Category Archives: Winkler Center

Wallet Hip, Seinfeld, and Dr. Charles Thomas Wehby

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Pg. 1, City of Cincinnati Ordinance # 56, 2017. Click to read.

Last week, the Winkler Center received word that in March 2017 a street in Cincinnati had been renamed in honor of Dr. Charles Thomas Wehby, a 1938 UC College of Medicine graduate. Wehby had a general practice office for many years on Broadway between 4th and 5th streets in downtown Cincinnati and served the community as a general practitioner from 1939-1983. His medical practice was noted for its willingness to serve all members of the community regardless of race, ethnicity, or one’s ability to pay. The city ordinance naming the northwest corner of Broadway Street at 4th St. “Dr. Charles Thomas Wehby Corner” also states that Wehby had “donated machines and medical antiques to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.” Hmmm? Could those machines or antiques have made their way to the Winkler Center?  It’s possible; but not surprisingly, I uncovered no documentation of a donation. As an archive, the Winkler Center is not alone in its frustration of documentation growing sparser the older the donation. Years ago items often were donated with nothing more than a handshake.

Intriguing as this all was, what intrigued me more on the ordinance was a listing of Dr. Wehby’s research interests. It states that Dr. Wehby “published numerous medical articles and made many contributions to medical science including his discovery of ‘wallet hip’ or wallet syndrome which was published in the Ohio State Medical Journal, 1968.” Wait a second? WALLET HIP!?! WHAT?!? WALLET SYNDROME!?!

We all laughed and scoffed a bit back in the late 1990s at that episode of Seinfeld where George Costanza develops sciatic nerve issues from carrying around a huge wallet. I have to admit that as a wallet carrier at the time, the idea of someone developing lower back issues from frequently sitting on a large lump in one’s back pocket made perfect sense to me. I just didn’t think it was a real medical thing.

So thank you Dr. Wehby not only for the compassion you showed the city in your desire to treat its sick regardless of their circumstance, but also for setting the world straight on Wallet Hip!  We are indebted…and so are our L5s and S1s.

The only data the Winkler holds on Dr. Wehby is an old alumni card kept by the College of Medicine which contains addresses, date of birth, other contact information, etc. So in lieu of any image or further information on Dr. Wehby, enjoy a few minutes of George Costanza’s lumbar destroying wallet found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPf98i8A0g. We think Dr. Wehby would have enjoyed it too.

Cincinnati Pharmaceutical Association

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The Ohio Pharmacist, highlighting the unique black recruiting program.

Recently, the Henry R. Winkler Center received a donation of materials that are now titled the Cincinnati Pharmaceutical Association: Diversity Recruitment History Collection. It is one of the Winkler Center’s long overdue first steps in attempting to document African American involvement in the city’s health professions.

The Cincinnati Pharmaceutical Association, also known as CinPha is an organization of African American Pharmacists in and around the Cincinnati area. In 1975, Ruby Hill and other black pharmacists in Cincinnati formed the organization due to poor recruitment of minorities into the University of Cincinnati, more specifically, the College of Pharmacy. The group was also formed as a professional organization which would allow African Americans an opportunity to network, build professional relationships, and stay current on trends and developments in the pharmacy profession. CinPha is the oldest African American pharmacy organization in the city. Originally known as the Cincinnati Black Pharmacists Association, in 1984, Dr. Robert L. Thomas became the organization’s president and the name was changed to Cincinnati Pharmaceutical Association CPhA. In February, 1989, the acronym “CinPha” was adopted to represent the association.

The primary objectives of the association include:

  • Maintaining minority representation in the profession of pharmacy
  • Educating the general public on matters regarding pharmacy and health care with a focus on the minority population
  • Maintaining interaction with other groups and organizations in order to promote the practice of pharmacy and health care in general
  • To provide a forum for updating the membership on issues, concepts and developments pertaining to pharmacy
  • Support and maintain a code of ethics for pharmacists.

Jerry Rucker, the collection’s donor, was a graduate of the UC College of Pharmacy and practiced his career as a registered pharmacist. He collected the materials in this collection and served as the president of CinPha for several years. We thank Mr. Rucker for his donation and look forward to the collection growing in the future.

Jerry Rucker’s copy of a program from the annual Norris ‘ Bus’ Gordon scholarship dinner/dance.

One of the first advertisements from the UC College of Pharmacy targeted toward minority students.

This blog was written by Charles Talarico.

 

Dr. Philip Wasserman

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The Winkler Center was honored a few weeks ago to host Sherry Wasserman, her sister Naomi Hordes, and Naomi’s husband Jess who were here to donate a photo album which was presented as a gift to Sherry and Naomi’s father, Dr. Philip Wasserman, who for many years was the Director of the Clinical Laboratory at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati

The book, which staffers had professionally bound and printed, primarily focuses on Dr. Wasserman, but also contains numerous images of the Jewish Hospital Clinical Laboratory before and after its expansion in the 1950s; it’s staff, doctors, and nurses; and activities that occurred at the lab primarily in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Dr. Philip Wasserman began work as a pathologist at the Jewish

From L to R, Naomi Hordes (nee Wasserman), Sherry Wasserman, and Lori Harris, Assistant Director of the Health Sciences Library and the Winkler Center.

