Horsing Around

As I was shelving books in the Rare Books Room, I found one that really didn't have much anything to do with medicine.

It is the charmingly titled "The Domestic Animal's Friend, or The Complete Virginia and Maryland Farrier, Being a Copious Selection from the Best Treatises on Farriery Now Extant in the United States." Whew! That's quite a title.

The book was published in Winchester, Virginia by J. Foster in 1818.

The book has two illustrations, which look to be woodcuts instead of line engravings.

What's interesting to me is how different the profile of the horse looks in 1818 than a contemporary horse today. 

The skeleton woodcut is in a pull out panel which must have been printed separately from the octavo which made up the rest of the book.  

Honestly, I haven't read the book, so can't comment on its contents, but I found it fascinating that a book on "farriery" is in our library! 

Please Join Us for the Hunt History Lecture

Please Join Us for the Annual Thomas E. Hunt, Jr., M.D. History of Medicine in Maryland Lecture

On Tuesday, October 22, MedChi's 176th President, Benjamin H. Lowentritt, will present the annual Thomas E. Hunt, Jr., M.D. History of Maryland Medicine Lecture "From Leeches to Lasers" an overview of MedChi's history, and medicine in Maryland over the course of 225 years. 

Dr. Lowentritt will discuss the founding of the Medical & Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, why we are called that, early members and milestones, and where we are now. Images from MedChi's extensive archives will illustrate the lecture.

 

The Hunt History of Medicine Lecture

Historic Osler Hall
and
The MedChi Museum of Maryland Medical History

1211 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Maryland  21201

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Light Reception: 5:30 p.m.      Lecture: 6:15 p.m.

Q&A Session: 7:00 p.m.

Free and Paid Parking Available in the Immediate Vicinity

To RSVP, Please Email HERE and indicate whether you will attend in person or virtually, or if you have any questions. 

Another Mystery Solved

In our beautiful Krause Room, there are four busts that look down from the trim that surrounds the room and tops the bookcases. They are about ten feet off the ground, and are a bit difficult to see.

But half of that mystery was recently solved, when searching through an 1899 Maryland Medical Journal article about MedChi’s history. In the article, there was an engraving of a bronze bust with the caption as follows: Engraved from bronze bust in possession of Medical & Chirurgical Faculty. Nathan R. Smith, MD of Baltimore, 1797-1877.

Dr. Smith lived in Baltimore and was selected to become the chair of surgery at the University of Maryland in 1827, commencing an eventful, 50-year career. Considered a bold and skillful operator, Smith was known to his students as “The Emperor.” His removal of a goiter from a patient was the first procedure of its kind in Maryland and only the second thyroidectomy in the country. 

Something about the engraving in the article seemed familiar, so I went to the Krause Room to take close-up images of the busts. Once I spent a few minutes comparing the actual bronze to the engraving of the bronze, I realized that that they were the same person: Nathan Ryno Smith, MD. Interestingly, it looks like there are two small repairs on the bust, one on the top of his head and a smaller one on his clavicle.

As I continued to read the article, I realized another image showed the second of the four busts!

It is John D. Buckler, MD (1785-1866) and again, it’s an engraving from a bust in our collection.

He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1817 and was an adjunct professor of anatomy there, as well. This one was a bit easier because the hairstyles are so similar. 

Two down. Two to go!

MedChi Museum and Archives Now on Instagram!

Well, we have come whipping into the 21st century and set up an Instagram account for the MedChi Museum and Archives. The address is www.instagram.com/medchimuseum/ 

We would love it if you gave us a follow to see what we're doing. As you know, we are always finding interesting things in our collections, and if you follow along on Instagram, you will get a snapshot (haha) of that. The blog will be for longer, more informative posts.

The 2024 Hunt History of Medicine Lecture

One of the highlights of the History Committee's work is the annual Thomas E. Hunt, Jr., MD History of Medicine Lecture. And there was only one topic that we could present this year - Our Own History!

MedChi President, and medical history aficionado, Benjamin H. Lowentritt, MD, FACS, will present this year's lecture on the history of MedChi, "From Leeches to Lasers: 225 Years of Service."

This year's lecture will take place on Tuesday, October 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The evening will begin with a light reception and the lecture will begin at 6:00 p.m. There will be a time for questions and answers after the lecture.

Again this year, we will be presenting the lecture in hybrid form, but hope that you will join us in person and take the opportunity to visit the MedChi Museum of Maryland Medical History. 

When you RSVP, please let us know whether you will be attending in person or via Zoom. Additional details, including parking, will be sent out shortly before the event. If you have any questions, please email Meg Fielding HERE.

We will look forward to seeing at the Hunt Lecture!  

It's Ghost Tour Time!

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that Marcia plays a big role in our history! She was appointed as the first Executive Secretary in 1903 and worked for the "Faculty" from 1896 to 1946. She lived on the premises the entire time!

You may also know that she's still here. Over the past decades, we've discovered items that were not there the day before, seen shadows where there should not have been any, and heard footsteps when no one was around. We, of course, attribute all of the unexplained happenings to our dear Marcia.

With Halloween coming up quickly, we are again hosting the Second Annual Ghost Tours in our historic 1909 offices.

There are no guarantees that you will see Marcia, but there will be a few fun evenings of story-telling, history, and of course, tours of our building which is very rarely open to the public.

Tickets, which are $10 each, are absolutely required, and each evening is limited to 20 guests. Last year, we sold out the two evenings in two hours. The funds raised will support the History of Medicine in Maryland and the various programs associated with it. Scan or click the QR code below to purchase tickets. Tours begin at 6:30 and last about an hour and a half. Free parking is available on the premises.

When you get your ticket, at the end, you will be asked to choose evening you'd like to attend - Monday, Wednesday, or HALLOWEEN, when we suggest coming in costume! Click or scan the image above for tickets.

Dictionaire des Sciences Medicales (1813-1822)

A few weeks ago, I was at an actual live, in-person auction, and a lot of early 1800's French medical dictionaries came up for bid.

There wasn't a lot of interest in them (!), so I snatched them up for a great price. When I got them back to the office, I found that a full set of these books are valued at about $7,200! If you know me, you know I didn't pay that kind of price.

The collection numbered 50 volumes, including two indexes. The books were published by Imprimerie de Panckoucke and edited by C.L.F. Panckoucke between 1813 and 1822. Each volume numbers about 500+ pages, and the volumes aren't evenly divided, but are in sections such as Pht-Plad, or Eau-Emo. 

Most volumes have one or more engravings and some of them have fold-out charts. I have selected some of my favorite illustrations below. 

Polydactyl Hands

Checking the heartbeat

Orthopaedics

Something about a nose

Dwarf

Early Syringe

Although the bookplate illustrated at the top says Transylvania University, most of the other books were marked "The Dudley Heirs" or Walter O. Bullock, who was a physician in the late 1800s. I haven't been able to find anything about the Dudley Heirs.