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Avoiding the Dead of Winter

The Dittrick Museum of Medical History is located in Northeast Ohio -- an area (in)famous for its harsh, long winters. After last year’s “Polar Vortex,” we dug into our collections to discover how 19th century physicians would advise to protect ourselves from the dangers of falling temperatures. A little text entitled Taking Cold: The Cause of Half Our Diseases (1873) by Dr. John Hayward outlines ways to maintain warmth and health. To the author, "Taking Cold" referred to being exposed to cold air, while catching "A Cold" was one of the many diseases this exposure could cause. In fact, the following preventative methods were vitally...

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The Stomach and its Discontents: Digesting the Winter Holidays

"One of the most uncomfortable beings on earth is a Dyspeptic. To most other invalids there is some hope of a change It will neither kill the patient nor depart from him. Hitherto, it has been more hopeless than a sentence of imprisonment for life." --J.C. Eno, A Treatise on the Stomach and its Trials 1865. For a number of people, the winter holidays coincide with family meals of increased size and frequency, an unaccustomed embarrassment of riches. (I recall family dinners of my youth wherein an entire table had been commandeered only for desserts, for instance.) But as...

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The Colorful Chemistry of Show Globes

The Colorful (and Dangerous?) History of Show Globes Many hypotheses swirl around the origins of the pharmacist’s show globe, (see this amazing online exhibit from the Waring Historical Library), but by the late 19th century, these spherical glass containers functioned more as traditional signage. Just as barber poles, the colorful globes alerted people walking by about the goods and services inside. According to American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record, “bold, indeed, and reckless would be the druggist who should discard the colored show globe, and not one of you can name druggists who can tell why they have them except for...

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Student Research at the Dittrick

The Dittrick Medical History Center welcomes researchers from the community, the region, the nation, and abroad. We've been pleased to host a number of colleagues, including David Jones, Diana Day, Mike Sappol, and many others. But seasoned scholars and PhDs are not the only visitors to the collections here; Case Western Reserve University students frequently attend classes in the museum's Zverina room. Today, we begin a three part series featuring some of their work. As always, we welcome all curious and intrepid explorers of our medical past! There are few instruments more recognizable or emblematic of medicine than the stethoscope....

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