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Shackled in leg irony: black humour of the lower limb
Mezzotint by Jacob Gole (1660?-1737?) after Annibale Carracci. Wellcome Library no. 24994i It is a common experience to have enough feet but not enough shoes. The man shown here is, paradoxically, in the opposite situation: he has plenty of shoes but… Continue reading
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Thalidomide: A Human Tragedy?
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the withdrawal of the drug thalidomide from the market. A number of events are planned to coincide with this date including, tonight, an evening event in Wellcome Collection under the above title,… Continue reading
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Thalidomide 50 Years On
The archive of the Thalidomide Society (SA/TSY) and the papers of Professor Richard Smithells (PP/SML) have been catalogued and are now available to researchers at the Wellcome Library. Thalidomide was developed by the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal in Germany in 1957,… Continue reading
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Fifty years in clinical and human genetics
One of the Wellcome Trust’s challenge areas is maximising the health benefits of genetics and genomics. Relating directly to this are the personal papers of Professor George Robert Fraser, which are now available for consultation in the Wellcome Library. George… Continue reading
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Music of the blind
Blind musicians in Paris. Detail of lithograph by Martin Sylvestre Baptiste, 1828. Wellcome Library no. 16519i An article by Ingrid Sykes in the latest issue of Medical History considers the blind in Paris from an unusual angle: their sound.… Continue reading
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The ‘Spare-part biologist’: Sir Peter Medawar
“He was a big man. That was the first thing that struck you as he strode into the room. A big man – tall and vibrant with life. His sheer presence communicated a sense of power: not political power, not… Continue reading
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Blind Granny and her kind
“Blind Granny” with her tankard. Wellcome Library no. 16500i A new exhibition Reframing disability has opened at the Royal College of Physicians in their spectacular building on the south-east corner of Regent’s Park. It includes items selected from a collection… Continue reading
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William Moon and Moon Type
Today is the 130th anniversary of the birth of Helen Keller, the American author and activist. We could write an ‘Item of the Month’ post on the holdings in the Wellcome Library on this fascinating woman, but have decided to… Continue reading
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Spring comes in 1807
Today, officially, marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere: the point from which days are longer than nights, and the long winter is finally behind us. Of course, this is an artificial date: spring is not something… Continue reading
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Wellcome Library to host Learning on Screen 2009
The Wellcome Library will be hosting the Learning on Screen conference 2009 at The Wellcome Collection, 7-8 April 2009. The BUFVC are organising this conference, and have put forward a call for papers, with a submission deadline of 15 January… Continue reading