Author Archives: Melissa Cox Norris

The Illustrated Human. Register for an up-close-and-personal look of Vesalius’s groundbreaking 16th-century anatomy book

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fabricaThe Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions invites you, as part of its Illustrated Human: The Impact of Andreas Vesalius lecture and exhibit series, to register for an up-close-personal look at Vesalius’s 1543 and 1555 editions of De humani corporis fabrica (“On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books”). “Fabrica” was the most extensive and accurate description of the human body of its time. Most likely drawn by Vesalius colleague Jan Stephan a Calcar and Italian artist Titian, “Fabrica” is widely known for its illustrations, where skeletons and bodies with exposed muscular structures pose in scenic, pastoral settings.

Renowned Vesalius Scholar, Dr. Stephen Joffe will be at the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions to remove the books from their cases and to share his thoughts and answer questions while leafing through their beautifully illustrated pages.

We invite you to attend at least one of these rare and intimate encounters with a book that changed not only the history of medicine and anatomy, but also how we as humans see our own bodies.

Dates: Tuesdays, Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14

Time: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Place: Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library/Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions

Please call or e-mail to make your reservation: (513)558-5120 or chhp@uc.edu

A full schedule of the Illustrated Human lectures, event location and registration details, as well as information about the accompanying exhibits, is included on the Vesalius web page.

UC Libraries closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

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turkeysThe University of Cincinnati Libraries will be closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26 for Thanksgiving, with some locations closed the remainder of the holiday weekend and many library locations closing early on Wednesday, November 24 at 5pm. Check the listed hours for each library location’s specific hours.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Alia Jones joins the staff of the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library

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Welcome to Alia Jones, who has joined the staff of UC Libraries as the temporary library services assistant at the Geology-Mathematics-Physics (GMP) Library. Alia started on Monday, Nov. 1, and has been orienting herself with library processes, the collections and learning about the service needs at the GMP Library.

Alia will work primarily at the GMP Library, but will also assist operations when needed at the other Science & Engineering Libraries’ (SEL) locations.

Alia has a wide-ranging background in literature, research and libraries. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Cornell University, majoring in Cultural Anthropology with minors in American Indian Studies and East Asian Studies. Her work experience as a library services assistant and later as a senior library services assistant with the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County (PLCH) gives her great insight in assisting patrons and performing front line activities.

Along with her work at PLCH, Alia has worked with book retailers, was an English teacher in South Korea and spent time as a research assistant at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. She has worked as a freelance writer doing book reviews, conducted numerous presentations and speaking engagements, as well as serving on several library related programs/activities.

Welcome, Alia!

Ancient Medicine: Exhibition in the Classics Library forming part of a larger exhibition/event on Andreas Vesalius in Winkler

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Before Vesalius there were many ancient Greek physicians whose works influenced both those of Vesalius and other post-classical physicians; for example, Galen of Pergamum (129–c. 216 CE) whose works Vesalius translated and was greatly influenced by; Rufus of Ephesus (late 1st/early 2nd centuries CE) who wrote treatises on dietetics, pathology, anatomy, and gynaecology; Soranus of Ephesus (1st/2nd c. CE) author of a four-volume treatise on gynaecology; Pedanius Dioscurides (c. 40–90 CE), physician, pharmacologist, and botanist born in Cilicia, Asia Minor, and author of De Materia Medica, a 5-volume encyclopedia on herbal medicine which was widely read and used in medical schools and hospitals for more than 1,500 years. His work is included in the exhibition in the form of a rare and extraordinary facsimile of the original Byzantine manuscript referred to as the “Vienna Dioscurides” and another facsimile of a medieval manuscript referred to as the “Naples Dioscurides,” also featured in the exhibition; Asclepiades of Bithynia or of Prusa (c. 129/124–40 BCE) whose treatments included diet, exercise, and bathing; Herophilus of Alexandria (325-255 BCE), often called the “Father of Anatomy” who influenced Galen and was much quoted by him; Hippocrates of Kos (c. 460–c. 370 BCE), the “Father of (Modern) Medicine” and the author of the Hippocratic Oath, still in use today; Alcmaeon of Croton (510–430 BCE) who has also been called the “Father of Anatomy” although he, unlike Herophilus, did not dissect humans to examine human anatomy; Pythagoras of Samos (c. 570–c. 495 BCE) was a polymath, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, physicist, music theorist and is said to have made important contributions to medicine as well, especially to what we today would call holistic medicine. Before the Greek medical texts there were The Edwin Smith Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical text and the oldest known surgical treatise on trauma from c. 1600 BCE, also featured in the exhibition, and the Babylonian medical text referred to as the Diagnostic Handbook, written by Esagil-kin-apli of Borsippa in the late 2nd millennium BCE. Continue reading →

Last Call for UC faculty and staff to submit work for inclusion in Life of the Mind bibliography and exhibit

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display of booksCalling all UC Artists, Authors, Editors & Composers!

