Hardin Library for the Health Sciences and the University of Iowa History of Medicine Society invite you to a lecture by Elizabeth Yale,  PhD, History of Science, Harvard University.

 

Elizabeth Yale, PhD
Adjunct Assistant Professor, UI Center for the Book

Bring out Your Dead (Papers)! Early Modern Medical Practitioners as Archivists and Collectors

Thursday, September 28
5:30-6:30pm
401 Hardin Library for the Health Sciences

Early modern physicians built their libraries as dynamic, interactive information resources. They constructed their collections over many years, buying and inheriting books old and new. Alongside their books, they generated and passed on valuable caches of written records, including correspondence and medical casebooks.

This talk considers physicians as collectors of books and papers: what can their use of these materials tell us not only about their medical practices, but also their varied pursuits as naturalists, editors and authors, scientific reformers, and museum founders.

Please consider donating online to the University of Iowa History of Medicine Society to sponsor events.

Donate online to Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.

University of Iowa History of Medicine Society calendar 2017/2018

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program please call Janna Lawrence at 319-335-9871.

JOHANN DANIEL MAJOR (1634-1693). Chirurgia infusoria. Kiel: Sumptibus Joh. Lüdervvald, Impremebat Joach. Reumannus, 1667.

Johann Daniel Major (1634-1693)

Major, a native of Breslau, Germany, received his second medical degree at Padua in 1660. He practiced medicine at Hamburg and Wittenberg before being appointed the first professor of medicine at Kiel in 1665.

Major was a physician, a naturalist, collector, and founder of museology.

There is some controversy with regard to priority in blood transfusion, but Major may be clearly credited with the first successful injection of a medicinal substance into the vein of a human in 1662. In the Prologue to this work, he explains his general intent and illustrates with a striking woodcut his method of performing intravenous infusion. In the Prodome, he reviews the work of other investigators who used animals and substances such as wine, water, and poisons in their experimentation with transfusion.

Major also argues the merit and originality of his own work with humans. His work included both blood transfusion and the injection of medicinal substances. Also included in the book are letters to Major from contemporaries who criticized his work and compared it with their own research. Major discusses their arguments and provides substantiation for his work.

Read First Blood Transfusion: A History by Elizabeth Yale, Department of History, University of Iowa.

Image from Chirurgiae Infusoriae in John Martin Rare Book Room Collection. This is the third reprint of the book originally published in 1664.

You may view this book in the John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. Make a gift to the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences by donating online or setting up a recurring gift with The University of Iowa Foundation.

What is ORCID? Why would you want one?
This session will discuss ORCID, how researchers can benefit from having one, and how ORCID connects with other information systems. This will also be a hands-on workshop where everyone will have the chance to create their own ORCID and learn the most efficient ways to populate their profile with their publications.

Our next session:
Tuesday, September 19th, 11:00am-12:00pm, East Information Commons

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program please call Janna Lawrence at 319-335-9871.

It’s hard to pay attention to the science behind hurricanes when people’s lives are on the line and everyone is waiting to see what will really happen.  Now that Harvey and Irma have done their worst, here are a few facts and interesting tidbits about hurricanes . . . information that will stand you in good stead when the next one approaches.  And there will be a next one. After all, the Atlantic hurricane season last through November 30.

Geocolor Image of Hurricane Irma. Sept. 8, 2017. Photo Credit: NOAA/CIRA

How does a hurricane form? Briefly, hurricanes develop from smaller, but strong, thunderstorms which develop in tropical waters. If several thunderstorms cluster together and become stronger they can become a tropical depression. (A tropical depression has a relatively low air pressure and wind speeds between 23 and 38 mph circling around the center). If the wind speeds increase above 38 mph it is called a tropical storm and given a name (we’ll look at naming a little later). A tropical storm could last for days while moving across the ocean – fizzling out or possibly reaching shore. If winds intensify and reach 74 mph, the storm becomes a hurricane. (The speed of 74 mph was first calculated by Sir Francis Beaufort in 1805…)

Now, about those categories. The graphic on the left may be humorous – but it is accurate (at least as far as the facts go, not sure about the cats…Notice I’m refraining from saying anything about ‘cat’egories…). A category 1 (winds between 74-95 mph) will produce some damage (roofs, siding, gutters, trees, and the possibility of power outages lasting several days). Category 2 (96-110 mph) will cause extensive damage (major roof damage, trees snapped and uprooted, and near total power outage which could last weeks). Devastating damage will occur with a category 3 (111-129 mph) hurricane (homes will sustain major damage, many trees will be uprooted blocking roads, water and electrical outages could last weeks). Catastrophic damage will occur with a category 4 (130-156 mph) hurricane (homes suffer severe damage, most trees will be uprooted or snapped, power poles will come down, residential areas will become isolated and most areas will uninhabitable for weeks or months). Category 5 (157 mph and higher) damage is catastrophic (most homes destroyed, residential areas isolated, water and electrical outages will last months and most of the area will be uninhabitable for months or longer). This is only the damage from the winds and doesn’t include the flooding from the rain and storm surges.

Newly upgraded and repainted NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion N42RF, aka “Kermit,” taking off from Tampa, FL on Jan 18, 2017. Photo credit Lt. Kevin Doremux.

So, where does the data come from? Data on individual hurricanes is gathered using satellites and radar – but that data isn’t as complete as when hurricane hunters are also collecting data. Yes, there really are Hurricane Hunters who fly through the eye of the hurricanes on purpose! Specially equipped National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aircraft play an integral role in hurricane forecasting. Instruments on board are continually transmitting measurements of pressure, humidity, temperature and wind direction – all which help give scientists and forecasters real-time access to the storm information. And these Hurricane Hunters make the run through the eye of the storm over and over again during an 8-10 hour shift!

