The History of Medicine Collections by Angela Chih

Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library - Special Collections Research Center

The History of Medicine Collections

Team Saisei - Asma Alhassani, Lea Frost, Eileen Han, and Angela Chih 1

Winter 2020 | SI 620: Collection Development and Management Professor Kathleen Folger

Team Name: Saisei, saisei.umsi@umich.edu The team name was chosen to connect our interests together, which means “rebirth” in Japanese as well as the definition in French for ‘Renaissance”. Team Member #1: Asma Alhassani, aralhass@umich.edu Role: Project Manager/Researcher Team Member #2: Angela Chih, ahchih@umich.edu Role: Copy Editor/Designer/Researcher Team Member #3: Lea Frost, frostl@umich.edu Role: Researcher Team Member #4: Eileen Han, eileenlh@umich.edu Role: Researcher Cover Image Source:https://lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/exhibitions/special-exhibitions/past/art-and-science-of-healing.html

Table of Contents Institution Selection Basics Institution Details

5 6-9

Review Items: The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance

10-12

Collection Profile: Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection

13-19

Individual Team Reflections

Institution Selection

Image retrieved from: https://arts.umich.edu/museums-cultural-attractions/hatcher-graduate-library/

Institution Complete and Correct Name:

Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library (South) - Special Collections Research Center

Short Name or Acronym: Hatcher Grad Library Hatcher Library Address: 920 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Telephone Number: (734) 764-9377 Email Address: special.collections@umich.edu Website URL: https://www.lib.umich.edu/special-collections-research-center Parent’s Website URL: https://www.lib.umich.edu/

Institution Point of Contact: Pablo Alvarez, Curator - Special Collections Research Center We selected the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library’s Special Collections Research Center based on our personal and academic interests in health sciences and Medieval and Renaissance cultures; we also wish to investigate opportunities to diversify the largely western-focused collection. We hope to integrate these interests as we explore the “History of Medicine”. 5

Institution Details

Brief Overview, Setting, and Physical Plant The Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library (also known as “Hatcher Library,” “Grad Library,” or “Hatcher Graduate Library”) at the University of Michigan was designed by the renowned architect Albert Kahn and completed in 1920.1 In 1971, the two adjoined north and south library buildings were named after Harlan Hatcher, who served as the eighth President of the University of Michigan from 1951 to 1967.2 There are nine collection areas at the University of Michigan. The majority of the Special Collections collection areas are acquired and taken care of by the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), located at the Hatcher Graduate Library.3 The History of Medicine collection is part of the SCRC, located on the sixth floor of the Hatcher Graduate Library. There is a reading room for special collection materials on the sixth floor of the Hatcher Graduate Library. A newly-renovated space on North Campus hosts archives, manuscript materials, and volumes from five different campus locations.4 These new, centralized spaces are of great convenience for researchers, minimizing their travel from accessing one item to another, making their work much more efficient. In addition to the physical presence of the collections, there are also two major online exhibits Campbell Bonner Magical Amulet Collection and Homeopathy Collection that are also part of the Taubman Health Sciences Library collection.

Mission, Goals, and Audience The History of Medicine collection is devoted to materials from the history of Western medicine from the ancient Greeks to the twentieth century. These materials shed light not only on the development of medicine, medical thoughts, and the understanding of health and the human body, but on the history of the book as well.5 The collection serves a wide variety of audiences. Students and scholars studying medicine are the primary groups of users, but it is more than that. It also serves the interests of people who study the art of books, history of arts, and architecture in antiquity and Renaissance, according to curator Pablo Alvarez. It is an important resource for studying social history, such as the spread of ideas about medicine, and cultural impact and meanings of medical knowledge. The items in this collection can be

“Hatcher Showcase: Graduate Library History and Design” https://www.lib.umich.edu/grad/showcase/history/History.pdf. Retrieved on 07 Feb 2020. 2 “Presidents of the University of Michigan”. https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/um/umpresid.php. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 3 “Special Collections Collection Areas”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/mlibrary-collections/special-collections-collection-areas. Retrieve on 08 Feb 2020. 4 The University of Michigan Report for ALA Annual Meeting, 2018https://connect.ala.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=d720f82e-e7e2-4a62-809c-b29730a5f6ab. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 5 “History of Medicine.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 1

searched using U-M library search, and materials can also be requested through Special Collections’ Request Account, which would allow users to request and view specific items in the reading room on the sixth floor of the Hatcher Library.

