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The New York Academy
of Medicine Special Collections
Malloch Room Newsletter 2
The John K. Lattimer Lecture / Medical
Archivists' Exhibit 1991
On October 16th last year, the Medical Archivists Group of Metropolitan
New York opened their latest exhibit, "War and Medicine,
1776-1945: A View From the Archives" at The New York Academy
of Medicine. This was done to coincide with the Fourth John
K. Lattimer Lecture on Historical Medicine, co-sponsored by The
Academy's Section on Historical Medicine and The Medical Archivists Group.
The guest speaker for the evening was Dale C. Smith,
Professor of Medical History at the Uniformed Services University of the
Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Smith's illustrated lecture was entitled "Naval Medicine in the
Two Ocean War." Following the lecture, the guests enjoyed the reception
in the Main Reading Room of the Library while viewing the multi- institutional
exhibit, which explored many aspects of military medicine, from the Revolutionary
through the Second World War.
The exhibit took on a new dimension with the addition of many military
artifacts, generously loaned by Dr. John K. Lattimer
from his well-known private collection. These included Revolutionary,
Civil and Spanish-American War rifles and bayonets, as well as bone fragments
and bullets extracted from wounded soldiers.
The Revolutionary War was our nation's longest running battle. The exhibit
examined the great difficulty in providing adequate medical care during
this conflict. Hospitals and medicine were rudimentary at best. Aside
from gunshot wounds, many soldiers died of smallpox, typhus, dysentery
and malaria. Included in the exhibit were numerous case studies of sick
or injured soldiers.
Military medicine saw little improvement by the time of the War of 1812.
Dysentery and pneumonia caused more deaths than did battle wounds.
During the Civil War, advances in military medicine included an increase
in the number of surgical operations, and the use of chloroform and ether
that made such procedures more tolerable. Despite this progress, gangrene,
fever and infectious diseases continued to cause many deaths.
The exhibit included many remarkable documents from this conflict. Among
them were correspondence from physicians resigning civilian posts to serve
either the Union or the Confederacy, case histories, personal letters
of army physicians and papers concerning the establishment of the United
States Sanitary Commission. Artifacts from the conflict included
medical instruments, bullets removed from soldiers, a belt buckle deformed
by a bullet that apparently saved its wearer's life and several pieces
of weaponry from the Lattimer collection.
During the Spanish-American War, the number of actual military encounters
was small and again, such diseases as typhus and yellow fever far outweighed
battle wounds as the cause of death. Poor sanitary conditions in the tropics
led to the rampant spread of disease. There were 968 battle casualties
and 5,438 deaths from disease.
Valuable medical knowledge came from the suffering of the soldiers in
the Spanish-American War. Walter Reed, a prominent physician-researcher
during the war, uncovered the cause of typhus, and, through controlled
experiments with soldiers, the cause of yellow fever. Among the items
displayed were medical case records and a Krag-Jorgensen repeating rifle
from Dr. Lattimer's collection.
Medical forces faced new challenges during World War I. More powerful
explosives placed greater requirements on the skill of surgeons. Poison
gases accelerated the need for and development of special treatment facilities.
There were many improvements in the treatment of soldiers. Anesthetics,
adherence to sterile environment, and mobility of the medical units all
improved survival of wounded soldiers. For the first time, the number
of dead from combat exceeded those who died from disease.
This section of the exhibit focused on the contributions of the medical
units sent from various New York City hospitals included were photographs
of medical facilities, field hospital reports, and gas masks. The great
contributions made by the army nurse Corps, dentists and African-American
physicians were noted. Participation in the medical corps by blacks was
significantly limited by the prejudices that prevailed.
The World War II portion of the exhibit explored the many changes and
advancements that occurred in the realm of medicine as a result of the
various pressures placed on the field of medicine during the conflict.
A significant impact was made by the introduction of the induction-physical
examination. This comprehensive examination uncovered many potentially
dangerous illnesses that might have otherwise gone undetected. Included
in the medical regimen were routine dental care and access to psychiatric
treatment. In fact, psychiatry gained increased prominence as a result
of its proven value during World War II.