So what’s the deal with naming the hurricanes? It’s pretty simple – human names are easier to remember than meteorological numbers. If there is more than one hurricane at a time (like now) there is much less chance for confusion when referring to the storms. There are six lists of names, which are used in rotation. One list is used one year, then the next list the following year, etc. Names on the list are alphabetical with one name for each letter (with the exception of the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z, which have no names associated with them). This system of relying on names from these lists began in 1953, and was begun by the National Hurricane Center. These lists are now maintained and updated by an international committee of the World Meteorologic Association.

Tropical Cyclone Names Worldwide, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Atlantic Names. World Meteorological Organization

The origins of the modern naming system may be traced back to a 19th century Australian meteorologist named Clement Wragge (known as Wet Wragge….). He started out using letters of the alphabet and then switched to using popular female names in the South Pacific. It is also said that he sometimes named hurricanes after politicians who were not supportive of his work …

In the 1960s women began to speak out about the inequality of gender-specific names. Finally, in 1979, male name’s were introduced and they now alternate with female names. The first hurricane with a male name was “Bob” and he hit the Gulf Coast on July 11, 1979. The names of hurricanes which are particularly destructive and deadly are retired – Irene, Katrina, Sandy, and Matthew are recent examples. It is expected that the names Harvey and Irma will be retired after this year.

Would you like to prepare for the hurricane by watching some hurricane-themed movies? You might want to watch Key Largo, Thunder Bay, The Killer Shrews, and Hurricane for example!

Or perhaps you’d like to create your own hurricane playlist? There are a number of possible songs – Ridin’ the Storm Out (REO Speedwagon), Riders on the Storm (The Doors), Like a Hurricane (Neil Young), and so many more.

Wherever you are – please be safe! Listen to the forecasters and officials in your area. The category meme, the movies and the playlist might make light of hurricanes, but they are dangerous, destructive, and can be deadly.

EndNote is a reference management tool that helps you to easily gather together your references in one place, organize them, and then insert them into papers and format them in a style of your choosing. This session will walk you through the basics of using EndNote to collect and format your citations. The class will be hands-on and there will be time for questions at the end.

EndNote Desktop is available free to faculty, staff, and graduate students affilited with UI.

For individual instruction on this topic, please contact your liaison librarian.

Our next sessions:
Wednesday, September 13, 9-10am, East Information Commons, 2nd Floor
Thursday, November 2, 12-1pm, East Information Commons, 2nd Floor

Register online or by calling 319-335-9151.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program please call Janna Lawrence at 319-335-9871.

Hardin Open Workshops are free and open to anyone!  Register online or by calling 319-335-9151.

9-12 PubMed, 11am-Noon
9-13 EndNote Desktop, 9-10am
9-14 Systematic Reviews part 1, 10-11am
9-19, ORCiD *new*, 11am-Noon
9-20, Measure scholarly impact, 10-11am
9-21 Systematic Reviews, part 2, 10-11am

No time for the workshop?  Contact your subject specialist for individual instruction.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program please call Janna Lawrence at 319-335-9871.

Please send additional comments to Kimberly Bloedel.

Introducing our new exhibit: Go Hawks!

In Iowa City, Herky is famous, but you may be less familiar other members of his family. Red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, and others are often spotted in Johnson County. These beautiful birds are accomplished predators, feeding on smaller birds and small mammals. Come see two impressive specimens up close at the Sciences Library.

Many thanks to the Museum of Natural History for the loan of the hawks and hawk egg, to the University Archives for the homecoming buttons, and to wildlife photographer James Scheib for the beautiful photos.

The following workshops will be offered at the Sciences Library during the Fall 2017 semester. Our workshops are open to everyone and there is no need to register. They will be held in the computer room on the third floor of the Sciences Library. If you have any questions, please contact Sara Scheib.

Saving Time (and Citations) with EndNote – Thursday, September 21 at 2 – 2:50 PM
In this workshop you will learn how to  save time by using EndNote to import references from popular databases, organize and share your references, and automatically format in-text citations and bibliographies/reference lists in Microsoft Word.

Foolproof Searching Secrets – Thursday, September 28 at 10 – 10:50 AM
This is your chance to learn how to search like a librarian! Bring your questions and learn how to save time and effort by applying some simple search strategies. You’ll learn which resources are the best bets for different types of information, how to improve your search results, and how to refine your results when you get overwhelmed. And you’ll learn how to evaluate the quality of the information you find, no matter where you find it.

Lions and Tigers and Predatory Publishers, Oh My! – Wednesday, October 4 at 1:30 – 2:20 PM
In this workshop, you will learn strategies for navigating through the jungle of scholarly publishing. Have you ever wondered how to identify and avoid predatory publishers? How to publish open access without sacrificing impact? And how to control your identity as a scholar? This workshop will provide answers to these questions and more. Bring your own questions too!

Demystifying Metrics: H-Index, Impact Factor, and More – Wednesday, October 11 at 2 – 2:50 PM
Learn how bibliometrics like h-index and impact factor are calculated, how they’re used, and what they really mean. Learn to use tools like Journal Citation Reports, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar to measure your scholarly impact.

If you’re interested, but unable to attend these workshops, private appointments and webinars are available. Contact Sara Scheib for more information.