Admin/Staff and Staffing for Collection Development According to the most recent (2017–2018) annual report, there are a total of 16 staff members listed who work at the SCRC.6 The Director, Martha O’Hara Conway, provides “leadership and administrative oversight for the operations, services, programs, and resources of the Special Collections Research Center”.7 There are five Curators working at the SCRC.8 Pablo Alvarez is the curator for the History of Medicine collections and an outreach librarian.9 His primary responsibilities are promoting the use of manuscripts and early printed books throughout the University and responding to requests for materials from the SCRC.10

Collection Size, Range, and Strengths The History of Medicine collection is wide-ranging, including about 8,500 works. Major areas of focus include early printed books, classic medical and anatomy texts (including early modern “fugitive sheets,” essentially an anatomical pop-up book), works on the history of homeopathy, and ancient amulets.11 The collection also contains a number of sub-collections, of which the largest are the following: • The Le Roy Crummer Collection focuses on European medical texts from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century. It contains 1,054 volumes, including manuscripts and printed books; these include medieval and early modern editions of classical medical texts and editions of the works of Vesalius, Ambroise Paré, William Harvey, and Thomas Browne.12 • The Bradford Homeopathy Collection contains 1,027 pamphlets on the history of homeopathy. These pamphlets date from the nineteenth century. Some of the collection is housed in the Taubman Health Sciences Library.13 • The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection includes 426 volumes, focusing on sixteenth-century anatomical and surgical texts.14

“Special Collections Research Center Annual Report 2017-2018”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/sites/default/files/libraries/ spec_coll/2017-2018_annual_report_u-m_special_collections.pdf. Retrieved on 08 Feb 2020. 7 “Martha O’Hara Conway”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/users/moconway. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 8 “Special Collections Research Center Annual Report 2017-2018”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/sites/default/files/libraries/ spec_coll/2017-2018_annual_report_u-m_special_collections.pdf. Retrieved on 08 Feb 2020. 9 “Pablo Alvarez”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/users/pabloalv. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 10 “History of Medicine: Meet the Curator”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine/history-medicine-meet-curator. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 11 “History of Medicine.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 12 “Le Roy Crummer Collection.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine/le-roy-crummer-collection. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 13 “Guide to Homeopathy Materials.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/taubman-health-sciences-library/guide-homeopathymaterials. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 14 “Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine/lewis-stephen-pilcher-collection. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 6

Other noteworthy collections include the Aldred Scott Warthin Collection, comprised of books and prints on the danse macabre visual motif;15 the Campbell Bonner Magical Amulet Collection, which contains 52 medical amulets from the years 100–500 CE; and the George E. Wantz Collection, which includes a number of surgical texts and a collection of letters and papers by the American neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing.16

