The New York Academy of Medicine. Cultural Programming

Transcription

1 The New York Academy of Medicine 2015 Cultural Programming

2 THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE ADVANCES THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE IN CITIES. An independent organization since 1847, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, innovative research, evaluation, education, and community engagement. Drawing on the expertise of our professional staff, diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public s health; to eliminate health disparities; and to preserve and promote the heritage of medicine and public health. For more information, visit THE ACADEMY S CENTER FOR THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH explores the connections between history, the arts and humanities, and contemporary medical, health policy, and public health concerns. The Center incorporates the Academy Library, Coller Rare Book Reading Room, and Gladys Brooks Book and Paper Conservation Laboratory. The Library is open to the public by appointment. For details, visit The images in this brochure are all drawn from The New York Academy of Medicine s Library collections, which include around 10,000 items relating to food and cooking. Many are from the Collection of Books on Foods and Cookery, presented to the Academy by Margaret Barclay Wilson in Wilson was professor of physiology and honorary librarian at Hunter College; she also advised the city of New York on food economy during wartime. For more information about our collections, including the images you see here, and food and history related stories throughout the year, please see our blog Books, Health, and History at EVENTS AT THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE Information and Registration: For up-to-date event information and to register, visit Cost: Most events are free and open to the public. Advance registration may be required. Location: Unless otherwise noted, all events will be held at The New York Academy of Medicine, located at 1216 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street. Directions: By subway: 6 to 103rd St., 2/3 to 110th St. By bus: M1, M2, M3, M4 to 103rd St. For driving directions and parking information, please visit Contact: For more information, call (212) or Paul Theerman (ptheerman@nyam.org).

3 Dear Friends, We re pleased to share The New York Academy of Medicine s 2015 season of programming in history and the humanities. We hope you ll join us at our cultural programs throughout the year. New this year, we are excited to present the yearlong series Eating Through Time: Food, Health, and History, developed with guest curator Evelyn Kim. The series offers a unique look at the evolution of food and culture, exploring the interrelationship of food, health, and policy over time, and features highlights from our extraordinary collection of 10,000 volumes dedicated to food and health. A highlight of the season is our Eating Through Time Festival on October 17, a daylong event full of learning, cooking and, of course, eating! So, be sure to save the date. In addition, our 2015 schedule includes an engaging series of additional topics in the history of medicine and health. We also are pleased to announce a new event series partnership with Atlas Obscura, After Hours: Inside the Rare Book Collection of the New York Academy of Medicine. For access to additional events and benefits, please consider becoming a Friend of the Rare Book Room this year. As a Friend, you will join a group of committed and passionate supporters who enjoy exclusive benefits and insider access all while providing fundamental support that helps us continue to advance our mission and make our collections accessible to the broadest possible audiences. For more information, see the inside back cover or visit We look forward to welcoming you at our events. For event information and registration, visit For updates and related historical content throughout the year, visit the Center for History s blog at nyamcenterforhistory.org. Sincerely, Lisa O Sullivan, PhD Director, Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health

4 2015 Event Series We re pleased to offer several exciting event series this year. Look for the color next to each series description for associated events on the calendar. Events marked are free. For up-to-date event information and registration, visit EATING T HROUGH TIME FOOD HEALTH HISTORY Eating Through Time Eating Through Time is a unique look at the evolution of food and culture, exploring the interrelationship of food, health, and policy over time. Brought to light by writers, historians, chefs, and foodies, our year of programming also features highlights from our extraordinary collection of 10,000 volumes dedicated to food and health. History of Medicine Every year the Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health hosts a free public lecture series featuring eminent speakers on a range of engaging historical topics. Join us in 2015 to learn more about topics including the development of nursing as a profession in America; hypochondria in 17th century Istanbul; and the emergence of genetic theories of infectious disease. Friends of the Rare Book Room The annual Friends of the Rare Book Room Lecture is free and open to the public, followed by a private reception for all Friends. Friends enjoy access to private post-event receptions and additional exclusive events throughout the year. Join at Atlas Obscura We will be hosting a new five-part collaboration with the Brooklyn-based Atlas Obscura entitled, After Hours: Inside the Rare Book Collection of The New York Academy of Medicine. This collaboration will offer evenings dedicated to exploring unique aspects of our rare book collections. For more food-related stories from our collections visit

