Books

In the history of medicine — Early ophthalmology text turns 500 this year

First page of treatise "De oculis" from Champier's _Speculum Galeni_

The first page of the treatise "De oculis" from Symphorien Champier's _Speculum Galeni_ (Lyon, 1512)

The P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library is celebrating the 500th birthday of one of its treasures, an edition of Symphorien Champier’s Speculum Galeni. The book includes one of the first treatises on ophthalmology ever printed.

Symphorien Champier (1472-1539) was an early French humanist and physician to Charles VIII, Louis XII, and the Duke of Lorraine. He settled in Lyon, where he established the College of the Doctors of Lyon and studied Greek and Arab scholars, as well as medicinal science, composing a great number of historical works. He was also an admirer of Galen, the great second-century Greek physician and philosopher. Champier set out to expand his contemporary colleagues’ knowledge of Galen by using a powerful new tool: the printing press.

Speculum Galeni, printed in Lyon in 1512, begins with Champier’s own biography of Galen and a list of Galenic works. It continues with Champier’s careful compilation of Latin translations of key works that were (at that time) attributed to Galen, to form a complete Treatise of Medicine. Included in the compilation is “De oculis,” a treatise on the eyes, the first page of which appears in the photo above. According to later historians, “De oculis” may not have been Galen’s at all – it is only known today from this Latin translation, and no Greek original has ever been found. Nonetheless, its inclusion in Champier’s compilation makes it one of the first printed works on the subject of ophthalmology.

Our copy of Speculum Galeni is bound together with another work of Champier called Practica nova in medicina which was probably printed several years earlier, around 1509. The beautiful binding was also created around the same time; it is stamped pigskin over wooden boards with metal clasp closures. The whole volume is in beautiful condition.

Photo of cover of our copy of Champier's book

The handcrafted early-16th-century cover of Champier's book.

We know from the stamps and inscriptions in the book that it once belonged to the Strahov Monastery Library in Prague.

Speculum Galeni came to the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library as part of the Andrew A. Sandor Ophthalmology collection, a group of some 400 rare and historical books that the library acquired in 1988. We invite you to come and see this historical treasure, along with many other treasures on the history of ophthalmology such as Georg Bartisch’s Ophthalmodouleia (1583) and Samuel Thomas Sommering’s Abbildungen des menschlichen Auges (1801).

The P. I. Nixon Medical Historical Library Reading Room is located on the fifth floor of the Briscoe Library and is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. In order to view books in the collection, it is best to schedule an appointment prior to visiting by calling 567-2470.

Luke Rosenberger, Director of Library Technology and Historical Collections

Tags: June 2012
Posted in Books, History of Medicine, News from the Libraries | Comments Off

Journalist T.R. Reid to speak at Health Science Center July 30- Location changed to Holly Auditorium

T. R. Reid

T.R. Reid: “A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care”

Monday, July 30, 6:00 p.m.
UT Health Science Center– The location for this event has been changed to the HOLLY AUDITORIUM

Videoconference to RAHC, Harlingen, Room 1.132

T.R. Reid, noted healthcare expert, NPR and PBS correspondent, and author of The Healing of America, will speak at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Monday, July 30, 6:00 p.m. in Holly Auditorium, on the topic “A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care.”

Other free-market industrialized democracies around the world provide health care of high quality for everyone, and they do it at much lower cost than here in the U.S. How did those countries arrive at this fundamental decision? How have they carried it out on a national scale? And what can we learn from them?

T.R. Reid has suffered for most of his life with a bad shoulder that resulted from an accident he sustained while serving in the Navy. He worked for many years as an international correspondent for The Washington Post, in places like London and Tokyo. These two circumstances provided him and his family with the opportunity to experience firsthand the health care systems of a number of countries around the world. His personal experience and professional research ultimately led to the PBS/Frontline documentary Sick Around the World in 2008, and provided the inspiration for his book The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care in 2009.

Join us Monday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m. for a stimulating and informative discussion with T.R. Reid, co-sponsored by the UT Health Science Center Libraries and the School of Nursing. The program is free and open to the public. Copies of The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care will be available, with a book signing to follow the presentation.

Tags: August 2012
Posted in Books, Event Announcement, News from the Libraries | Comments Off

Library purchases Amazon Kindle Touch

In an effort to expand into emerging technologies and to offer another means for readers to interact with different e-book formats, the library has purchased a Kindle Touch e-book reader. The Kindle will be available for check-out in early September. Faculty, staff, and students with a current library account are eligible to check out the Kindle, which is available at the Briscoe Library Circulation Desk. The Kindle will circulate for a two week period and is non-renewable. Holds can be placed on the Kindle by logging into a personal library account.

The Kindle must physically be returned to the Circulation Desk. Please DO NOT place it in the Book Return boxes. Once physically returned, if there are no other library patrons waiting to check it out, the Kindle may be eligible for a second check-out.

Due to Amazon restrictions the library is not allowed to share Kindle content with other Kindle owners. In addition, users should not contribute unauthorized content to the library Kindle.

Currently there are two e-books available on the Kindle:

The Health Care Handbook by Elisabeth Askin and Nathan Moore, 2012. Written by two medical students, this book attempts to provide a simplified explanation of the U.S. health care system as it stands today. For more information check out a review of the book by Dr. Pauline Chen in the New York Times article, Two Medical Students Navigate the Health Care Maze.

I Heard the Sirens Scream: How Americans Responded to the 9/11 and Anthrax Attacks by Laurie Garrett, 2011. This book provides a first-hand account of the events that occurred on and after September 11^th 2001. Laurie Garrett is a best-selling author and a respected journalist who is also the Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Garrett will deliver the 10th Annual Frank Bryant, Jr., MD Memorial Lecture on Thursday, October 11 at 12:00 noon, Holly Auditorium as part of the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics 10th year anniversary celebration.