External Relationships The SCRC has worked with various institutions in developing exhibits, from the University of Michigan Museum of Art to the Detroit Institute of Arts.17 From an interview we conducted through email with our primary contact, Pablo Alvarez, the SCRC enjoys a number of relationships with various institutions and organizations. Mr. Alvarez described relationships in the form of lectures, tours, and exhibits with various high schools, universities, and colleges such as the University of Windsor in Canada and Michigan State University. In addition to working with academic institutions, Mr. Alvarez explained that the SCRC is also involved with the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS), a part of the Association of College and Research Libraries, which is itself a section of the American Library Association. Through its participation in RBMS activities, committees, journals, and conferences, SCRC staff engage in discussion and learning regarding important trends in rare books collections. Mr. Alvarez stated that the SCRC also offers two fellowship programs for researchers interested in studying the SCRC collections in person: the Ralph C. and Mary Lynn Heid Research Fellowships, and the William P. Heidrich Research Fellowships, welcoming both domestic and international researchers. During this coming May, the American Association for the History of Medicine and Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences will be visiting the University of Michigan for a national conference about the history of medicine. The SCRC will play a large role in the presentation of the history of medicine through its own collection. The SCRC has received numerous gifts from donors. In particular, the History of Medicine collection is comprised of gifts from various donors, such as Lewis Stephen Pilcher, Aldred Scott Warthin, and Le Roy Crummer. Their collections of historical medical works are located in the SCRC.18,19 Furthermore, the SCRC shares a link with the Bentley Historical Library through the papers of Pilcher, Crummer, and Warthin, which are stored at the Bentley. Additionally, the SCRC welcomes small-scale donors, accepting monetary and certain material donations through the library website.20

“Aldred Scott Warthin Collection.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine/aldred-scott-warthin-collection Retrieved 09 Feb 2020. 16 “History of Medicine: More About the Collection.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine/history-medicine-moreabout-collection. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 17 “Special Collections Research Center Annual Report 2017-2018”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/sites/default/files/libraries/ spec_coll/2017-2018_annual_report_u-m_special_collections.pdf. Retrieved on 08 Feb 2020. 18 “History of Medicine: More About the Collection.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine/history-medicine-moreabout-collection. Retrieved 08 Feb 2020. 19 “Directory of History of Medicine Collections Home”. https://hmddirectory.nlm.nih.gov/hmddir/collection_ detail/47?location_status=America. Retrieved on 08 Feb 2020. 20 “History of Medicine: Support the Collection”. https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine/history-medicine-supportcollection. Retrieved on 08 Feb 2020 15

Overall Budget, Collection Development Budget According to Mr. Alvarez, purchases for the History of Medicine collection are completed with donations and trust funds. Interview Instrument The following interview was conducted through email and sent to our primary contact, Pablo Alvarez. 1. What is the estimated budget for the SCRC in general? 2. What is the estimated budget purely for the History of Medicine collection, and how is it alloted? 3. What relationships does the SCRC have with external groups or institutions, in general and specifically related to the History of Medicine collection?

Review Items

The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance1 Review Item #1: Stomach Amulet Perhaps unusually for a library, the history of medicine collection contains a number of magical amulets from the ancient world, intended to cure or protect against various ailments. The stomach amulet is an ancient artifact from Egypt and was dated from the first through fifth century BCE (Before the Common Era). The Greek inscription “πέπτε, πέπτε, πέπτε” (“digest, digest, digest”) indicates the amulet is meant to prevent or cure digestive disorders. The imagery on the amulet was chiseled with an ibis tied to a flowerpot sitting atop an altar, invoking the iconography of an Ancient Egyptian deity named Thoth, known as one of the most important gods of writing, magic, wisdom, and the moon.2,3 Given that the collection has a subcollection of similar items, this particular item of the stomach amulet is appropriate to the history of medicine collection because it fits the category of the collection. However, one might expect to find this type of item more suitably displayed in a museum rather than a library collection like the Kelsey Museum containing similar artifacts. This particular collection spotlights the history of medicine with a broad scope, and the presence of the amulet collection highlights the fuzziness of boundaries which modern people think of as quite clearly defined.

