a thorough investigation into Bleuland’s process, both pathologically and illustratively. Bertolini also provides a good description of the differences between intaglio printing (e.g., engraving or etching lines onto a metal plate) and lithography (ink on a stone surface).

“Otium academicum consists of three parts dealing with anatomy and physiology, comparative anatomy, and pathological anatomy, respectively; they appeared in twelve installments between 1826 and 1828. The illustrations of the first two parts include thirty-six copper engravings printed in color and finished by hand; those of the third part consists of thirty-five black-and-white lithographs and one color engraving; the exceptional pathological plate in color will be discussed below.

The separation between physiological and pathological sections, with his distinction between color engravings versus black-and-white lithographs, is quite striking; all his plates, though, relied on preparations…While striking for the preparation and printing techniques, the overall impression of Bleuland’s colored plates is affected by the artificial look of the images: although Bleuland often rejoiced at the beauty of his colored injections, his colors look like implausible renderings of what an anatomist may find in the morgue, though they were possibly true to his preparations.

The scope of his physiological and comparative sections, as in previous publications, was to highlight the physiological significance of his structural findings; in this respect, by highlighting the fine vascular structure, or what he called the anatomia subtiliore, in the tunics and membranes of his preparations, his presentation was perfectly suitable…

Lithography was the preferred medium for pathology presumably for reasons of cost, because most preparations were not colored through injections, and because the versatility of lithography enabled the artist effectively to capture the key features, such as changes in structure and especially texture. A notable feature of Bleuland’s work is that he often tells us how his preparations were made, which vessels he injected, which colors he used, how slowly he injected them, and at times which substance he used, such as mercury.”(p. 90)

“…lithography: by drawing with an oily crayon on the [stone] slab, wetting it, and then applying a sponge dipped in ink, only the portions drawn by the crayon turned black, because the ink was repelled by the water but had an affinity to oily substances. In this way the stone could be used for printing by repeating the same process as many times as one wished.

Whereas in a woodcut the inked image was in relief and in an intaglio print it was recessed, in lithography it was on the surface or at the same level as the plate, hence the technical term of”planographic prints”; unlike intaglio prints, lithographs left virtually no mark of the stone on the paper….eventually lithography allowed for considerable subtleness in tone and effectiveness in representing textures. In addition, the process was simpler, cheaper, and more direct than producing intaglio prints, corrections were easier, and more copies could be printed without wear…” (p. 21) Bertoli, Visualizing Disease, 2017.

The book is in great condition. The paper has very little staining and the images are stunning. It is bound with a leather spine covering and marbled paper. It is an excellent example of a medical scientist maximizing the printing technology of the day to present their work and visual arguments as effectively, and beautifully, as possible.

If you are interested in seeing these or any other rare materials, please contact Damien Ihrig at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154 to arrange a visit in person or over Zoom.

image of plant and information from blog post

Jan 06 2021

John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library Open By Appointment During Winter Break | Zoom or In-Person

Posted on January 6, 2021March 16, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

Anyone may make an appointment to use the John Martin Rare Book Room from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday. You may make an in-person appointment or our curator can meet your via Zoom and show you materials online.

To make an appointment:

email curator damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu OR
call 319-335-9154

The John Martin Rare Book Room will be open during Winter Break except on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Access to the John Martin Rare Book Room is available to the public as well as University of Iowa affiliates.

black and white image of Vero Rose Smith, white woman wearing scarf in front of map of Iowa City by Christopher Hunter

Nov 23 2020

Medical Arts: Teaching Art History Through The John Martin Rare Book Room – Video of Talk by Vero Rose Smith

Posted on November 23, 2020March 16, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

Watch a recording of Vero Rose Smith’s talk on November 11, 2020
Medical Arts: Teaching Art History Through The John Martin Rare Book Room

For the past eight years, students enrolled in art history and studio arts courses explored the holdings of the John Martin Rare Book Room. Here, they pored over weeping welts, ballooning wombs, and plants tantalizingly teetering between poisonous and medicinal.

Aspiring medical professionals found an invitation into art historical thinking. Burgeoning artists found inspiration in the precision of anatomical representation achieved centuries ago, & budding historians wondered at the trajectories of language and scientific understanding.

Vero Rose Smith is an artist, curator, and educator. In the studio, Smith makes climate change personal through data-driven installations and performances. In the gallery, Vero produces community-focused exhibitions and participatory art experiences.

Recording (43 minutes)
Vero Rose Smith’s website

photo of Damien Ihrig, white man, in front of a bookcase

Jun 29 2020

Welcome Damien Ihrig, Curator, John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

Posted on June 29, 2020March 16, 2021 by Sarah Andrews

Hardin Library for the Health Sciences is happy to welcome Damien Ihrig to the Hardin staff! He comes to the library as the Curator for the John Martin Rare Book Room and has a long history of working in higher education, including medical education.

Damien recently completed his Master’s in Library Science from the University of Iowa, but previously worked in the UI Colleges of Education and Medicine, most recently as the Registrar in the Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum. He also completed a Certificate in Book Studies from the UI Center for the Book, focusing on the materiality of special and archival collections. Damian is excited to be working with such a distinguished collection at the John Martin Rare Book Room, tackling health science users’ reference questions, and helping out the Hardin team.

Currently, his free time is spent enjoying quarantine his wife, two children, and new puppy. His other interests include running, hiking, biking, games and puzzles, and of course, reading.

Oct 02 2018

Guido Guidi | October 2018 Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room @Hardin Library

Posted on October 2, 2018February 1, 2019 by Sarah Andrews

GUIDO GUIDI (1508-1569). Chirurgia è Graeco in Latinum conversa. Paris: Excudebat Petrus Galterius, 1544

Guidi, a successful Florentine surgeon, was invited to Paris in 1542 to help the French King Francis I apply medical advances of the Italian Renaissance to French medicine. Francis appointed Guidi his personal physician and chair of surgery at the Collège de France. Upon the death of Francis I in 1547, Guidi was recalled to Italy by Cosimo I, ruler of Tuscany, and became his personal physician and professor of philosophy and medicine at Pisa.

When Guidi came to Paris, he brought with him a copy of a tenth-century Greek surgical manuscript as a gift for the French monarch. Guidi was able to complete his Latin translation and commentary on the manuscript and published this work. The book is a compilation of what was then known about treating wounds and fractures, especially war wounds. Most of the book is devoted to Hippocrates’ writings on ulcers, fistulas, and head wounds with Guidi’s commentaries and observations, and Galen’s commentaries on Hippocrates’ works on fractures and joints.

The artist of this book is thought to be Francesco Salviati and was formerly attributed to artist Francesco Primaticcio. This book is often considered to be the finest textbook of surgery printed in the 16th century.

image of bandaging head wounds from book — Guido Guidi (Florence 1509–1569 Pisa)
Chirurgia è Graeco in Latinum conversa, Vido Vidio Fiorentino interprete, 1544
French,
Printed book with 210 woodcut illustrations; Overall: 14 3/4 x 10 x 1 15/16 in. (37.4 x 25.4 x 5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947 (47.21)
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/351242

You may view this book in the John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. Make a gift to the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences by donating online or setting up a recurring gift with The University of Iowa Foundation.

View a digitized reproduction of this book from Gallica.

The University of Iowa Libraries

Need to Know

Tag: John Martin Rare Book Room