DeBakey and the Education of American Surgeons

"Michael DeBakey came to Houston in 1948 as the new chairman of the Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine." This brief but interesting overview by Dr. Justin Barr in NLM's Circulating Now describes "the state of American surgery in the 1940s and 1950s. In the early 20th century, most surgeons trained by a combination of apprenticeship and post-graduate courses.  This model worked well enough when operations were rare and relatively simple" but as medicine grew more complex, changes were needed. DeBakey began to push residency programs and board certification to improve the training level of Houston surgeons.

Contributor Dr. Barr was a Michael E. DeBakey Fellow in the History of Medicine at the National Library of Medicine in 2017.

Websites Referenced

https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2017/11/29/michael-debakey-and-the-education-of-american-surgeons/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/get-involved/debakey-fellowship.html

Surgical Stapling Pioneer Dr. Mark M. Ravitch

"His surgical legacy as a founder of pediatric surgery as a specialty, as a surgical innovator, and for introducing the concept of surgical stapling in the U.S. is paralleled by his simultaneous contributions to surgical education and knowledge." The Mark M. Ravitch Papers, 1932-1989, is the latest collection featured in the History of Medicine section of the National Library of Medicine for those interested in the history of surgery, surgical techniques, and pediatrics.

Websites Referenced
https://oculus.nlm.nih.gov/101083015
https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2016/10/25/mark-m-ravitch-a-surgeons-surgeon/

Harry Potter's World - an NLM Exhibit

In the first Harry Potter book Harry references La Metallique Transformation (1618) by Nicholas Flamel -- a real book owned by the National Library of Medicine! That realization sparked the development of a traveling NLM exhibit called Do Mandrakes Really Scream? Magic and Medicine in Harry Potter, which opened in 2007.

"The magic in J. K. Rowling’s series of Harry Potter novels is partially based on Renaissance traditions that played an important role in the development of Western science, including alchemy, astrology, and natural philosophy." The current exhibit, "Harry Potter's World: Renaissance, Science, Magic, and Medicine explores the intersection of these worlds, featuring highlights from the collections of the History of Medicine Division at the National Library of Medicine." Much of the exhibit can be enjoyed online.

Happy birthday, Harry! Born on July 31 (same date as creator J.K.Rowling), 1980.

Websites Referenced
https://infocus.nlm.nih.gov/2016/07/31/harry-potter-magic-myth-and-happy-birthday/
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/harrypottersworld/

Circulating Now - History of Medicine Comes Alive

Circulating Now is a newsletter featuring history of medicine topics.

“Free things like air,
Vital things like blood,
Living things like ideas…
Circulate.”

Sign up to receive an alert when a new topic is featured! From the History of Medicine Division of the NationalLibrary of Medicine,  “Circulating Now conveys the vitality of medical history in our 21st-century world: its relevance and importance for research, teaching, and learning about the human condition.”

Recent articles have featured turkeys, World War I reflections from Dr. Osler, a WWII pharmacist mate’s papers, and photography of the invisible (X-rays).

Websites referenced:

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/index.html

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/11/23/an-early-look-at-the-turkey/

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/12/29/what-a-mess-and-we-are-not-half-through-dr-osler-on-englands-home-front-in-world-war-i/

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/11/10/a-pharmacists-mate-first-class/

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/09/24/photography-of-the-invisible-and-its-value-in-surgery/

Dr. W.B. Carrell’s Story Included on Portal to Texas History

Dr. William Beall Carrell, our first Chief of Staff, was featured in an article written by Steven Schmich and published in the Dallas Historical Society’s Legacies: a History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas almost 20 years ago. Now the article is available online through the Portal to Texas History project sponsored by the University of North Texas Libraries.

The subject index to Legacies lists additional topics under “Medicine and Health Care.” One mentioned is the Linz Award, which Dr. Carrell was awarded in 1925. He was only the second person to receive the award, “given annually to the citizen of Dallas who has made the greatest contribution to the community in the preceding year.” You can see the beautiful award on display in the Medical Library's Historical Collection.

An article from the Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings also mentions Dr. Carrell (and Dr. Brandon Carrell) as early orthopaedic surgeons on their staff.

Websites referenced
http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth35114/m1/26/
http://texashistory.unt.edu/
http://www.library.unt.edu/
http://dallasheritagevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Legacies-General-Subject-Index-May2015.pdf
http://dallasheritagevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Legacies-Author-Index-May2015.pdf
http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth35101/m1/39
https://www.jld.net/linz/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1305830/

index link updated 12-30-2015

Medical Heritage Library - Historical Medical Documents Online

The National Library of Medicine is a partner with several leading medical libraries in digitizing over 10,000 rare medical books. The mission of the Medical Heritage Library is to promote "free and open access to quality historical resources in medicine. Our goal is to provide the means by which readers and scholars across a multitude of disciplines can examine the interrelated nature of medicine and society, both to inform contemporary medicine and strengthen understanding of the world in which we live." This Medical Heritage Library can be searched through its section on the Internet Archive and updates and features are highlighted through its newsletter.

Websites referenced:
http://www.archive.org/details/medicalheritagelibrary
http://www.medicalheritage.org/

A Physician's Bill -- Life in the 19th Century American South

This new online display from the Historical Collections of the University of Virginia's Health Science Library explores life and medical practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the mid 19th Century, inspired by an 1848 fee schedule drawn up by 10 physicians.

“Physician Price Fixing in 19th Century Virginia”

"What would you pay for a house visit from a doctor whose office was within a mile of where you lived? How about a dollar with one prescription thrown in for good measure? Or maybe you need your tonsils out. Fifteen dollars will do it. Have a broken arm? Ten dollars will take care of setting it, unless it is a compound fracture and then it would be twice as much. A dollar will cover the extraction of a tooth."

This was a time when "ether anesthesia had just been introduced into medicine less than two years previously and chloroform just a year earlier, so painless surgery was not widely available."


Websites Referenced:
http://blog.hsl.virginia.edu/feebill/
http://blog.hsl.virginia.edu/feebill/essays/
http://www.hsl.virginia.edu/historical/exhibits.cfm

Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus Online

Now, through the National Library of Medicine's "Turning the Pages" system, you can unroll the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus online and read it in English. Written in Ancient Egypt around 1600 BC, it discusses a number of trauma surgery cases using scientific understanding rather than magic. This amazing 15-foot long scroll is owned by the New York Academy of Medicine.

See the press release for more information. You must have Flash on your computer to view this. http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6914301612335020061&postID=869660298391262597

The Historical Collection in the Medical Library includes a copy of a book that shows the papyrus and translates it into hieroglypics and English.

Anatomy images online at NLM

Images from historical anatomy books are now available online via the National Library of Medicine's Historical Anatomies on the Web. Included are a number of pages from a Vesalius book. You can currently see a Vesalius on display in our own library.