Review Item #2: The Fabrica Early printed books provide great first-hand evidence of medical practices from antiquity to renaissance. The second item we have chosen to review under this category is The Fabrica, published in 1543.4 The publication of The Fabrica is a great achievement in the study of anatomy as the book contains a total of seven volumes of comprehensive descriptions layered with finely drawn illustrations of the human body, and is in many ways a correction of the previous anatomical knowledge based on animal dissections.5 Furthermore, what makes this printed book special is that Andreas Vesalius, an influential 16th-century Flemish anatomist, physician and author also known as the founder of modern human anatomy, was

(2017) “Renaissance Medicine” from The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/theme5.php 2 “Stomach Amulet” from The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/stomach2.php 3 Mark, J. (2016). “Thoth”. Ancient History of Encyclopedia. https://www.ancient.eu/Thoth/. Retrieved on 23 Feb 2020. 4 “The Fabrica” from The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/vesalius1.php 5 Ibid. 1

also actively involved in its production process.6,7 This item is appropriate for the history of medicine collection because Vesalius himself is significant in the progress of anatomy, and such volumes are evidence of the breakthrough of our understanding of the human body. Its significance in Western medicine, particularly surgery is widely acknowledged. This volume also serves users who are interested in earlier printing technology, book production and illustrations, especially those of interest in the human bodies. Therefore, it suits both the “science” and “art” aspects of healing, which is the theme for this collection.

Review Item #3: Arabic Treatise on Potable Medicaments The manuscript excerpt “Arabic Treatise on Potable Medicaments,” written in 1385, is well suited for the History of Medicine collection. The item is three pages long, and contains valuable information on how to create potable liquid medicine. The three names associated with the manuscript, who are the author of the treatise are: (1) Amīn al-Dīn ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʻUmar al-Sīwāsī alAbhārī; a previous owner of the manuscript, (2) Maḥmūd ibn Aḥmad ibn Maḥmūd al-Dimashqī; and (3) a Jewish physician, Ibn Abī al-Bayān al-Isrāʼīlī. The cover page of the manuscript contains a review of the treatise by al-Dimashqi; additionally, he cites the work of alIsra’ili, demonstrating how physicians of the time studied and drew upon one another’s work from prior decades.8 The transfer of information and inclusion from the manuscript’s cover page also provides insight into medical knowledge contributed by non-Muslim physicians. The next two pages of the manuscript contains specific instructions for making drinkable medicine. The details include the ingredient, the price of the ingredient in dirhams, and recipe instructions. This information provides a window into substances that were used to create medications, as well as the cost of them; the inclusion of the prices add a socioeconomic dimension to the treatise, providing researchers with a basis for determining how much the cost of medicine were.9 While the manuscript offers a number of insightful features, it is important to note the manuscript is limited in terms of the intended use of the medicine described. It is not clear from the text what or who the medicine was intended to be used for. Such information is valuable to understand what the medical trends and habits were for communities during this time period. In comparison, the manuscript “Asrar al-Nisa”, in English translation is the “Secrets of Women”, clearly contains medical and hygienic instructions for women; the instructions range from creating medicine for issues of body hair growth, to

“The Fabrica” from The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/vesalius1.php 7 Florkin, M. (1998). “Andreas Vesalius” from Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andreas-Vesalius 8 “Arabic Treatise on Potable Medicaments” from The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/islamic1.php 9 Ibid. 6

“firming or weakening the hymen”. In containing these details, “Asrar al-Nisa” provides a window into specific uses and audiences of certain medicines.10

Critical Analysis Ranking Items by Significance to Collection The Fabrica, consisting of seven volumes, each of which is dedicated to detailing specific regions of the human body, ranks as most critical to the History of Medicine Collection from the Special Collections Research Center. Each volume contains a thorough record of knowledge of the human body, from the brain to the nervous system. Additionally, this series is held in completion in the collection, allowing researchers to study each volume in great detail however much they would like. Ranking second is the “Arabic Treatise on Potable Medicaments,” which offers an interesting look into medical texts that circulated through the hands of different Arab physicians. The manuscript also contains some excerpts and notes from different physicians, which indicates the continuing study of past medical knowledge. Ranking third is the “Stomach amulet: ibis tied to a flower pot.” Although it is undeniably a valuable and intriguing artifact that sheds light on early medical superstitions and practices, its format prevents it from being higher on the list in the history of medicine collection because the item was deemed to be more suitably displayed at a museum.

