Some Knipp Family Ephemera

One of our favorite members, Dr. Harry Knipp, sent me pictures of some ephemera he'd recently come across as he was packing for a move. You can read about the many generations of physicians in his family here.

From Dr. Knipp:  I found his certificate from Med Chi noting my great-grandfather was a delegate to the AMA in 1900.

My great grandfather’s original membership certificate for MedChi, which if I decode the Roman numerals correctly was dated April 27, 1898 a full 10 years after he finished med school. It’s all in Latin of course. The best I can make out the president’s handwriting looks like Charles M. Ellis and the “scribe” J Williams Lord.

On the left side is a list of names, many of whom we recognize. The interesting thing is that all but the top two names are in Marcia Noyes' writing. At that point, 1898, she would have only worked for the Faculty for two years, but it's an indication of the level of responsibility she had. 

New to me were his and my father's and grandfather's registration certificates to practice in Baltimore City, distinct from their Maryland Board of Medical Examiners licenses. That was a thing of the past by the time I was licensed in 1977.

We thank Dr. Knipp for sharing these precious documents with us! 

More Mencken

You may remember that a few months ago, I found a cache of letters from the noted writer, H.L. Mencken to Max Brödel, the first non-physician member of MedChi. You can read the letters here.

While I was poking around today, I found another Mencken-related piece. Dr. John Ruhräh was a long-time member of MedChi and very active in the organization. 

What I found was a book of Mencken's quotes personally inscribed to Dr. Ruhräh, with Dr. Ruhräh's bookplate, illustrated by Max Brödel, on the front cover. 

I love how this one little book is emblamatic of our town, Smalltimore!   

I did authenticate the Mencken signature by comparing it to other signatures, including one on a letter we have here from Mencken to Marcia Noyes.  

Recent Finds

I was poking around the stacks the other day with our summer intern, and because she's taller than I, she was helping me pull out some of the folio size books on the upper shelves. These tend to be the books illustrated with beautiful engravings. So, I thought I'd share some of the more interesting illustrations, created in 1771 and 1784.

I have to confess that I am completely fascinated by engravings. The skill it takes is incredible. Here's how an engraving is made: 

Engraving is an intaglio printmaking process in which lines are cut into a metal plate in order to hold the ink. In engraving, the plate can be made of copper or zinc. The metal plate is first polished to remove all scratches and imperfections from the surface so that only the intentional lines will be printed. Ink is applied and then lightly wiped off so that it only stays in the carved lines. Paper is applied and with pressure, the ink transfers to it. 

It's the engraving into metal or stone that impresses me, and the skill which it takes to accomplish creating a beautifully-detailed image, and as a mirror image, no less!

Here are a few that I chose. 

Here's the detailed engraving.

This is the title page from another of the books I found. It looks like the printer is the same, but one book has his name as Paulo Mascagni and the other Paulus Mascagnius. Hmmm.

I am fascinated that there are engravings of women and babies in this anatomical book. And these are some pretty healthy looking babies!

Usually, it's just men. Of course, this made me think about the logistics of making the engravings.

In an earlier image in the book, I could discern the word "cadaver" in Latin... The detail in these images is astonishing. 

From the Rare Books

Whew! We finally began shelving the rare books yesterday, literally just un-boxing them onto the shelves. The next step will be cleaning them and arranging them in some sort of order, which is, as yet, undecided. 

A few months ago, we'd purchased six teak bookcases at auction, and I still think that these will be enough to house the 236 books from the collections of John Archer, Upton Scott

and William Osler,

with room left for some of the associated ephemera. 

Here are a few things that I found as we were shelving the books:

The definitive guide to pronouncing Osler's surname. 

John Archer's signature on a 1799 medical journal. 

Upton Scott's signature  on one of his books from 1773.

It was absolutely filthy work, as evidenced by my hands!

Stay tuned for more discoveries!

114 Years This Week!

I know we don't look like it, but our building turns 114 years old this year! 

We did have a bit of a facelift last year, getting all of our bricks repointed which brings out the patterns in our brickwork. Just in case you don't know, our brickwork on the ground floor is in Flemish diaper or diagonal bond, which (obviously) creates a diamond pattern!

The upper floors are in something called Monk Bond, which is more of a vertical pattern.

At first glance, the building seems simple, especially in comparison to our adjacent building, but when you take a close look, as discussed here, the building is fairly ornate. 

The building was opened on May 10, 1909, mainly because that was when Dr. William Osler would be on a trip to the US from Oxford, England, and would be coming to Baltimore to see old friends and give a lecture. It was arranged that the building would open then, and of course, the main room was named in his honor. 

Dr. Osler and a number of luminaries in the city, gathered for the dedication of the building. From Dr. Harvey Cushing's "The Life of Sir William Osler, MD" Volume II, comes the following account of the day. 

A few chapters later, Cushing mentions that Osler spent time with Marcia Noyes, the Faculty's librarian and also a very good friend of Osler's.

To see images of the construction of the building, which we discovered in November of 2022, please click here. 

Thanks to our building for serving us so well and so steadily over the past 114 years. We hope that you stand for 114 more years!

Join Us for UPTOWN NIGHTS with the BSO!

The Center for a Healthy Maryland, MedChi & the BSO invite you to UPTOWN NIGHTS Dinner & A Show. This annual event has been enjoyed by all who have attended. Tour the historic Maryland State Medical Society and see the development of the not-yet-named MedChi Museum, and enjoy a wonderful dinner, before heading across the street to the Joseph Myerhoff Symphony Hall. Beat the Mother's Day crowds on Sunday and bring your mother to this Saturday night concert!

UPTOWN NIGHTS features the brilliant trumpeter/vocalist/conductor Byron Stripling, vocalist Carmen Bradford, and tap dancer Leo Manzari, as well as the entire Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by Harlem’s famed musical hot spots like The Cotton Club and The Savoy, this swingin’ night of musical sensations focuses on Harlem’s heyday when Duke Ellington’s orchestra was the house band, and Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ethel Waters showcased the classics of the Great American Songbook. This event promises to be a swinging good time!

Tickets are $80 per person for members and guests, and $20 per person for students and residents. To purchase tickets, please click here. For information, please click here.

The tour (5:30) and dinner (6:00) are at MedChi's historic headquarters at 1211 Cathedral Street and the Concert (8:00) will take place at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall at 1212 Cathedral Street. Free and paid parking are available in the immediate area, as is public transportation. 

Celebrate Doctors Day!

 

Celebrate National Doctors Day 2023

For Doctors Day, the Center for a Healthy Maryland invites you to make a contribution in honor or memory of a special person or mentor who made an impact on your career. The act of honoring another person is a powerful celebration of their significance.

Your gift can be in honor or in memory of someone who made a monumental contribution or was an inspiring figure. These people touch our lives and make the world a better place and they should be acknowledged. What better way than with a contribution in their name? Please click HERE to make a gift in memory or in honor of the person who was most influential on your medical career or a physician whom you admire. 

A personalized acknowledgement will be sent to the honoree.