Funding for medical research was greatly increased during the war. The
United States government became the largest funder of biomedical research
during this time. In the past, most research had been supported by private
organizations. Although many drugs were developed during World War II,
the advent of penicillin and use of antibiotics were probably the most
significant advancement at the time.
Medical education was affected by World War II. Qualified doctors and
nurses were in great demand both in military and civilian life. To fill
this need, medical schools increased enrollments and shortened their academic
year, admitting a new class every nine months. Internships were reduced
from one year to nine months, thereby more rapidly expanding the pool
of qualified physicians. Many schools broadened admission policies to
include women. Nursing schools also expanded enrollments and increased
their scholarship funds to bring in more potential students.
During the war many major United States hospitals were asked to set
up affiliated hospital units overseas. Many New York hospitals complied,
including Bellevue, New York and Mount Sinai Hospitals. The exhibit contained
memorabilia and photographs from these units. The display also included
pins and ribbons that once belonged to medical officers; photographs of
army nurses, doctors and patients; Red Cross service artifacts and a first
aid kit.
Balneology Exhibit 1991
The Malloch Room offered its visitors an escape from the summer heat
with a refreshing and restorative exhibit entitled "Taking The Waters:
The History of Bath- ing and Spas." Drawing upon its rich collection
of balneo- logy works, the exhibit chronicled the transformation of bathing
from a simple hygienic measure into a therapeutic activity, with the subsequent
establishment of the spa.
The first written record of bathing appears in Homer's Odyssey.
By the time of Hippocrates bathing had come to be viewed as a form of
therapy in which the bodily humors could be adjusted to bring them into
harmony. Asclepiades and Celsus, physicians who practiced in Rome in the
first century B.C. and the first century A.D., respectively, recommended
cold and warm baths for the pre- vention of disease and for healing the
sick. Some of the most celebrated spas of antiquity were Baiae, in the
Bay of Naples, Baden in what is now Switzerland, and Bath, En- gland.
Antonius Musa is called the founder of hydrotherapy because in 23 B.C.,
as physician to Augustus, he cured the emperor of a liver ailment by prescribing
cold baths.
Hemiambia Dimetra Catalectica. In Thermas Pythias Latine Facta
Epico Carmine, written by Paulus Silentarius in the 6th century,
reflects the bathing practices of the ancients. Our copy was published
in 1586 in Venice. Hieronymus Mercurialisis' De Arte Gymnastica...,
(Venice, 1573) is a study of the athletic pursuits of the ancients.
It includes many descriptions and illustrations of the bathing establishments
in Athens, which were usually attached to the gymnasia so highly prized
by the Grecian youth.
The later Middle Ages was a period of active interest in hydrotherapy.
Bathing was considered a cure for scabies, gout, rheumatism, malaria and
"female disorders." The greatest blow to the popularity of spas came at
the end of the fifteenth century with the alarming spread of syphilis,
thought to have been fostered through infection in the baths. Nevertheless,
a great number of balneological writings were produced during this period.
The Renaissance saw the advent of a scientific approach to bathing: waters
required a careful analysis before they could be prescribed as treatment.
Patients often brought one or two doctors with them to the baths.
The first work on balneology to appear in print was a treatise on the
waters of Porretta by Gentilis De Fulgineo, first published in Venice
in 1473. This tract appears in a collection of works entitled De
Balneis..., (Venice, 1553.) It includes the writings of more than
seventy authorities on balneology, such as Avicenna, Savonarola, Petrus
de Abano and Celsus. Another classic work on mineral waters is Andrea
Bacci's De Thermis Libri Septem, (Venice, 1571). Other important
works from this period include Sommario De L'Osservationi De L'Acque
de La Porretta by Giovanni Zecchio, (Bologna, 1576,) Balneis
Et Eorum Usu... by Hugo Fridaevallius, (Douai, 1565,) and the first
Latin edition of Tomas Jordan's De Aquis Medicatias Moraviae...,
(Frankfurt, 1586.)
