Welcome to the The Curiosity Cabinet, episode 3!

This is the third in our regular video series showcasing an interesting item from our McGuire Historical Instrument Collection.

The video may also be viewed on Youtube at http://youtu.be/-2hXfnFGuhU

What is the name of this instrument and what was it used for?

Hints given in the video:

• It was designed by Dr. Carter Moffet in the 19^th century
• It was designed in London England by the Medical Battery Company
• It was used to produce artificial Italian air by pressing the switches on either end, and twisting a rod in the center

Please submit your answers to Linda Lohr by April 30, 2013.

Prizes will be drawn from all correct answers received by April 30th.  First prize is a copy of “Stolen Glory: the McKinley Assassination”, 2nd prize is “Medical History in Buffalo, 1846-1996″,  third prize is a set of our beautiful Botanical Notecards — Happy Guessing!

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. 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.

The links at the NLM exhibits pages offer a rare opp0rtunity for delving into the history of the occult sciences (see especially educational unit 2 and unit 3).  However, the UB Libraries and the History of Medicine collection have great resources to study as well.

Check out these sources:

• The occult sciences: sketches of the traditions and superstitions of past times, and the marvels of the present day, HSL History WZ 309 S637o 1855
• Alchemy :the Medieval alchemists and their royal art /by Johannes Fabricius, HSL History QD 26 F126f 1989
• The story of alchemy and early chemistry, HSL History QD11 S84 1960

The UB Libraries also have many of the books referred to in the exhibit, available through our electronic subscription to Early English Books Online (UB Only).

Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance, Science, Magic, and Medicine is on display through March 26th in the lobby of HSL.   However, the magic and marvel of Harry Potter’s world, and its connection to the history of medicine and science, remain for the reader to discover in the many resources available in the UB Libraries.

New York and Boston have both declared public health emergencies due to what is now a flu epidemic as of January 2013.

But it’s not the first, or likely the last.

During the influenza epidemic almost a century ago, an estimated 650,000 Americans and approximately 50 million worldwide lost their lives.

Today, vaccination, preventative measures and supportive medical care have reduced morbidity and mortality, while patients can readily get information on the current spread, symptoms, treatments, and other information via the web.  New York State Department of Health Seasonal Flu page and http://flu.gov as well as other state web sites are easily accessed.   But in 1918, such information was disseminated by newspapers, public gatherings and word of mouth.

The fascinating history of this epidemic is well documented.   Stop by HSL’s History of Medicine to read Deborah Bruch Bucki’s essay:  “A History of Buffalo’s Medical Response to the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919″ in: Medical History in Buffalo 1846-1996: Collected Essays, compiled and edited by Lilli Sentz.    Photos from the epidemic can be seen in Another Era: A Pictorial History of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1846-1996, including one showing Buffalo physicians and members of the junior and sophomore classes of the Medical School garbed in heavy, long white robes with hoods to reduce risk of contagion.  Another photo shows ordinary citizens wearing gauze masks.

A worldwide account is detailed in Rajendra Kumar Sen’s A Treatise on Influenza,with Special Reference to the Pandemic of 1918, published in 1923.

Elsewhere on the web, check out the American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: a digital encyclypedia created by the University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine.  The archive contains over 16,000 historical documents and photographs, as well as the stories of 50 U.S. cities, including Buffalo.  At one point theaters and schools suggested staying open so they could disseminate public health information, however on October 10th, 1918, all were ordered closed as well as all social gatherings and meetings, thus keeping Buffalo’s infection rate to just 6% compared to 10% nationwide.

The federal site,  http://flu.gov, also includes a historical section, The Great Pandemic, The United States, 1918-1919, which includes a snapshot of life during that time, the state of medical care, events in every state of the union, documents including ads, posters, cartoons, charts, newspapers, and photos, biographies of key public health figures, and a bibliography.

Influenza – caused by a virus.  At just 100 or so nanometers (.0000001 meter), it continues to cause misery.

Welcome to the The Curiosity Cabinet, episode 2!

This is the second in our regular video series showcasing an interesting item from our McGuire Historical Instrument Collection.

View the video on Youtube at http://youtu.be/OhhqfKEOjPg

What is the name of this instrument and what was it used for?

Hints given in the video:

• It is a surgical instrument.
• Itwas manufactured in France around 1700.
• It was used in the world’s oldest recorded surgery.

Please submit your answers to Linda Lohr by June 30, 2012.

The prize for the first correct answer received is a set of our beautiful Botanical Notecards — Happy Guessing!