Hospital in 1937. He was made Director of the Clinical Lab in 1941 and stayed in that position until he retired from it in 1979.  Though officially retiring as Lab Director, Dr. Wasserman continued to work as a general pathologist.

During his tenure at the lab, Dr. Wasserman oversaw its expansion, development, and growth from a small department employing a “handful” of people to one which employed nearly 200.  Wasserman was well-regarded also as a progressive thinker. He established a residency program bringing foreign physicians to Cincinnati for training and was far ahead of his time especially as it related to integration. He was noted for hiring people of any color, creed, or ethnicity, so long as they could accomplish the job, a somewhat novel idea in Cincinnati in the 1950s.

Images in the book were taken by Jane Hutzelman who worked at the lab as a clinical photographer. She created the photo history and presented it to Dr. Wasserman upon the completion of the new lab in the 1950s.  The book is inscribed “To Dr. Wasserman: as a token of our appreciation for the wonderful laboratory.”

Not only will this photo history be a wonderful supplement to the Jewish Hospital Collection here at the Winkler Center, but so too will it be a testament to the work and career of Dr. Wasserman.

An image from the book–the Wasserman girls with their father at the old Clinical Laboratory, Jewish Hospital, c. 1955

 

We thank Sherry Wasserman, Naomi Hordes (nee Wasserman), and Carol Deanow (nee Wasserman)  for considering the Winkler Center when it came time to find a home for this family treasure.

Works Used

“In Remembrance,” Cincinnati Medicine November, 1998.

 

Shakespeare, Beethoven, Bearcats and More – All in Latest Issue of Source

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sourceRead Source, the online newsletter, to learn more about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

This latest issue of Source includes an article with Xuemao Wang, dean and university librarian, about how UC Libraries is utilizing Organizational Development to help bring about transformational change. Kevin Grace, university archivist and head of the Archives and Rare Books Library writes about the Enoch Carson Shakespeare Collection and how it will be a part of autumn 2017 Shakespeare celebrations in Cincinnati. Another great reading collection, the Cohen Enrichment Collection, is also featured in this issue.

Other articles in Source include an update on two UC Libraries Strategic Plan initiatives – eLearning and Digital Literacy and the Digital Scholarship Center, a recap of the most recent annual Cecil Striker Lecture and the addition of Beethoven’s “Life Mask” in the Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library. Read these articles and more.

Source is available on the web at http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/source/ and via e-mail. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

Cecil Striker Lecture and Exhibit a Success

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We had to take a few days to recoup but now that we have here are a few images of last Thursday’s Cecil Striker Lecture, “African American Physicians in Cincinnati: Past, Present & Future.”
A multi-generational panel of physicians was moderated by Dr. Elbert Nelson and included Drs. Chester Pryor, Charles Dillard, Camille Graham, and Christopher Lewis. Each panelist discussed a bit of their personal stories, including obstacles and successes as African American physicians, their early mentors, and heroes, etc. After the discussion, attendees were invited to a reception and an exhibit opening of the same name in the Winkler Center’s Lucas Room. For now, these are the only images we have from the event, but more will follow. Stay tuned. And thank you to everyone who helped make the evening a huge success.

Staff of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions

L to R, Drs. Philip Diller, Chester Pryor, Charles Dillard, Elbert Nelson, Camille Graham, Christoper Lewis

 

Panelist Bios

Exhibit Panels

Exhibit Panel

Continue reading →

African American Physicians in Cincinnati: Past, Present, & Future

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The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions and the University of Cincinnati Libraries are proud to sponsor the 2017 annual Cecil Striker Lecture and exhibit.  This year the program is entitled African American Physicians in Cincinnati: Past, Present & Future and features an inter-generational panel discussing challenges faced in the early integration of all-White hospitals and medical colleges, holding those doors open for others, the current state of African American physicians, and many other topics.

A corresponding exhibit chronicling the history not only of African Americans in the health professions in Cincinnati, but also, the history of health care opportunities for African Americans in the city opens on the same date.

We hope you can make it for this enlightening discussion and exhibit. Click on the invitation at right for more information and to RSVP.

In the meantime enjoy some images from the exhibit.

The Ohio Medical College: Collotype, Chromolitho, or Hand-colored Silver Gelatin

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Old Print, Medical College of Ohio, c. 1852

Huh?

A researcher recently asked if we had any images of the first building to house the Medical College of Ohio. Turns out we do not. Or if we do, we’re not sure where to find them. That said, we did find a beautiful image of the Medical College when it was on Sixth Street near Vine in downtown Cincinnati.

