The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Milk Research Makes Headline News!

In May 1950, at the sixtieth annual meeting of the American Pediatric Society, Dr. Sabin reported that he had discovered an “Antipoliomyelitic Substance in Milk of Human Beings and Certain Cows.”[1] Although Dr. Sabin was cautious to say that research was still needed to determine what the substance was and how it could be useful, the popular press picked up on the report with headlines such as:

“Mother’s Milk Has Anti-Polio Substance,” Science Service, 16 May 1950

“Researcher Seeking Factor in Milk to Prevent Paralysis in Polio Cases,” Cincinnati Times-Star, 19 May 1950

“Anti-Polio Human Milk,” Science News Letter, 27 May 1950

Telegram from Mr. Vinciguerra to Dr. Sabin, 1950

This information even appeared in the May 29, 1950 issue of Time magazine. Due to the the large amount of publicity that this report received, Dr. Sabin accumulated letters from researchers and other interested parties. The information contained in these letters ranged from encouragement to suggestions for further research. For example, Dr. Sabin received several letters suggesting that he test goat’s milk for the same substance. Others provided suggestions as to what the mystery substance might be. Another example appears in the telegram seen to the left, in which Mr. Vinciguerra suggests testing sheep’s milk.[2] Continue reading

HSL New Books Nov-Dec 2011

New print books and new editions of e-books are now available via the Health Sciences Library:  HSL New Book List

A small sample of the titles include:

Bioethics, public moral argument, and social responsibility / edited by Nancy M.P. King and Michael J. Hyde
Location: Browsing Collection WB 60 B615k 2012

Bope and Kellerman: Conn’s Current Therapy 2012, 1st ed.

Delmar nurse’s drug handbook
Location: HSL Stacks QV 772 D359

Essentials of biostatistics for physicians, nurses, and clinicians (The) / Michael R. Chernick
Location: HSL Stacks WA 950 C521e 2011

ICD-9-CM 2012 Expert for hospitals and payers. Volumes 1, 2 & 3   international classification of diseases, 9th revision, clinical modification / edited by Anita C. Hart, Melinda S. Stegman, Beth Ford
Location: Reference Collection WB 15 U58nim 2012

Introduction to auditory rehabilitation: a contemporary issues approach / Carole E. Johnson
Location: Rothenberg Speech and Hearing Collection WV 270 J66i 2012

Netter’s infectious diseases / [edited by] Elaine C. Jong, Dennis L. Stevens   illustrations by Frank H. Netter   contributing illustrators, Carlos A.G. Machado … [et al.]
Location: HSL Stacks WC 100 N474 2012

Pharmacotherapy casebook: a patient-focused approach / edited by Terry L. Schwinghammer, Julia M. Koehler
Location: HSL Stacks WB 330 P536dp 2011

Preprosthetic and maxillofacial surgery: biomaterials, bone grafting and tissue engineering / edited by Joel Ferri and Ernst B. Hunziker
Location: HSL Stacks WU 500 P927 2011

Check out 8 more pages of titles: HSL New Book List

 

 

Posted in HSL

Charley Harper on Display

Known for his colorful, minimalist views of nature, Cincinnati-artist Charley Harper produced not just paintings and prints, but he also contributed his art to numerous books and other publications.

Examples of this work can be seen in an exhibit on display in the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) through February.

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The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Prisoner Volunteer Based Research – The New Jersey State Prison Experiment

Copy of certificate given to experiment volunteers, August 31, 1944.

By Megan Ryan, Sabin Project Student Assistant

In the post-World War II years, the experimental side of Dr. Sabin’s work relied upon prisoner research for development. The role of prisoner volunteer-based research was extremely relevant in the development of modern medicine in the late-1940’s and early-1950’s in the United States. Notably occurring right in the midst of this trend was Dr. Sabin’s New Jersey State Prison experiment in the 1940’s on sandfly and dengue fever. Continue reading

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Happy (Belated) Anniversary, March of Dimes!

