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Hermitage and heritage: Augustinians in history
Austen (the surname of one of England’s best-loved novelists) and Austin (the capital city of Texas) are both abbreviations of the name Augustine. That name became popular from Saint Augustine of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (354-430), philosopher… Continue reading
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Item of the Month, November 2011: Certificate of attendance at William Hunter’s lectures
One of the pivotal figures in eighteenth century medicine, William Hunter (born on May 23rd 1718 at Long Calderwood, Kilbride, Scotland) was an eminent doctor, surgeon, obstetrician and teacher of anatomy. Educated in Glasgow and Edinburgh, he arrived in London… Continue reading
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Cardiac history roundup
Wellcome Library no. 679722i The photograph above, dated 1931, portrays the cardiologist Edward Franklin Bland. Born in Virginia in 1901, Bland spent most of his career at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he was an Intern, House Officer,… Continue reading
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In the mood for surgery
Hot on the heels of this week’s Classic Rock Awards in London comes the revelation that surgeons use music to promote an atmosphere of calm during operations, including songs by the Eagles (truly ‘Classic’) and David Bowie. This was never… Continue reading
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The Test of Time
Last year we brought you news of The Test of Time, a BBC Radio 4 series in which present day scientists reflected on the work of their ancient forebears. The repeat of the series begins this evening on Radio 4… Continue reading
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Fire, Riot and Compound Fracture
Hannah Stewart, 21 years of age of a good habit of body, a married Woman was brought into the Hosp[ita]l on Wednesday night the 7th Inst. with a compound Fracture of the Wrist Joint wherein both Radius and Ulna were… Continue reading
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Stamp of Approval
Last week, Royal Mail released a set of stamps commemorating the contribution of ten Royal Society Fellows to the scientific world. Among these eminent scientists is the surgeon and pioneer of antisepsis, Joseph Lister, whose portrait was licensed from Wellcome… Continue reading
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Re-edit medical history film
A new addition to the Wellcome Film project has been made: downloadable videos to keep, edit and watch as you wish from your own computer. The videos are H.264 (MPEG4) format and broadband resolution (2Mbps), easily playable by both Mac… Continue reading
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The Test of Time
This week, BBC Radio 4 airs The Test of Time, a new series in which Scientists look back at their ancient forebears and examine how much of that early knowledge still stands up to scrutiny. The first episode, broadcast today,… Continue reading
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Blood and Guts in the Wellcome Library
Currently airing on Saturday nights on BBC2 – and so available to watch through the BBC iplayer – is Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery. First shown on BBC4 last year, the series charts the “brutal, bloody and dangerous… Continue reading