Historical Library News
Jan 7, 2013
Portraits of Wounded Bodies: Photographs of Civil War Soldiers from Harewood Hospital, Washington, D.C., 1863-1866 January 16th-April 1st, 2013 Tours open to all on Wed. Jan. 23rd, 4 p.m., and Friday Jan. 25th at noon! One hundred and fifty years ago, the Civil War raged throughout the United States, creating thousands of casualties. On view now, the Medical Historical Library explores Civil War medicine through the haunting photographs of wounded soldiers. Curated by Heidi Knoblauch, a doctoral student in Yale’s Section of the History of Medicine, and Melissa Grafe, John R. Bumstead... Read More
Oct 9, 2012
Medicine at Work: A Selection of Instruments and Materials from the Medical Historical Library September 22nd, 2012-January 13th,2013 Medicine at Work, on view beginning September 22nd in the Rotunda of the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library and foyer of Sterling Hall, exhibits instruments, prints, catalogs, fee bills, and books describing and depicting a variety of medical work. Surgical operations and tools, trepanation, electrotherapy, anesthesia, bandaging, and dissection and toxicology are a sample of some of the medical work that happened in the past, and continue today. This exhibit will... Read More
Oct 2, 2012
On view in the Hallway September 22 through January 14, 2013. Nurses Selected from the Historical Medical Poster Collection and the Collection of Prints and Drawings Dan Smith, U.S.A. 20th century Complete Your Education Then Come With Me c. 1917-1918 Purchased through the John F. Fulton Fund 2010 John Mills U.S.A. active 20th century Help! c.1917-1918 Purchased through the Kent Ellis Fund 2008 F. Samuels Brummer U.S.A. 20th century Take a Red Cross Home Nursing Course c. 1943-1945 Purchased through the John F. Fulton Fund 2010 Doctors are Scarce 1943 for the Office of War... Read More
Jul 5, 2012
On view June 22through September 17 in the Medical Library Foyer. Avoid Fatigue: Eat a Lunch that Packs a Punch! 1943 Published by the War Food Administration United States Department of Agriculture Gift of George M. Smith 1943 During World War II, responsible food habits were promoted as a contribution to the war effort by the U.S. government. The Eat to Beat the Devil series published in 1942 by Servel, Inc., makers of the gas refrigerator, fostered the idea of “eating for victory” and promoted good nutrition as an expression of patriotism. Eat to Beat the Devil 1942 Published... Read More
Jul 2, 2012
"Family Doctor" by Grant Wood and Works by Other Mid 20th Century American Artists on view June 22-September 17 in the library hallwayGrant Wood's iconic lithograph "Family Doctor," for which he used his personal physician as a model, is currently on view with twelve other prints and drawings by American artists. "Family Doctor" by Grant Wood, 1940Lithograph"Children's Ward" by Robert Riggs, c.1940Lithograph
Jun 21, 2012
Maternity Care in Pictures: A Portfolio of 31 Teaching Charts Showing Safe Maternity Care, 1939 Published by the Maternity Center Association on view June 22 through September 17 in the Cushing Rotunda. This set of small posters, shown in its entirety, was designed for parenting classes, waiting rooms, and formal exhibits. Many of the posters employed “photomontage” which combined a photographic image with a drawn background—a “modern” graphic technique which served to reinforce the “modern” message. The Maternity Center Association in New York developed the first classes for... Read More
Apr 10, 2012
The Medical Historical Library recently acquired a collection of over 600 items dating from the late 18th and 19th centuries, including legal documents, correspondence, manuscripts, printed matter and photographs pertaining to the Coleman family of New Jersey. Of particular medical historical interest in this new collection are materials by two Coleman brothers, the Yale-educated physicians Dr. Isaac Pearson Coleman (1804-1869) and Dr. James Beakes Coleman (1805-1887). James and Isaac exchanged over fifty letters in which they share some of their experiences at the newly founded Medical... Read More
Feb 15, 2012
The Medical Historical Library recently acquired a collection of letters by John J. Cushing, one of the first homeopathic physicians in California. Cushing wrote in the 1850s to his family in Providence, Rhode Island from San Francisco, where he set up practice. The collection contains colorful anecdotes about Gold Rush era San Francisco, including some on his experiences as a doctor there. In his letters, Cushing tells how he got barred as a homeopath from the newly formed local Medical Society on account that “the board could not regard my diploma as evidence of my medical education.” The... Read More