Spas reached the height of their popularity in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, and therefore became extremely competitive. Spa physicians
went to great lengths to lure the public into their establishments, citing
the virtues of the water and its curative powers. As a result, they would
often find themselves in heated debates with the chemists, who questioned
these claims. The new interest in the scientific analysis of the mineral
waters was partially a response to the changing moral attitude toward
bathing. The common indulgence in pleasureful unisex bathing in the sixteenth
century had come to be viewed as immoral and unhealthy. Works such as
William Simpson's Hydrological Essayes, Or, A Vindication of Hydrologia
Chymica... (London, 1670,) and Edward Jordan's A Discourse
of Natural Bathes..., (London, 1673), provided detailed scientific
and technical information on the mineral waters. The collection includes
a number of other works of this genre, including Joseph Browne's An
Account of The Wonderful Cures Perform'd By The Cold Baths, (London, 1707,)
and Mathieu De Dombasle's Essai Sur L'Analyse Des Eaux Naturelles...,
(Paris, 1810).
As the popularity of the spas increased, patrons were faced with worsening
conditions in the baths. A number of satirical poems were written about
filth and overcrowding, such as The Diseases of Bath. A Satire,
(London, 1737).
By the middle of the eighteenth century, the popularity of the spa had
reached the United States. This eventually led to the appearance in American
cities of a new establishment, the commercially operated public bathhouses.
The nineteenth century saw the appearance of Vincent Priessnitz's "cold
water cure," or hydrotherapy, which revolutionized bathing practices.
This treatment, consisting of a variety of baths, wet compresses, steam,
water massage, and copious drinking of cold water, became extremely popular
with the Victorians, both in Europe and America. Richard Beamish's The
Cold Water Cure... (London, 1843), presents case studies that proved
the validity of this therapy. Simon Baruch's The Principles and
Practices of Hydrotherapy, (New York, 1899), became the classic
in its field. Baruch strongly endorsed the establishment of public baths
in the city, and devoted his life to urban reform. Fowler and Wells'
Water Cure Library, (New York, 1855), is a comprehensive seven-volume
work that describes in great detail the use of hydrotherapy to treat a
variety of illnesses.
As bathing became more popular in the home, and as medical specialization
grew, spas ceased to be the centers of therapeutic treatment. These restorative
centers, once so highly praised by the ancients, became what they are
today: vacation retreats, offering respite from the stress and strain
of modern life, for those who can pay the price.
Acquisitions of 1991
This year Special Collections added a number of significant works to
its holdings. Philosophiae ad Athenienses, drey Bucher (Cologne,
1564), is a first printing of Paracelsus' important treatise on
the cause and cure of epilepsy, and his observations on the contractions
of paralysis. Was die Pestilentz an ir selbs sey... (Augsburg, 1535),
is a tract on plague issued in response to the Augsburg Epidemic of 1533.
Written by eight of the city's leading medical experts, it focuses on
prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease. A Treatise
on the Diseases of Tradesmen (London, 1705), is the first English
translation of Bernardino Ramazzini's classic work on industrial medicine.
Also noteworthy:
- Vaclav Trnka z Krovic. Historia Ophthalmiae Omnis Aevi observata
Medica Continens (Vienna, 1783), the first edition of the first
history of ophthalmology.
- A two-volume collection of theses from the Montpellier Medical School
(Montepellier, 1797-98)
- Giambattista della Porta. Delle Celeste Fisonomia (Padua, 1616),
a sequel to his De Humana Physiognomai an interesting treatise
on celestial physiognomy.
- Cornelius Walford. A Statistical Chronology of Plagues and Pestilences
(London, 1884), one of a limited edition of 100, it chronicles
the Plague from 2500 BC to 1882.