5 Calendar at a Glance MAR 11 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM History of Medicine Night: The Early Modern Period MAR 17 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM The John K. Lattimer Lecture: Beef-Eaters: A Cultural History of Food and Identity Steven Shapin, PhD MAR 26 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM Atlas Obscura Session 1: The New York Academy of Medicine and Public Health MAR 31 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Vesalius Correcting Vesalius Vivian Nutton, PhD APR ALL DAY Food Book Fair Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, NY APR 14 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM The Annual Friends of the Rare Book Room Lecture: On the Circulation of the Book: The Early Reception of Harvey s De Motu Cordis Nick Wilding, PhD APR 28 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM The Lilianna Sauter Lecture: From Plants to Pharmaceuticals: Take Bitter Roots for Malaria Abena Dove Osseo-Asare, PhD FOOD HOM FRIENDS ATLAS FREE MAY 04 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM No bows, no curls, no jewellery and no hoopskirts : An American Nurse in Victorian London Natasha McEnroe MAY 6 6:00 PM to 7:45 PM History of Medicine Night: 19 th - and 20 th -Century Stories MAY 7 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM Atlas Obscura Session 2: Anatomical Illustrations JUN 18 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM Atlas Obscura Session 3: Natural History JUL 30 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM Atlas Obscura Session 4: Medical Photography Heidi Knoblauch, PhD SEP 09 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM The Human Genetic Theory of Infectious Diseases: A Brief History Jean-Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD SEP 10 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM Atlas Obscura Session 5: Cookery OCT 08 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM The Iago Galdston Lecture: Hypochondria in Early Modern Istanbul B. Harun Küçük, PhD OCT 17 ALL DAY Eating Through Time Festival OCT 29 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Zora Neale Hurston s Work on Food-Based Prescriptions for Illnesses: A History Frederick Douglass Opie, PhD NOV 19 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Seasonal, Local Dining in Pre-Modern Europe Paul Freedman, PhD For information, registration, and updates, visit

6 Calendar of Events MAR 11 MAR 17 MAR 26 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm History of Medicine Night: The Early Modern Period The Academy Fellows Section on the History of Medicine and Public Health presents the first of two 2015 History of Medicine Nights. Presentations during this special evening of short talks will address historical topics relating to medicine with a focus on the early modern period. The John K. Lattimer Lecture: Beef-Eaters: A Cultural History of Food and Identity Speaker: Steven Shapin, PhD, Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University. It s commonly said that you are what you eat. These days, we tend to mean that if you consume the right foods, containing the right nutrients, you ll tend to be healthy and live long. But some centuries ago, other sensibilities were available that helped define the nature and causes of human character, individual and collective. In his talk, Dr. Shapin discusses one of the more familiar examples of this analogical and causal mode of reasoning in the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries why beef-eating made the English who they were. Atlas Obscura Session 1: The New York Academy of Medicine and Public Health In this introductory session of our five-part After Hours series with Atlas Obscura, we ll talk about history of the Academy since its founding in 1847, and the Academy s early ties to many of New York s major public health issues. We ll look at the ways the history of the Academy and the history of New York City are intertwined, and the Academy s influence on how the city has historically addressed the health of its citizens, especially in the areas of health care delivery, sanitation, maternal mortality, and drug regulation. Tickets: $30, APRIL All day Food Book Fair Location: Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, NY Join us for Eating Through Time presentations at the 2015 Food Book Fair, which celebrates the intersection of food culture and food systems. Our panels will explore the history and politics of dishes that have traveled the world in Food and Empire and what we can learn from historical recipes in Cookbooks and History. Founded in 2012, the fair returns for year four at the Wythe Hotel with a packed schedule of contemporary conversation, community, and great food and drink. Tickets: www. foodbookfair.com Foodieodicals Photo courtesy Food Book Fair FOOD HOM FRIENDS ATLAS FREE For more food-related stories from our collections visit

7 MAR 31 APR 28 MAY 04 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm MAY 06 to 7:45 pm Vesalius Correcting Vesalius Speaker: Vivian Nutton, PhD, Professor Emeritus of the History of Medicine, University College London. In this talk, Dr. Nutton will compare Andreas Vesalius annotations for revisions of two works: his 1538 reworking of Johann Guenther s Institutiones anatomicae (Principles of Anatomy according to Galen) and the annotated copy of the 1555 edition of the De Humani Corporis Fabrica. The annotations reveal much that is new about the great Renaissance anatomist and show that he was constantly thinking about how to understand and interpret the human body. A private reception for Malloch- and Vesalius-level Friends will follow the lecture. The Lilianna Sauter Lecture: From Plants to Pharmaceuticals: Take Bitter Roots for Malaria Speaker: Abena Dove Osseo-Asare, PhD, Assistant Professor, the University of Texas at Austin. How do plants become pharmaceuticals? In this talk, Dr. Osseo-Asare examines the history of efforts to patent a treatment for malaria made from the bitter roots of fever vine (Cryptolepis sanguinolenta). The talk is drawn from her book, Bitter Roots: The Search for Healing Plants in Africa. No bows, no curls, no jewellery and no hoop-skirts : An American Nurse in Victorian London Speaker: Natasha McEnroe, Director, Florence Nightingale Museum. Florence Nightingale is undoubtedly the most famous of all British nurses. But on the other side of the Atlantic stands Linda Richards, as influential although perhaps less well-known than her illustrious mentor. In this talk, Ms. McEnroe will examine both the connections and the differences between the two women, who together laid the foundations of modern nursing across the world. History of Medicine Night: 19 th - and 20 th - Century Stories The Academy Fellows Section on the History of Medicine and Public Health presents the second of two 2015 History of Medicine Nights. Presentations during this special evening of short talks will address historical topics relating to medicine with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. APRIL 14 The Annual Friends of the Rare Book Room Lecture: On the Circulation of the Book: The Early Reception of Harvey s De Motu Cordis Speaker: Nick Wilding, PhD, Associate Professor of History, Georgia State University. Comparable in importance to Copernicus De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (1543), William Harvey s Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus (1628) revolutionized human anatomy. Dr. Wilding will explore the movement and reception of Harvey s theory across Europe. A private reception for all Friends will follow the lecture. For information, registration, and updates, visit