Invitation to Dr. Sabin's Bela Schick Lecture, 1944. This can be found in Series 3 – Manuscripts, Box 6, Folder 2 – Correspondence, photos, draft, 1944.

On Tuesday, January 3rd, I read a tweet from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which said:

“On this day in 1938 @marchofdimes was founded by #FDR to combat #polio!”

In honor of the anniversary of the founding of the March of Dimes, here are a couple more things in the Sabin collection that highlight some of Dr. Sabin’s research he conducted with aid from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP). (You may recall from an earlier blog post that the NFIP later changed its name to the March of Dimes.)

In May 1944, Dr. Sabin gave the Bela Schick lecture called, “Studies on the Natural History of Poliomyelitis” at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. (For your information, Dr. Bela Schick was the developer of the Schick immunity test, which helped to determine if someone was susceptible to diphtheria. In 1923, he became director of the Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital.*) This lectureship was established by Dr. Schick’s friends and colleagues after his retirement, and Dr. Sabin was invited to give the 2nd annual lecture. Dr. Sabin was contacted by Dr. Murray Bass to give a report on “virus studies, especially in connection with poliomyelitis.”[1] Of course, Dr. Sabin accepted, after he made sure that he would be in the country at the time. When contacted about a dinner prior to the lecture, he suggested that NFIP notables Mr. Basil O’Connor (President) and Dr. Don W. Gudakunst (Medical Director) be invited as well.[2] Continue reading

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: What Do "Restricted" and "Confidential" Mean?

Letter from Colonel Stanhope Bayne-Jones to Dr. Sabin

In August 2011, I attended the Society of American Archivists annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. While there, I attended a session called “Exploring the Evolution of Access: Classified, Privacy, and Proprietary Restrictions.” As I sat in the room listening to the speakers, I started to think how to apply these concepts to the Sabin digitization project.

For several weeks after the meeting, my colleagues and I had lively debates about how these concepts, as well as the recent SAA endorsed “Well-intentioned Practice for Putting Digitized Collections of Unpublished Materials Online” document, would affect the display of the Sabin materials online. On one hand, we recognize that Mrs. Sabin left Dr. Sabin’s important collection in our hands to ensure that this material is accessible to researchers around the world. On the other hand, we also recognized the need to do two things: 1.) protect the health information of those mentioned in the collection that participated in Dr. Sabin’s research, and 2.) make sure we don’t leak any classified government information online. Even though much of Dr. Sabin’s materials related to his research and his work with the military are considered “old” by some standards, it is still necessary to do our due diligence to protect information as needed. Continue reading

RefWorks 2.0 Replaces Classic Version January 3, 2012

As of January 3, 2012, the classic RefWorks version will be permanently replaced by the new RefWorks 2.o version.  If you have not yet made the switch to RefWorks 2.0, log into RefWorks and click on the “RefWorks 2.0” link at the top of the RefWorks screen.  Compare the two versions until the end of the year.

More information about RefWorks 2.0:
http://www.refworks-cos.com/RefWorks2.0/

Video about the new RefWorks 2.0 interface:
http://www.refworks-cos.com/refworks/rwpreview/Introduction_to_RefWorks_2.htm

If you have any questions, please contact:

RandyRoberts at randall.roberts@uc.edu or (513) 556-1864

Edith Starbuck at edith.starbuck@uc.edu or (513) 558-1433

Welcome New Winkler Center Board Members

By Stephen Marine, Executive Director of the Winkler Center

The Advisory Board of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions recently welcomed three new members to its ranks. 

  • William B. Camm, M.D., Vice President and Corporate Medical Director at OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc. in Indianapolis.
  • Philip M. Diller MD, PhD, Chairman of Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
  • Michael J. Gilligan, FACHE, CEO of Priority Consult, a medical software firm in Cincinnati, and until recently the long-time CEO of the Mayfield Clinic. 

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The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Happy Holidays!

From everyone at the Winkler Center, best wishes for the holiday season and the new year! In the spirit of the holiday season, here are some greetings from around the world that can be found in Dr. Sabin’s papers. Enjoy!

Christmas card from Julia and Walter Langsam, undated

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