College of Arts and Sciences

“More suction, Bertie.” – Dr. Thackery            “I’ve lost the pedal pulse.” – Nurse “Blood rises, air becomes scarce. Which man can survive the longest? Care to wager, Bertie?” – Dr. Thackery (Soderbergh, The Knick, ep. 4) Cover of "Elecktromedizinische Apparate," 1898.During the showdown between Dr. Edwards and Dr. Gallinger over an exsanguinating patient in Cinemax’s The Knick, it was clear who was not most likely to survive. In this scene, Dr. Edwards, a “colored” physician is not allowed to physically assist in a procedure using a galvanized wire to treat an aneurism, despite the fact that he was...

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For this week's post, I am resurrecting some material from 2011. The U. S. Public Health Service and the privately operated American Social Hygiene Association, commissioned artists working under the WPA (Works Progress Administration) to design posters for their campaign against venereal disease. The lithographed posters, mostly produced from 1936 to 1942, were distributed by state and local boards of health and public health and safety programs. Digital copies of posters came from the Library of Congress, the Wellcome Library, and the American Social Hygiene Association archive at the University of Minnesota. The images seen here are from the Library...

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If You have Syphilis... During the Victorian period, syphilis was little short of an epidemic (it has even been referred to as the "third plague"). During WWI, syphilis became an enormous problem for the soldiers on the Western Front, resulting in a public health campaign. But what happened once you actually had the disease? In today's post, we will look at the effects of cure: the injection of Salvarsan 606. The Disease: Syphilis caused open and weeping sores called chancres--these did not itch or cause pain, but were incredibly unsightly. They affected soft tissue, but could also inflame joints and destroy mucous...

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Did you ever wonder where the stethoscope got its start? Or the ancestry of the blood-pressure cuff? We have a tendency to take diagnostic instruments for granted--but like every other medical tech invention, they developed and changed over time. Join us for a look backward, a chance to reflect not only on the practical progress of instruments, but on the awe-struck and childlike wonder with which the earliest practitioners listened in on the beating heart or the whisper-thrush of circulating blood! On November 14 we will mark the completion of the M. Donald Blaufox Hall of Diagnostic Instruments with a...

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