- Hippocrate Depaise: Ov la Version Paraphrasee de Ses Aphorismes
(Paris, 1654), a highly idiosyncratic vernacular version of Hippocrates'
Aphorisms cast as poetry and proverbs by the physician and
poet M. L[ouis] F[ontenettes].
Balneology Works
Special Collections added to its wealth of material on spas and bathing
with eight new items, some of which appeared in the Balneology Exhibit
this summer. They include De Aquis Medicatus Moraviae, Commentariolus
(Frankfurt, 1586), Tomas Jordan's work on the renowned mineral
waters of Moravia, Hugo Fridaevallius' De Balneis et Eorum Usu...
(Douai, 1565) on balneotherapy and Catalogue Raisonne dees
Ouvrages qui ont ete publies sur les eaux minerales en general (Paris,
1785), a bibliography and description of the mineral waters of
each province of France, compiled by Joseph B.F. Carrere.
Acquisitions Through The Friends of the Rare Book Room
The generosity of the Friends enabled Special Collections
to acquire three very important works. Underrattelser om barn-sjukdomar
och deras bote-medel (Stockholm, 1764) is an extremely rare first
edition of Rosen von Rosenstein's book, the first to highlight pediatrics
as a specialty. Also noteworthy is a collection of six manuscript documents,
written in England between the 16th and 19th centuries. They include two
16th century prescriptions, a death certificate of Rowland Faward (6 July
1654), and two Acts of Quarantine issued in 1783, ordering the isolation
of incoming sea traffic in an attempt to arrest the spread of the plague
from the Crimea and Tartary. The third Friends' gift, Antonio Scarpa's
atlas Icones ad Osteologiam et Osteopathologiam nuper editis (Pavia,
1801) is illustrated with fine engravings, which are models of
anatomic representation.
Donations
Mr. William Helfand donated a collection of ephemera
relating to the history of pharmacy. Color lithographs, which date between
1865-1935, include advertising trade cards and almanacs distributed by
manufacturers for the purpose of promoting their products. They were valued
and collected not only for their beauty, but also because they often provided
medical advice and general information.
In honor of Dr. Margit Freund-Klemperer, Dr. Saul Jarcho
donated a first edition of Richard Bright's travelogue Travels from
Vienna through lower Hungary... (Edinburgh, 1818). The work details
the author's journey as a young physician between 1814-1815. Bright was
known for his keen powers of exact observation, and always maintained
a great love for travel.
Staff Activities
Ann Pasquale, the Head of Special Collections, was
a guest speaker at The City University Graduate Center on October 25th.
The event was the Fourth Biennial Conference on The Medieval City and
Its Image, sponsored by The Medieval Studies Certificate Program. The
subject of this interdisciplinary conference, attended by approximately
200 scholars, was "Health and Disease in the Medieval City."
Ms. Pasquale's talk was entitled "From Albertus Magnus to Zodiac Man:
A Selection of Manuscripts and Incunabula From The New York Academy of
Medicine Library." A slide presentation was included. Drawing from
the rich collection of medieval manuscripts, and from the 145 incunabula
in the Library, she presented a summation of the major events and figures
in medieval medicine, science, printing and illustration. A number of
the conference attendees were surprised and delighted to learn about the
Academy's holdings in these areas, and many expressed an interest in visiting
The Library.
Special Collections welcomed the sixth grade class of P.S. 130
in Brooklyn, for a show-and-tell of some of the treasures in
the collection. Accompanied by their teacher, Mr. Joshua Sky, and several
parents, the children expressed delight and interest in the Edwin Smith
Surgical Papyrus, our beautiful Guy de Chauliac illuminated manuscript,
the Fleming Penicillin mold, George Washington's tooth and denture, and
the medieval leper's clapper. They were especially intrigued by the famous
hairball. During their one- hour visit, they learned new vocabulary words,
such as "manuscript," "herb," and "antibiotic." The staff was both surprised
and thrilled by the depth of the students' questions. We are eager to
encourage and nurture interest in science and medicine in school children,
and hope to extend invitations to other school groups in the future.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MARCH 18th, 6:30 P.M. Section on Historical Medicine in cooperation
with The Metropolitan Opera Archives. "Enrico Caruso: New
Historical Perspectives on His Career, His Health and His Final Illness."
