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.

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.

MedChi and the National Anthem

Today marks the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore and the subsequent writing of the American National Anthem. One of the founders of the Medical & Chirurgical Faculty, now known as MedChi, played a pivotal role in its writing.

Dr. William Beanes, one of the 101 Founders, was a physician/farmer in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. As the British moved up the shores and waters of the Potomac River, the soldiers camped at Beanes' farm. On their way back from burning the capital, they again camped at his farm. They were jubilant after their victory, and stole a pig to celebrate.

Dr. Beanes thought that was a violation of his agreement with the British, and arrested one of them. He was then arrested by the commander of the British Army and taken by boat down the Potomac and up the Chesapeake towards Baltimore. The British planned to burn and bomb Baltimore into oblivion like they did in Washington.

A young lawyer, Francis Scott Key, nephew of MedChi's first president, was given the job of negotiating with the British for Dr. Beanes' release. As the boat Key and Beanes were on moored off of Fort McHenry, they watched the Fort being bombed for 25 straight hours. 

When the sun rose on the morning of September 14, Key and Beanes could see that "the flag was still there" and Key began to write the poem that eventually became our National Anthem. 

In summary, if Dr. Beanes had not been arrested, and if Beanes' friend, Upton Scott, MedChi's first President, hadn't had a nephew who was a lawyer, then neither of these two men would have been in the Baltimore harbor, and the anthem would not have been written. 

To watch a short video about MedChi's role in writing the National Anthem, please click here to go to the MedChi Museum and Archives' YouTube channel. While you're there, we have several other videos about our history and some of our early accomplishments.

If you would like to make a contribution to support MedChi's Museum and Archives, please click here. 

World Premiere! The Museum and Archives YouTube Channel!

For the past several months, I have been working on a series of twelve videos, and I have just created a YouTube channel, MedChi Museum and Archives, which will eventually feature all twelve of these video. Right now, there are only eight on-line, but expect the additional four or five shortly.

Here are the videos and links to them:

1. Our Founding Link

2. The First Meeting Link

3. The War of 1812 Link

4. The Napoleon Chest Link

5. The First Dental School Link

6. Sir William Osler, MD Link

7. Max Brödel, Medical Illustrator Link

8. What's in a Name? Link

Each video is about five minutes long, so I hope you will either watch them in one go, or dip in and out and watch a few at a time.

Let me know what you think!

Some Personal News

After working on the History of Medicine in Maryland part time for the past ten years (I was Director of Development for the rest of the time), I will be doing History full time for the foreseeable future. 

Among the tasks I have set for myself are:

• Maintain, manage, and expand the Museum, including the Rare Book Room
• Source specific items relevant to MedChi and the Museum
• Seek funding sources specific to the Museum’s needs
• Establish a Museum Advisory Committee to meet twice a year, and on ad hoc basis
• Plan new exhibits
• Conduct scheduled and un-scheduled tours
• Curate MedChi’s art and ephemera collections
• Create additional videos for the Museum (original plan - 12 videos/eight finished)
• Source in-kind donations for the Museum
• Research and write regular posts for the MedChi Archives Blog, and maintain the site
• Provide information to the social media staff for history of medicine items.
• Submit history articles for Maryland Medicine magazine
• Research, write and publish biography of Marcia Crocker Noyes
• Continue the association with American Osler Society via membership and conferences.
• Staff the History of Medicine Committee 
• Meet with scholars and researchers who want access to our non-digitized items
• Respond to member and non-member requests for historical information
• Be a resource for outside historians.
• Adhere to the American Association of Museums’ gift acceptance guidelines
• Finish digitizing the 1930-1950 Medical Bulletins and post on-line
• Apply to the National Archives for a grant to preserve the archives, including climate control and security of the Krause and Rare Book Rooms
• Schedule Ghost Tours for outside groups, including the Halloween Tours, the BSO (we have donated a Ghost Tour to their 2024 Silent Auction) and others
• Create a resource file and master index to item locations.

It's an ambitious list and if there is anything you are interested in helping with, please let me know!

I also have a new office - it's Marcia Crocker Noyes' original office, just off the Krause Room. So maybe she will be sitting close to me as I work on her biography. 