“Pseudo-Galen” from The Art and Science of Healing from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/islamic4. 10

Collection Profile Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection Introduction The History of Medicine Collection, housed in the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at the Hatcher Graduate Library, consists of approximately 8,500 works.1 The pieces are diverse in date, region of origin, and subject.2 In this assignment, we will focus on The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection of surgical texts. Lewis Stephen Pilcher II held four degrees from the University of Michigan: Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), Master of Arts (M.A)., Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), and Doctor of Law (L.L.D).3 He donated to the University of Michigan Library (U-M Library) between 1929 to his time of death in 1934 where the collection reached a total of 426 volumes from the sixteenth-century of anatomical and surgical texts which includes the Andreae Vesalii suorum De humani corporis fabrica epitome (1543), editio princeps of Celsus’s De medicina (1478), and De humani corporis fabrica libri septem (1543 and 1555).4

Objective Our objective for this study was to explore the different elements of The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection and to learn what the collection offers to researchers of different specializations, from art to medical historians. We also had an interest in investigating what these items imply about the selection procedures of the collection and whether there would be any areas of improvement or expansion.

Research Questions From observing the collection and marking the areas of interest to us, we noted The History of Medicine’s description of what it offers to researchers. From The History of Medicine Collection’s UM-

(2016). “Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection.” MLibrary. The University of Michigan. https://www.lib.umich.edu/historymedicine/lewis-stephen-pilcher- collection. Retrieved on 08 Feb 2020. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 “History of Medicine.” https://www.lib.umich.edu/history-medicine. Retrieved 04 April 2020. 1

Library page, it mentioned: “...not only a valuable resource for identifying changes in the understanding of the human body, but also includes rare examples of early printing techniques and binding methods, along with exquisite artwork and illustrations, and texts that shed light on shifting cultural conceptions of health and healthy living. As a result, these holdings attract attention from a wide variety of academic disciplines.”5 From the following excerpt, as the History of Medicine Collection has research purposes beyond medical ones, we decided to explore this thread in one of its sub-collections of The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection. We derived the following three research questions based on the above statement and our general observation of the collection: 1. Does the collection offer a variety of material formats? 2. Does the collection feature diversification of male and female bodies? 3. Does the collection include studies of various ethnicities of the human body?

Operational Procedure Due to the COVID-19, we were unable to physically observe the artifacts ourselves from this collection and selected the artifacts from the Art and Science of Healing: From Antiquity to the Renaissance online exhibition hosted by the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and the U-M Library.6 We determined the online exhibition website included a sufficient amount of metadata for an analysis of The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection.

Sample Procedure We began the sampling procedure by determining the number of relevant materials. Initially, we performed an advanced search on the U-M Library website, as directed by our instructor. Narrowing down the search filters, we received a total of 8,068 results related to The History of Medicine Collection. Next, we considered the content of The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection that ranges up to the 16th century and narrowed down the subject search to “Surgery Early Works to 1800.” This provided us with 126 results in the catalog. Our next step was to determine the number of sources and out of the 126 results we would have to observe to derive justifiable results. Our attempted calculation to achieve a confidence level of 95%, we would have needed to sample 106 works.7 However, due to several outside factors we were unable to physically sample that number of works, and thus decided on sampling four pieces from the online exhibit mentioned above.

“The Art and Science of Healing: From Antiquity to the Renaissance”. Regents of the University of Michigan. https:// exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/index.php. Retrieved 04 April 2020. 7 “Sample Size Calculator”. Creative Research Systems. Creative Research Systems. https://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc. htm. Retrieved on 04 April 2020. 6