Daniel Drake founded the Medical College of Ohio in 1819 in Cincinnati and it has the distinction of being the oldest medical college west of the Allegheny Mountains. In addition, it is the second-oldest public college of medicine in the United States. The first classes at the college were held above a pharmacy reportedly owned by Drake himself. Drake left the school in 1823 and a series of different locations for the college followed.

In 1852, the college built on property it had purchased on Sixth Street and it would stay at this new address for the next forty-four years. As many already know, the Medical College of Ohio eventually became, along with the Miami Medical College, the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati.

So that ‘s the very brief story of the school depicted in the photograph, but what about the image itself. At least for us at the Winkler Center it is rare to come across a photograph this old with so much color. Unfortunately the image is in a very nice frame along with two other images pertaining to Drake. Since we are unaware of the item’s provenance we are reluctant to remove the images from the frame. If we could, it would be easy to see what kind of image specifically it is.

As the Archivist/Curator here, I am by no means an expert on photographic processes of the 19th century, so I consulted with some friends who are.  The answers I have been given are:

A) If the photo is post-1880s, it could be a hand-colored silver gelatin print. Under a microscope I would see no paper fibers in the photo. For more info on silver gelatin prints see http://www.graphicsatlas.org/guidedtour/?process_id=337.

If it was done prior to 1880, say during the 1870s, it could be a printing process that was hand colored.  Under magnification perhaps we would see the worm like pattern of the collotype print. http://www.graphicsatlas.org/guidedtour/?process_id=168? Or maybe a letterpress halftone checkered pattern.(http://www.graphicsatlas.org/guidedtour/?process_id=102)?

Regardless, it looks like we won’t find out until we remove it from the frame and put it under a microscope. In the meantime we’ll just enjoy it for what it is, a great, colorful piece of history. We’ll keep you posted.

Annual Cecil Striker Society Lecture May 4 to Highlight African American Doctors in Cincinnati

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cecil striker

The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions and the Cecil Striker Society for the History of Medicine will host the Cecil Striker Society Annual Lecture from 5-7:30 p.m. on Thurs, May 4, in the Kresge Auditorium, Medical Sciences Building, 231 Albert Sabin Way.

This year’s lecture will consist of a panel discussion by prominent African American physicians and is titled “African American Physicians in Cincinnati: Past, Present and Future.”  Moderated by Dr. Elbert Nelson, the panelists will include Drs. Chester Pryor, Charles Dillard, Camille C. Graham and Christopher Lewis.

The evening will include the talk from 5-6 p.m., followed by Q&A and a reception at 6:30 p.m. In addition, an exhibit of the same name will be on display in the Lucas Board Room in the Winkler Center.

The Cecil Striker Lecture is free and open to the public, but RSVP’s are requested to (513) 558-5120 or chhp@uc.edu. Continue reading →

What do Pearl Jam and the Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions have in common?

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Not much I can assure you.  That said, recently we were performing a large scale book move to make room for newly cataloged monographs when I stumbled upon the book in the image below.

Vitalogy by E. H. Ruddock, M. D.

It was the cover that caught my eye because it seemed immediately familiar. Within a split second I realized that the cover of the book in question looked exactly like the cover of my favorite album by the band Pearl Jam.

Wait a second?  “Who’s Pearl Jam” you may be asking yourself. That’s OK. They are a rock and roll band from Seattle that broke around 1992. Released on Epic Records in the fall of 1994,Vitalogy was the band’s third album.  And as I’ve just found out, the title of a book.

Vitalogy Cover

I didn’t know it when the record was released, but the band chose the title because the lead singer/songwriter of the group, Eddie Vedder, saw the volume at a garage sale, liked it’s title, design, font, etc., and purchased it. He later showed it to the rest of the band and it soon became the title of the new album. The Vitalogy album/CD cover mimicked the cover of the book and original text from the book was used to populate the album’s liner notes.

 

Text

Textual diagram

So what about the book?  Vitalogy, An Encyclopedia of Health and Home Adapted for the Home, the Layman, and the Family by E. H. Ruddock, M.D. was first published in 1899; the edition we have is from 1926. Biblical in proportion it contains 1004 pages full of holistic cures, medical advice and proverbial wisdom. In addition, it is full of incredibly detailed and intricate color illustrations and fold outs.

Example of some of the detailed color foldouts

Glancing through its pages, one can imagine Vitalogy at home in any aisle of a Whole Foods or a Sprouts Market–the book that is, though I’m sure the album would do well there too.

 

2017 Cecil Striker Lecture – Save the Date

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Below is the Save the Date for the Winkler Center’s Cecil Striker Annual Lecture.  The lecture is titled African American Physicians in Cincinnati:  Past, Present and Future and will focus on the contributions, challenges and professional achievements of African American health care professionals from the University of Cincinnati as well as the Cincinnati region. This year instead of one lecturer we will feature a panel of four individuals who are retired or current African American physicians. The Henry R. Winkler Center Advisory Board Members, as well as faculty and staff of the Winkler Center are very excited about this upcoming event.