For more information contact: The Office of Medical Education, 876-8200,
extension 235.
MAY 12th, 4:00 P.M. The Friends of The Rare Book Room Annual
Meeting, Exhibit and Reception. Contact: Linda Gardin, 876-8200
extension 300.
BECOME A FRIEND OF THE RARE BOOK ROOM!
Through the years the Friends of The Rare Book Room
have made it possible for us to acquire many unique and important items
that have enriched our collection of rare medical and scientific works.
Your donation will ensure not only the continued acquisition of historically
significant material, but will also help us to maintain our commitment
to medical- historical research and scholarship. Help us to get our 1992
campaign off to an exciting start by completing the membership form on
the back of this newsletter. For more information on becoming a Friend
of The Rare Book Room, please contact Linda Gardin, 876-8200 extension
300.
Friends of the Rare Book Room (1991)
The Library gratefully acknowledges the support it has received
from both old and new Friends in 1991. The names of Friends who send their
contributions after January 31, 1992 will be listed in subsequent issues
of the newsletter.
Life Friends
Mrs. Gertrude L. Annan; Mrs. Arthur J. Barsky; Henrik Bendixen, M.D.;
Howard Berk, M.D.; Alice Bernheim, M.D.; Alfred N. Brandon; John H. Brandt,
M.D.; Martha L. Bulkley; William N. Hubbard, Jr., M.D.; Marietta Morchand;
Harold Phillips, C.P.A.; Richard B. Stark, M.D.
Contributing Friends
Robert M. Braude, Ph.D.; Robert J. Campbell, M.D.; Paul F. Cranefield,
M.D.; Eugene S. Flamm, M.D.; Richard F. Grady, M.D.; Marjorie Lewisohn,
M.D.; J. William Littler, M.D.; Albert S. Lyons, M.D.; Stephen Nordlicht,
M.D.; Patrick F. O'Leary, M.D.; A.W. Orlandella, M.D.; Milton Reisch,
M.D.; Thomas P. Sculco, M.D.; William D. Sharpe, M.D.; Joseph V. Terenzio,
Ph.D.; George E. Wantz, Jr., M.D.; Philip D. Wilson, Jr., M.D.
Sustaining Friends
Heracleo M. Alabado, M.D.; Dennis L. Bernardini, M.D.; Emile J. Buscicchi,
M.D.; Eric T. Carlson, M.D.; Anne C. Carter, M.D.; Seymour Cohen, M.D.;
Norman Deane, M.D.; Alvin M. Donnenfeld, M.D.; Ralph L. Engle, Jr., M.D.;
Morris Feldstein, M.D.; Carlo Henze, M.D.; James Hinz; Mark Kanzer, M.D.;
Helen L. Kleinwechter; Lee Albert Krimmer; Edith L. Kristeller, M.D.;
Louis Linn, M.D.; Ashton B. Morrison, M.D.; Campbell Moses, M.D.; Luigia
Norsa, M.D.; Norman Orentreich, M.D.; Robert Lee Patterson, Jr., M.D.;
Bruce J. Ramer; Blair O. Rogers, M.D.; David S. Schechter, M.D.; Harold
Schulman, M.D.; Arthur N. Tessler, M.D.; Max Trubek, M.D.; Joseph Brennan
Walsh, M.D.