Sample Materials The Epitome

1. Material Format The Epitome was written by Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564) as a book to accompany a larger volume on the human anatomy called De humani corporis fabrica librorum epitome, but also to act as a lighter and more affordable companion to the volume.8 2. Diversification of Male and Female Bodies The book contains depictions of both the male and female bodies.9,10 It is interesting to note the way in which the bodies are presented in the illustrations the male figure is not covered in any place while the female figure has placed her hand below her navel.11,12 The subtle differences in the depictions of the male and female bodies seem to reflect the social mores of the time in regards to notions of propriety for women compared to the displays of strength for men. Moreover, the male figure is holding a human skull in his lweft hand, while the female figure is not holding anything. Perhaps this element was included to suggest men held more of an understanding of life and death than women did. 3. Ethnicities Represented The illustrated figures depicted in these pages both look to be European.13,14There is no indication of non-European ethnicities from the sample pages provided.

“The Epitome.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/ vesalius2.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 9 Ibid. 10 “The Epitome.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/ vesalius2a.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 11 Ibid [8]. 12 Ibid [10]. 13 Ibid [8]. 14 Ibid [10]. 8

Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce

1. Material Format This is a book on surgery, published in Latin, printed in 1573 and written by Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce when he was no longer an active physician.15 The book contains seven volumes and illustrations with “woodcuts depicting surgical operations and instruments.”16 2. Diversification of Male and Female Bodies All of the patients and surgeons depicted in the book are male.17,18 However, on one of the pages there is an illustration showing two women observing a male-dominated surgical treatment.19 They appear to be watching with concern as one of them has her hands clasped in front of her (right female figure) and the other has an arm raised (left female figure), and both have worried expressions, rather than actively assisting.20 The men in the illustration other than the patient are all busy either conducting or assisting in the treatment, suggesting that medicine and surgery (which were distinct disciplines in this field) were the domain of men21; it seems to imply that while women are emotional in the presence of surgery, men are rational. 3. Ethnicities Represented As this is an Italian book, all individuals depicted in the available illustrations appear to be European.22

“Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-sciencehealing/surgery3.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 16 Ibid. 17 “Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-sciencehealing/surgery3a.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 18 “Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-sciencehealing/surgery3b.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 22 Ibid [15]. 15

De venarum ostiolis

1. Material Format De vernarum ostiolis was originally printed in 1603 during the age of the Medical Revolution and written by Girolamo Fabrizio.23 The book was originally published as an unbound folio pamphlet for student use with 23 pages of printed “text and eight engraved plates, including the depictions of the outer anatomy of the veins of the forehand.”24 2. Diversification of Male and Female Bodies This pamphlet is about the Venous Valves - an anatomy of the veins, and the illustration depicted on the page of the pamphlet from the online exhibition shows only the forearm - a part of the human body.25 Without looking at the entire artifact, we do not know if there are additional illustrations of the entire human body included in the pamphlet. However, since the theme is about veins and blood flow, we could assume the illustrations shown in the online exhibit are a main part of the human body not revealing the gender to which it represents. 3. Ethnicities Represented Since the pamphlet was published in Northern Italy, we would assume the illustrations were based on Europeans.26 Without illustrations of full human bodies, we cannot fully identify the ethnicities represented in the pamphlet.

“Girolamo Fabrizio.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/ revolution2.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 24 Ibid. 25 ibid 26 Ibid. 23

Mondino’s Anatomia

1. Material Format Anatomia is a pre-vesalian anatomy book, written by Mondino de’ Liuzzi and Jacopo Berengario da Carpi, completed in 1316, and it was soon integrated into the European universities curriculum.27 However, the book has numerous errors of applying the results of animal dissection to human anatomy.28 2. Diversification of Male and Female Bodies There appears to be no illustrations of the female body, as there is only one page exhibited online with an illustration of an adrogenous body lifting their skin showing the muscle layers of the abdomen.29 3. Ethnicities Represented This book was published in Northern Italy, and the illustrated adrogenous figure depicted from a page in the book from the online exhibition seems to be European.30 However, given our limitations of only being able to view the pages provided by the online exhibit, we are unable to determine whether other ethnicities are represented in this artifact.

