The Miller Collection: Antiquarian Medical Books, A Visual and Historical Feast, Back Home at VCU

 

In 1926 Dr. Joseph Lyon Miller, an alumnus of the Medical College of Virginia and a practicing physician in West Virginia, offered to the Richmond Academy of Medicine a valuable collection of old medical books. Dr. Miller was both a renaissance man and antiquarian book collector.

The Miller Collection includes rare portraits, prints, letters, and silhouettes of medical significance besides its 1600 volumes. Among the important items are Andreas Vesalius's De Fabrica Humāni Corporis , second edition, Guy de Chauliac's Chirurgia Magna,1499; Aureolus Paracelsus's Chirurgia Magna & Minor, 1573, a rare first English edition of Ambrose Paré's Works, 1634; Carbon's Libro del Arte; Pratis's De Pariente et Partu and the first English edition of William Harvey's Anatomical Exercitations,1653.

The Miller Collection is now formally and finally back at The Medical College of Virginia-Virginia Commonwealth University Health Sciences Library- as part of the permanent archive.

Amazing.

Fargo Rock City! Read and Rock on!

 

Okay...this is neither a new book (2001) nor was I a metal head growing up, BUT if you are a fan of rock music and fancy a serious yet hilarious reflection of hard rock/heavy metal/glam metal/hair bands of the 1980's, this is the book for you.

Chuck Klosterman is masterful in relating the impact of heavy metal music on teenagers in the 1980s. Although I did not grow up on a farm in North Dakota like Klosterman, we are roughly the same age and I can relate to much of his musical odyssey, experiencing similar radio hits and the rise of MTV.

One need not be a fan of heavy metal to appreciate its massive sonic presence for a decade, commonly in the airwave mix with other rock and new wave acts. Like other genres- disco, punk music, etc, fads come and go. This was no different.

Was metal music high quality musicianship? Who cares, it was present, powerful and exciting (at the time), worth remembering.

Viva le Rock!

Thank you MCV Foundation for the Recognition and Support on All Things COVID19 Related

 

It is an honor to be included and recognized in this MCV Foundation video.   The support is invaluable.

Bravo!

Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine

The golden age of blogging is long past but I am not yet ready to shut down my blog.  Admittedly, I post much less frequently given the ease and impact of Twitter.  This blog nevertheless serves as an extension of my personality and interests.

Books are hugely important to me.

Until Proven Safe- on the  history and future of  quarantine is well worth the read.  This is not an academic tome but rather a compelling narrative of quarantine, from a medical, social and political perspective, starting in the renaissance to the modern era, including agriculture,  radioactive waste and even space travel.

The better we understand quarantine, the more selectively and precisely we can apply it in the name of safety and with the goal of minimizing collateral damage.

Kudos to the authors on a well researched and even better written book.

Medical Society of Virginia Salute to Service Award. What an honor!

 

It was a huge honor to receive the Medical Society of Virginia Salute to Service Award, for my work in infection prevention and safety. Thank you to all the collaborators over the years for their invaluable service to patient safety.

Last but no least, a special thank you to Drs. Michael Edmond and Richard Wenzel, for their second-to-none mentorship in my professional career as both an infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist. 

No one succeeds without the guidance and support of others.

Time Management for Mortals

Four thousand weeks is the average human lifespan, which on reflection is not much, making time management an important aspect of existence.  But, Time Management for Mortals is no ordinary book and offers no secrets on how to increase productivity or to better integrate work and home life. Productivity geeks beware.

The book compellingly argues what we know, or should know: that there is never enough time for our hyperactive lives and the sooner we accept that the less we will suffer. It comes down to choosing what not to do, or being highly selective in what to do, to pause and focus on what really matters, to avoid the busy trap- a never ending cycle of anxiety.

This is a short yet powerful read, especially for those who are pressed for time.

Lost In Thought: A Bookworm's Delight

Idle time on the couch with a book in hand should not be thought of as unproductive work. 

In fact, in this beautifully written book by Zena Hitz, the numerous benefits of intellectual pursuits (such as reading and reflecting) are compellingly argued. These include a refugee from distress; a reminder of human dignity; a source of insight and understanding; a source of inspiration and a 'place' to seek a broader perspective on nearly all matters of existence.

Slow down, read, reflect, re-orient, for self-benefit and for the good of others.