Welcome to the Medical Historical Library

Meet our first Simbonis Intern!

Emma Brennan-Wydra

We are delighted to share a report on the work of our first Simbonis intern, Emma Brennan-Wydra, who joined the staff in the Medical Historical Library at the end of May 2018.  Emma offered the following glimpses into her life and experiences as our intern.

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Petrus Camper (1722-1789) was an Enlightenment scientist known today for his “facial angle” theory. A skilled draftsman, he illustrated the remarkable foldout plates in this 1791 title Dissertation physique. Later interpretations of Camper’s work promoted scientific racism, though Camper is said to have argued that differences in human skull shape were environmentally based and that aesthetic notions of beauty were a matter of learned habit. #petruscamper #anatomy #anatomicalillustration #anthropology #facialangle #skullshape #medhist #histmed #librariesofinstagram More than 100 years ago Dr. Harvey Cushing began preserving the tumors and brains of his patients with the intention of teaching and learning. Today they continue to inspire questions and research. While most of the 611 brain specimens were restored and transferred from the sub-basement of the Harkness dormitory to the Cushing Center in 2010, the restoration of the remaining 119 specimens was completed this June. This photograph shows the specimens pre-restoration. The process could not have happened without the support of Philip Lapre in Anatomy, the meticulous work of Amedeo Rapuano, research assistant in Neurosurgery, Tony Lopes of Autopsy/Morgue Services, and James D’Addio and his colleagues in Environmental Health and Safety. Thanks to this effort the specimens are still available for research projects today. #cushingcenter #harveycushing #cushing #brains #tumors #neurosurgery #brainregistry #medhist #histmed #historyofmedicine Exposition de Squelettes de differens ages is the title of this plate featuring three fetal skeletons—Fetus de trois mois, Fetus de six mois and Fetus de deux mois (from left to right). From the title Collection depuis André Vesal, jusqu'a nos jours : des plus belles pieces d'anatomie du corps de l'homme et de la femme… (Paris, 1792). #skeleton #fetus #fetalskeleton #squelettes #squelette #anatomy #anatomicalillustration #rarebooks #anatomicalatlas #librariesofinstagram #medhist #histmed Considered one of the greatest works of anatomy ever published, Jean-Baptiste Bourgery (1797-1849) began work on Traité complet de l'anatomie de l'homme… in 1830 and continued for nearly two decades—the eighth and final volume was not published until 5 years after his death. The beautiful illustrations were the work of Nicolas Henri Jacob (1782-1871), a student of French painter Jacques Louis David. #librariesofinstagram #medhist #histmed #nicolashenrijacob #anatomy #anatomical #historyofanatomy #anatomicalatlas #anatomicalillustration #anatomicalart #historyofmedicine