“Mondino’s Anatomia.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/ anatomy1.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 28 Ibid. 29 “Mondino’s Anatomia.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/ anatomy1b.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 30 Ibid. 27

Results The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection itself is not especially varied in terms of material formats, as it is based on donations made by Lewis Stephen Pilcher II himself prior to his death in 1934 and does not seem to have been updated due to the respect of his generous donation starting from 1929.31 As a result, it has a fairly specific focus on European printed books and pamphlets mostly from Italy, aside from The Epitome which was from Switzerland.32 All the sample materials chosen are related to human anatomy and mostly from the sixteenth and seventeenth century, with the somewhat limited scope that implies in terms of material formats, gender, and ethnicity. We had thoughts of expanding the scope of our pilot test to include other sub-collections from The History of Medicine, although as mentioned in Operational Procedure, due to unforeseen circumstances we decided to focus on The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection.

Limitations The pilot test was based on one sub-collection of the larger History of Medicine Collection. The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection, like many of the other History of Medicine Collection’s sub-collections, is organized around volumes donated by a particular individual - in this case, Lewis Stephen Pilcher II. The collection was assembled between 1925 and up until Pilcher II’s death in 1934. As a result, this particular collection seems fairly static. A more significant limitation is the lack of access to a complete online catalogue of items in the History of Medicine Collection’s subcollections. We had intended to visit the SCRC to perform an in-person evaluation of the collection’s contents, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the closure of the U-M Libraries and moved to remote operations, we have been constrained to evaluating materials explicitly designated online as part of this collection, which accounts for less than half of the 426-volume sub-collection.

(2016). “Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection.” MLibrary. The University of Michigan. https://www.lib.umich.edu/historymedicine/lewis-stephen-pilcher- collection. Retrieved on 08 Feb 2020. 32 “The Epitome.” Regents of the University of Michigan. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/art-science-healing/ vesalius2.php. Retrieved on 12 April 2020. 31

Individual Reflections Asma Alhassani | aralhass@umich.edu Prior to taking this course, I can safely say that my knowledge of library acquisition processes was very low. This course provided me with an understanding of the mechanics of purchasing materials, legal issues when doing so, and social justice issues. The last element particularly stands out to me as I am interested in how sociocultural factors affect acquisitions, and after learning about efforts to increase inclusivity in library purchases, I am eager to learn more about it. I am excited to contribute to inclusivity efforts as a future librarian.

Angela Chih | ahchih@umich.edu I have expanded my knowledge in library preservations, which will inform me in my career of understanding the history of medicine and the techniques used in the past. Most of my time in UMSI was focused in User Experience Design and Research, Health Informatics, Data Analytics, and Innovations and Entrepreneurship. I have always had a passion for libraries and archives. This course strengthened my appreciation towards print even more and it was great to meet other fellow MSI classmates I do not often get to spend time with.

Lea Frost | frostl@umich.edu I came into this course with a strong, pre-existing interest in library work, particularly rare books and special collections, and a general sense of awareness of some important issues in collection development, particularly those involving diversity and representation. More generally, collection development is an area on which I could see myself focusing in the future. The course gave me a much clearer look at how those elements actually work in practice and how complicated the process of collection development is. Doing the class project, while difficult because of the physical constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, helped to illustrate the complexities of doing this work in a special collections context, as well as the necessities of thorough online cataloging even of rare and non-circulating volumes.

Eileen Han | eileenlh@umich.edu I have learned a lot about special collections in the academic library setting from studying the History of Medicine collection. It was a great opportunity to dig into a special collection, especially one that has many great rare printed documents, although physical access was not possible due to the unexpected circumstance. Still, there are many critical issues raised while investigating the collection, such as the way the materials are selected to be included, the diversity of gender and ethnicity represented in the materials. A special collection like this could serve interdisciplinary purposes, and has great potential for expansion. This project and the course overall have laid a good foundation for my understanding of librarianship and inspired my further pursuit of this career.

Angela H. Chih | ahcdesign.com ÂŠ 2020