Annual Friends
Abram J. Abeloff, M.D.; Evelyn Ackerman, Ph.D.; Lawrence K. Altman,
M.D.; Richard B. Arkway; Lee Ash; Jay G. Barnett, M.D.; Lillian Batlin,
M.D.; Alexander Bearn, M.D.; Howard T. Bellin, M.D.; Bry Benjamin, M.D.;
Lawrence Berger, M.D.; Viola W. Bernard, M.D.; Louis S. Blancato, M.D.;
Harry Bloch, M.D.; Alan Bloom, M.D.; Philip Mac I. Bourland, M.D.; Stanley
E. Bradley, M.D.; John T. Brennan, Jr., M.D.; Melvin Bronstein, M.D.;
Howard G. Bruenn, M.D.; Mary Cole Childs; Noel L. Cohen, M.D.; Frank H.
Constantine, M.D.; David L. Cowen, Ph.D.; Joseph E. Davis, M.D.; Luke
Demaitre, Ph.D.; Donald G. Dickson, M.D.; Wilbur G. Downs, M.D.; Murray
Dworetzky, M.D.; Ludwig W. Eichna, M.D.; Mrs. Lawrence Farmer; William
W. Field, M.D.; Jacob M. Fine, M.D.; Austin I. Fink, M.D.; Alexander A.
Fisher, M.D.; Gerald Fonda, M.D.; Kenneth A. Forde, M.D.; Alfred M. Freedman,
M.D.; Murray Fuhrman, M.D.; Esther Geller; Morton Gladston, M.D.; Leonard
J. Goldwater, M.D.; James Tait Goodrich, M.D., Ph.D.; Alvin Gordon, M.D.;
Vincent Groupe, M.D.; Edward Hanin, M.D.; Leonard L. Heimoff, M.D.; William
H. Helfand, Ph.D.; Jonathan A. Hill; Mrs. Elliot Hochstein; Saul Hoffman,
M.D.; Joel D. Howell, M.D., Ph.D.; Robert M. Hui, M.D.; Seymour B. Jacobson,
M.D.; Saul Jarcho, M.D.; M. Dorothea Kerr, M.D.; Paul A. Kirschner, M.D.;
Charles E. Kossmann, M.D.; Raymond P. Koval, M.D.; Jules C. Ladenheim,
M.D.; Albert R. Lamb, M.D.; Bok Y. Lee, M.D.; Michael J. Lepore, M.D.;
Anoch H. Lewert, M.D.; Zvi Lothane, M.D.; Virginia Lubkin, M.D.; Rose
H. Malzberg; Aaron J. Marcus, M.D.; Milton Mendlowitz, M.D.; Gordon Mestler;
Erich Meyerhoff; Claude H. Miller, M.D.; Morton Nathanson, M.D.; Jeremy
Norman; Moses Nussbaum, M.D.; William B. Ober, M.D.; Girard F. Oberrender,
M.D.; Russel H. Patterson, Jr., M.D.; R. Joseph Petrucelli II, M.D.; John
L. Pool, M.D.; Joseph Post, M.D.; Bronson S. Ray, M.D.; George G. Reader,
M.D.; Ellen F. Regan, M.D.; Edwin Robbins, M.D.; Nathan Roth, M.D.; Anthony
J.J. Rourke, Jr., M.D.; Robert J. Ruben, M.D.; Morris H. Saffron, M.D.;
Luticia Santipriya, Ph.D.; Lewis Schachne, M.D.; Albert J. Schein, M.D.;
Morton A. Schiffer; Oscar Schreyer; David Schwimmer, M.D.; Benjamin Shankman,
M.D.; Joseph A. Silverman, M.D.; Nancy G. Siraisi, Ph.D.; L. H. Skluth,
M.D.; Warren G. Smirl, M.D.; Stephen S. Sternberg, M.D.; Ruth H. Strang,
M.D.; Ralph M. Sussman, M.D.; Paul Tucci, M.D.; Nathaniel Uhr, M.D.; Harry
Wallerstein, M.D.; Louis R. Wasserman, M.D.; Alice D. Weaver; Gilbert
J. Wise, M.D.; Wilfred Yoslow, M.D.; Adrian W. Zorgniotti, M.D.
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Membership Categories 1992
Annual Friend $20.00 Contributing Friend $100.00
Sustaining Friend $50.00 Life Friend $500.00
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