Save the Date: 2024 Hunt History of Medicine Lecture

When we were considering topics for the 2024 Thomas E. Hunt, Jr., M.D. History of Medicine in Maryland, among the obvious ones was our 225th Anniversary this year. We have actually talked about this for a few years in anticipation, and now that it's finally here, this is the topic!

MedChi's 176th President, Benjamin H. Lowentritt, will present the lecture "From Leeches to Lasers" an overview of MedChi's history, and medicine in Maryland over the course of 225 years.

More details will be forthcoming as we move closer to the date of the event, but if you'd like to RSVP in the meantime, click here. 

What Happened to Osler Hall

For years, actually, ever since I started working at MedChi, I've wondered what happened to Osler Hall. The front hall, leading to Osler Hall is beautifully finished, with marble stairs, elaborate wood millwork and trim, and an overall elegant look. 

However, when one enters Osler Hall, all of that elegance falls away. We upgraded it a few years ago, re-hanging the portrait collection, and adding chair-rails, trim around the doors, and a new two-color paint job.

I wondered for years why the room, named for our most illustrious member, was so absolutely plain. In 1909, when the building was finished, Sir William Osler came from Oxford, England for its opening. He was so pleased that the large hall had been named for him. 

But what happened in the 50 years after the building opened to such fanfare, and why was Osler Hall the worst room in the place?

Finally, I found a clue. It was a bronze plaque that mentioned the "reconstruction" of the building and had a date of April 6, 1963 on it. 

So what was the reconstruction all about? Was there a fire? Something catastrophic that happened? I decided to see what I could find, so I started with the 1963 Maryland Medical Journal, which, naturally, only had its index on-line. After flipping through April, and then May, I didn't find anything.

So I went back a year and checked the 1962 Medical Journal, also not on-line! Finally, there it was! In the Transactions section, an entire article outlined what had happened. 

Once the building hit its 50th Anniversary in 1959, the members thought that the building might need some renovations. They added an elevator, refurbished the kitchen, reshaped some offices, and then "refreshed" Osler Hall. Obviously, this was when the architect decided to make the space mid-century modern by removing all of the classical details which made the room unique. 

Out went all of the trim. Out went the flooring. Out! Out! Out! But what they added were folding floor-to-ceiling room dividers capable of separating the room into smaller sections. However, I can't imaging that sitting in a room (with smokers) which didn't have any ventilation. 

The room had a drop ceiling, which we've since found out doesn't have ANY insulation, resulting in the room being chilly in the winter and hot during the summer. Additionally, all of the portraits were hung from black wires from the top of the walls.

The architect, Henry P. Hopkins, talks about streamlining the room to make it modern and cozy. For a long time, it was painted a very dull pale green and all of the county flags were in the front of the room. The dais, which you can see in the picture above, was expanded with several different woods, so it was repainted during the 2017 renovation. (Click here)

While Osler Hall wasn't destroyed by fire or catastrophe, it was destroyed in the name of progress and MCM architecture.

Poisonous Books!

Did you know that some books are actually poisonous? According to a recent article in the Washington Post, green books, printed around the Victorian era, can actually be quite poisonous due to the dyes used to color the cloth covers of the volumes. 

The University of Delaware started the Poison Book Project in 2022 "to identify books still in circulation that were produced using the toxic pigments." The most dangerous of these pigments was arsenic! 

The Washington Post had a big article highlighting the dangers of these special books, and giving advice for how to take care of them so they don't harm the reader. 

The green books are not the only dangerous ones. Chrome yellow is another on the list.

I am pretty sure we have some books bound in green cloth, although I will have to scour the stacks. Apparently, it's only a vivid shade of green, mostly with elaborate illustrations on the covers, not the early 1900's medical journals that we have.

Thanks to the Washington Post, the University of Delaware and the Winterthur Museum for the photos!

Tee Off for 225!

 

Join MedChi and the Center for a Day of Golf!

MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society and the Center for a Healthy Maryland, the Foundation of MedChi, are pleased to announce Tee Off to Celebrate 225, a golf tournament in honor of MedChi's 225th Anniversary!

Join us at Renditions Golf Club in Davidsonville, Maryland on Monday, September 9th, and the check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. and the shotgun start begins at 9:00 a.m. Each player receives breakfast, complimentary beverages, a mid-course snack, a networking luncheon and a swag bag! All funds will go towards the Center for a Healthy Maryland's important work on ensuring the health of all Marylanders! So, grab your golf clubs and let’s make a difference together.

