Category Archives: Winkler Center

Weight Not Measured in Pounds: “Fischerisms.”

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By Nathan Hood

Fischer 1912 Faculty Photo

Dr. Martin H. Fischer, faculty photo from 1912.

Scientist, professor, author, artist – at the time of his death in 1962, the wealth of Dr. Martin H. Fischer’s experiences had him regarded by some to be a kind of ‘universal man.’ Who was Dr. Martin H. Fischer? The overwhelming prevalence of dates, research, and other such facts are often too impersonal and superficial to reveal much about the deeper character of this impressive person. Fortunately, there still exist copies of a booklet too ironically and deceptively inconspicuous for the enormous significance of the information it contains: Fischerisms.

Fischerisms is a compilation of Dr. Fischer’s various aphorisms first brought together by Howard Fabing with the aid of Albert Flagge and first published by the Medical College Bookstore, University of Cincinnati, in 1930. Continue reading →

Vaccination Efforts from Around the Globe: The Story of Dr. Sabin and Dr. Harshavardhan

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Dr.

Dr. Harshavardhan (1969)

By: Dr. G. V. J. A. Harshavardhan and Nathan Hood

Dr. Albert Bruce Sabin’s extremely influential role in the development and production of an Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) simply cannot be disputed; however, information on the precise details of his contributions are not always as well-known or as accessible as one would hope. Fortunately, The Winkler Center for the History of Health Professions’ NEH-funded project to digitize many of Dr. Sabin’s papers has now reached researchers around the globe. Several months ago, the project attracted the delighted attention of Dr. Harshavardhan, a vaccinologist in India, and the exchange of information since has been enlightening for both sides.

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Wisdom on The Walls of The Old College of Medicine

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By: Nathan Hood

fischer edited

Portrait of Dr. Martin H. Fischer,
undated

Dr. Martin H. Fischer designed many of the interior, decorative elements in and around his lecture hall located within the University of Cincinnati’s old College of Medicine. The majority of these ornaments were engravings expertly crafted by Dr. Fischer’s technical assistant and friend, Josef Kupka. Mr. Kupka was Dr. Fischer’s assistant for thirty years, from 1912 to 1942. He served Dr. Fischer for the greater part of the former’s active career as a professor of physiology at the University of Cincinnati.

It has been suggested that Dr. Fischer conceived the idea for the engravings after recognizing how the daily quotations he shared with his classes interested and inspired his students. However, the idea was only realized after his place of instruction was moved from the University’s Cunningham Hall to the newly constructed College of Medicine building in 1917. Continue reading →

The Stained Glass Windows of Dr. Martin H. Fischer’s Lecture Hall

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By: Nathan Hood

Close-up.
A variation of the University’s
coat of arms remains in the
Health Professions building.

In the University of Cincinnati’s modern- looking Health Professions building, the students in Room 231 have the odd privilege of enjoying several beautifully old, stained glass windows. The windows are reminiscent of a time before the renovations, when the building was the University’s College of Medicine. In the past, one of these rooms served as the physiology lecture hall, initially overseen by Dr. Martin H. Fischer. That intriguing space once featured the entire Cantagalli Pharmacy installation, numerous symbolic engravings, and leather orchestra chairs; but the stained glass windows of that old classroom and the neighboring library are an interesting story by themselves.
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Dr. Martin H. Fischer and The Cantagalli Pharmacy

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By: Nathan Hood

Major renovations of the University of Cincinnati’s previous College of Medicine building, now the Health Professions building, led to The Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions’ acquisition of numerous, intricately decorated artifacts altogether known as The Cantagalli Pharmacy. The entire collection represents a precise imitation of a 15th-16th Century Italian Apothecary and originally functioned as an exhibit for the 1900 Paris Exposition.

15th-century pharmacy Cantagalli II

The Cantagalli Pharmacy in its Exposition configuration.
This photo also serves as a link to film footage from the 1900 Paris Exposition.

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Accounting for an Historic Text: A Census of Andreas Vesalius’s Fabrica

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The following article first appeared in Source, UC Libraries newsletter.

Andreas Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius

The life of a book can be as interesting and long lasting as the contents within. Such is the tale of the historic text The Fabric of the Human Body by anatomist Andreas Vesalius. Recently, Dr. Stephen N. Joffe, a retired UC professor of surgery and medicine, and Veronica Buchanan, archivist in the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of Medicine, embarked on a project to account for the locations in the United States of both the first (1543) and second editions (1555) of this seminal work whose author was among the first to accurately depict the human body and to illustrate anatomy in a visual way. Continue reading →

Albert Sabin: An Incredible Cincinnatian

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By:  Iman Said, Archives & Rare Books Intern for 2014-2015

Albert SabinHello again! The past few weeks, I have written about student life at UC and various aspects of campus that provide students with a well-rounded college experience. But UC is just one part of a huge community of Cincinnatians. Much of the work that is done on campus by our students, faculty, and staff have a significant impact on the entire city, and even the entire country. Being a student at UC makes it easy to forget that our CCM graduates go on to be Broadway stars, our MBA graduates are CEOs, and our medical students create new medicines and practices. These students succeed because of the outstanding faculty and staff who work for the university, many of whom actually have their own impact on the community. Continue reading →

Treasures of the Winkler Center: 1843 Botanico-Medical College Diploma of Dr. Henry Randolph Higgins

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Through the generosity of Jerry L. Higgins, the Henry R. Winkler Center received an interesting artifact depicting Cincinnati’s rich history of institutions of medical education. This framed diploma from the Botanico-Medical College of Ohio was awarded to Jerry L. Higgins’ ancestor, Dr. Henry Randolph Higgins, and serves as the only artifact in the Winkler collection from the institution.

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From left to right:
Allison Higgins, Jerry L. Higgins, and Becky Higgins
(Photo courtesy of Dan Davenport, UC AHC Public Relations)

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An Afternoon with Henry Heimlich, MD

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By: Veronica Buchanan and Alexander Badue

Dr. Heimlich and his Aviator Sunglasses 7_17_14

Dr. Henry Heimlich, wearing the same
aviator sunglasses he used
while stationed in China

On July 17, Assistant Dean of University of Cincinnati Libraries and Executive Director of the Henry R. Winkler Center, Stephen Marine, and Christa Bernardo of the UC Foundation met with Dr. Henry Heimlich, his daughter Janet, and granddaughter Maxine at his home in Cincinnati.

Among many items discussed, one thread seemed to connect throughout the entire discussion, Dr. Heimlich’s connection with SACO, the Sino-American Cooperative Organization, an unprecedented military partnership between China and the United States during World War II. Heimlich displayed one of his personal treasures from his time in China, the aviator sunglasses that he continues to wear to this day, complete with their original storage case.

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