By Harold J. Cook ~ Originally published in Hidden Treasure: The National Library of Medicine, 2011. Horti Medici Amstelodamensis Rariorum … Plantarum Historia (the title
Tag: 1700s
Politics of Yellow Fever in Alexander Hamilton’s America
An Interview with the curator of the newest exhibition at NLM, which explores how Philadelphia’s anxious residents responded to the epidemic using an uneasy blend of science and politics.
Spice of History: A Gingerbread Recipe
Recipe books from the 18th century hold a combination of food recipes, herbal remedies, and other such household creations thought to improve health. Powell’s “ginger bread” recipe includes ingredients easily found in today’s grocery store and provides measures still in use today.
Digitizing Material Culture: Handwritten Recipe Books, 1600–1900
By John Rees Cookbooks and recipe books have always been popular with students of history and family genealogy. They are tangible artifacts of past lives
A Piece of Pi: Historical Perspectives from NLM
Pi Day is the internationally-recognized event when various disciplines come together to celebrate the significance of the Greek letter π.
Sup on a Syllabub
By Anne Rothfeld Want an intriguing dessert from the past to satisfy your present day holiday palate? Serve the syllabub: a cream-based treat, mixed with
Some of the Most Beautiful Herbals
By Michael North This post is the sixth in a series exploring the National Library of Medicine’s rich and varied collection of “herbals,” which are
Early Journals: What’s in a Name?
By Atalanta Grant-Suttie The journal is so much a part of the current apparatus of scholarly communication that one never really thinks where and how
“Wrapped in flesh”: Views of the body in East Asian Medicine
Circulating Now welcomes guest blogger Yi-Li Wu. Dr. Wu is a Center Associate of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan,
Wonderful Works on Horses
By Margaret Kaiser The Library has acquired two wonderful works on horses. The first, Il Cavallo da maneggio… is by Giovanni Battista di Galiberto, a
NLM’s Unique Early English Books Now Online
By Krista Stracka Earlier this summer, the National Library of Medicine announced the release of Unique English Imprints, pre-1800, a new collection available now through
July Blooms
By Ginny A. Roth The image featured above is a botanical illustration of the flower, fruit, and seed of the Larkspur, the July birth
Costume Conundrum?
By Ginny A. Roth
Still looking for a costume idea for Halloween? Find inspiration in this 1962 series of 12 prints “2300 Years of Medical Costume: Distinctive Garb of the Medical and Related Professions from the Time of Hippocrates and the Napoleonic Era.”
Midwives of St. Croix
By Alexsandra Mitchell Documents within the American College of Nurse-Midwives archival collection in the National Library of Medicine’s History of Medicine Division address the importance
Early Latin American Medicine in the NLM Collections
Michael J. North spoke today at the National Library of Medicine in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month on “Early Latin American Medicine in the NLM
A Chocolate Valentine
By Michael J. North ~ Giving chocolate to a loved one on Valentine’s Day to show affection is ingrained in modern culture, but there was
Percivall Pott: Orthopedics and Occupational Health
By Michael J. North Today we commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Percivall Pott (1714–1788), an English surgeon who is known as one
Giving Thanks
By Elizabeth A. Mullen and Jeffrey S. Reznick ~ In the NLM’s History of Medicine Division, we have a lot to be thankful for this
Markham’s Masterpiece of Horse Care
By Michael J. North Markham’s Masterpiece One of the most important and enduring books in the English language about the care of horses is by
The Red Poppy: A Curious Herbal
By Laura McNulty and Ginny A. Roth This image, rightly called “Red Poppy,” appears in the eighteenth century herbal by Elizabeth Blackwell (1707-1758) titled A