To register to play individually, or as a foursome, please click here or on the graphic above. 

A Swap Seven Years in the Making!

It was almost exactly seven years ago, when the University of Maryland's Medical School Alumni Association proposed a swap of a portrait they had, for a copy of a portrait we had in our collection. 

We were thisclose to making the swap, when we discovered a letter from the 1850s that mentioned if UM ever wanted to "deaccession" the painting, they had to clear it with the families who commissioned it.

Since this wasn't realistic, we put things on hold. 

Fast forward seven years, Davidge Hall is undergoing a major renovation, and the portrait needed to find a new home.

The portrait is of a man named Tristram Thomas, one of the 101 founders of MedChi. We already have two small portraits of Tristram, but the one from UM would be an amazing addition to our art collection.

First, it measures eight by five-and-a-half feet!!! He was a tall man, with sloping shoulders, and always carried a gold-headed cane. 

But the catch was that he had no association or affiliation with the University of Maryland. He never attended the school. He did not lecture there. He was not a professor there. So, the question is why was his portrait given to the University. We haven't found any information on this.

The swappee was John Crawford, one of the original vaccinators, who was closely affiliated with the University in its earliest days.

John's brother was also a vaccinator and would send threads which had been soaked in smallpox to America. John would re-hydrate them and making a small nick between a person's thumb and forefinger, run the thread through the nick.

Our portrait of Crawford is a charcoal drawing, done in the early 1900s, most likely after an earlier portrait. We had it scanned in a high resolution and printed for the University's collection. 

Oddly enough, we had the Tristram painting here at MedChi from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s, when we gave it back to the University of Maryland for some reason!

Yesterday, on possibly one of the hottest days of the year, we moved Tristram back to MedChi, a distance of just a mile or so.

We also took Crawford to his new home at the Davidge Hall.

Each man is now where he belongs and everyone's happy!

Happy 4th!

Marcia and the Staff at 
MedChi and the 
Center for a Healthy Maryland

Wish You a Safe and Happy

Independence Day! 

Diploma Signed by Benjamin Rush Auctioned

A few weeks ago, I spotted an interesting item at a local auction. It was a medical school diploma signed by Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), who was, in addition to being a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a medical pioneer.

Benjamin Rush by Charles Wilson Peale

After graduating from what is now Princeton University at age 14, Rush was also a physician, politician, civic leader in Philadelphia, social reformer, educator, and founder of Dickenson College in Pennsylvania. One of his greatest contributions to medicine was the establishment of a public dispensary, or clinic for low-income patients. 

Dr. Rush is mentioned several times in the Annals of Maryland Medicine, published in 1899 by Eugene Cordell, and trained a number of physicians who practiced in Maryland. 

This is the diploma, which was issued to someone named Benjamin Sedwick from the Philadelphia Medical Society in 1806. 

This is the description from the auction catalogue:

Description

Benjamin Rush (1745-1813, Signer of Declaration of Independence, medical pioneer and polymath) Part-printed certificate from the Medical Society of Philadelphia, February 12, 1806, issued to Benjamin Sedwick; on vellum, with original ribbon and wax seal (in a protective tin case), 9 1/4 x 13 1/2 in.

The certificate sold for $2,000 plus 6% tax and a 25% buyer's premium.

It Was a Grand Grand Opening!

More than 85 members and friends of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society gathered on Monday, June 3 to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the first meeting in 1799, and to open Phase III of the MedChi Museum of Maryland Medical History. 

The group was entertained by the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra who played classical music from the marble staircase landing.

Then the group gathered in Osler Hall for welcome speeches by CEO, Gene Ransom;

MedChi President, Ben Lowentritt, MD;

Center for a Healthy Maryland President, Steve Rockower, MD;

and Center Executive, Allan Browder.

After this, everyone gathered for a ceremonial ribbon cutting,

complete with a giant pair of scissors.

We were so pleased to feature an exhibit of "Urine and War" courtesy of our friends at the American Urological Association and their fascinating museum in Linthicum, Maryland, which included a panel on Napoleon at Waterloo, coinciding with our display of Napoleon's medical chest from the Battle of Waterloo.

The evening ended with a tour of the building, including the Krause Room and the Stacks, as well as one or two ghost stories, given by Meg Fairfax Fielding, head of the History of Medicine in Maryland.