The annual Life of the Mind, interdisciplinary conversations with University of Cincinnati faculty, is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. Once again, the event will celebrate the published or performed creative and scholarly works of UC’s artists, authors, editors & composers with an exhibit and bibliography.

To include creative and scholarly works, UC faculty and staff members are invited to self-submit via an online form. Include only those submitted works performed or published between Jan. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. Submissions are limited to three per category per artist, author, editor or composer. Categories may include: books, book chapters, journal articles, editing, artwork, photography, plays, musical scores, CDs or DVDs and more. The submission deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, November 12.

Contact melissa.norris@uc.edu with any questions.

The mission of Life of the Mind is to celebrate UC research, scholarship and creative output and to foster the free and open exchange of ideas and discourse. It is organized by UC Libraries, Faculty Senate and the Faculty Enrichment Center, and is sponsored by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

Life of the Mind supports the university’s Research2030 initiative, which focuses on two key objectives: Enhancing UC’s national reputation and emphasizing the impact of UC’s research enterprise. The Life of the Mind lecture creates a platform to exchange interdisciplinary research and foster intellectual conversation. The artists, authors, editors & composers exhibit and bibliography promotes faculty and staff research and creative outcomes.

For information on last year’s event, visit the Life of the Mind website.

UC Libraries closed Thursday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day.

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veterans day graphicUC Libraries will be closed Thursday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

Regular library hours will resume Friday, Nov. 12.

To learn more about veterans at UC, check out this online exhibit from the Archives and Rare Books Library entitled “School & Country: Military Life at the University of Cincinnati.”

The Illustrated Human: The Impact of Andreas Vesalius second lecture scheduled for Nov. 16

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vesalius illustrationsThe Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions, University of Cincinnati Libraries and the College of Medicine are hosting a series of lectures and exhibits exploring the Renaissance anatomist and physician Andreas Vesalius (December 1514 – June 1564). Vesalius revolutionized the study and practice of medicine with his careful descriptions and anatomical studies of the human body published in “De humani corporis fabrica libri septem” (“On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books”).

Join us for the second lecture in the six-part series – “Making the Fabrica: The Illustrations, Printing, Binding & Publication.” Award-winning cultural historian Dániel Margócsy, PhD, University of Cambridge, will describe the creation of the “Fabrica.” Dr. Margócsy will be joined by Gabrielle Fox, a Cincinnati book binding and preservation expert, who will discuss the bindings of the first and second editions that will be on public display in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library.

The lecture, free and open to the public, will be held Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, 231 Albert Sabin Way. In-person activities will be provided under CDC guidelines or local COVID-19 restrictions, with the well-being of all guests remaining the top priority. View UC’s current COVID-19 updates.  For those not wishing to attend in person, the lectures will be live streamed via Zoom.

Register to attend the lecture.

Accompanying the lectures, the Winkler Center will display a series of rotating exhibits corresponding to the lectures:

  • November 16: The “Fabrica”
  • December 14: The Impact of the “Fabrica” and Dissemination of Vesalius’s Ideas
  • January 18: The Third Edition
  • February 15: The “Fabrica’s” Organ Systems
  • March 15: Teaching Anatomy through the Ages

More information is available on the Vesalius website.

The Illustrated Human: The Impact of Andreas Vesalius is sponsored by Stephen and Sandra Joffe.

The World of Color – New Langsam Library exhibit showcases the work of Isay Balinkin

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An exhibit on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library showcases the work of University of Cincinnati professor Isay Balinkin, a pioneer in the field of color studies. From being an impassioned teacher, awarded the prestigious Godlove Award for his lifelong contributions to color in art, science and industry, Balinkin’s impact was far reaching. His colorful book collection is available for use and study in the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library, while his personal communication, lab notes and various other belongings are available for research in the Archives and Rare Books Library.

graphic of isay balinkin

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