8 MAY 07 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm JUN 18 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm JUL 30 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm SEP 09 Atlas Obscura Session 2: Anatomical Illustrations The first full-scale attempts to illustrate the human body beginning in the 16th century featured skeletons and partially dissected figures many very beautiful sometimes called muscle men and flayed men. Many of these innovative depictions were concerned not only with accuracy, but also with the nature of death. We ll look at the way changing attitudes towards the body and the development of new technologies, including printing techniques, photography and x-ray, changed the way artists rendered the body over time. Tickets: $30, Atlas Obscura Session 3: Natural History Track a llama in Brazil, ogle baby whales depicted as miniature rhinos, and wonder at the transfer of chocolate from the New World to the Old in our stunning natural history collections. Even the most well-traveled explorers will discover unfamiliar places in this session, featuring highlights from the Academy s early traveler accounts, explorations, and voyages. Tickets: $30, Atlas Obscura Session 4: Medical Photography Dynamic guest host Heidi Knoblauch, PhD will take visitors on a tour of our 19th- and 20th-century collections of medical photographs, including dermatological atlases, portraits of wounded Civil War veterans, 19th-century daguerreotypes kept by doctors of their patients, and many more photographic gems. Tickets: $30, The Human Genetic Theory of Infectious Diseases: A Brief History Speaker: Jean-Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD, Professor and Head of Laboratory at the Rockefeller University. Until the mid-nineteenth century, life expectancy at birth averaged 20 years worldwide, owing mostly to childhood fevers. The source of such illness was a topic of great debate. Dr. Casanova will present the history of both the germ theory and the emerging genetic theory of infectious diseases. Co-Sponsored by the Heberden Society of Weill Cornell Medical College. SEPTEMBER 10 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm Atlas Obscura Session 5: Cookery How did the family dinner change in America during wartime, or after the advent of the gas range? What early Italian cookbook has the earliest known depiction of a fork? The Academy s marvelous cookery collection has over 10,000 items, including cookbooks, menus, pamphlets and other food ephemera. During this session, we ll highlight our food treasures, including our 9th century Roman cookery manuscript, Apicius De Re Coquinaria, generally acknowledged to be the oldest surviving cookbook in the West. Tickets: $30, www. atlasobscura.com/events For more food-related stories from our collections visit

9 OCT 08 OCT 29 NOV 19 The Iago Galdston Lecture: Hypochondria in Early Modern Istanbul Speaker: B. Harun Küçük, PhD, Department of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania. In his famous Quintet of Modern Diseases, Hayatizade Mustafa Feyzi, the Chief Physician to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV (r ), claimed that by far the most prevalent disease in Istanbul was hypochondria. He believed that it was a distinctly modern disease that afflicted mostly intellectuals. Dr. Küçük s talk will piece together the cultural history of hypochondria in Istanbul and its immediate surroundings, using Ottoman and European medical and travel literature. Zora Neale Hurston s Work on Food- Based Prescriptions for Illnesses: A History Speaker: Frederick Douglass Opie, PhD, Professor of History and Foodways, Babson College. Dr. Opie, author of Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food: Recipes, Remedies and Simple Pleasures, will speak on Hurston s work on food-based prescriptions for illnesses. Hurston s writings reveal an interest in natural prescriptions for the health challenges suffered by camp workers and plantation laborers. She also talks a great deal about natural remedies for poisoning. She incorporated what she learned about poisoning and natural remedies into her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God and other writings. Seasonal, Local Dining in Pre-Modern Europe Speaker: Paul Freedman, PhD, Chester D. Tripp Professor of History, Yale University. In the days before modern transport, preservation, and production technology, all chickens were local and free-range, and it was difficult to escape the constraints imposed by distance and the seasons. Difficult, but not impossible, as elite dining was defined by the challenge in obtaining ingredients, from hothouse peaches in the north in winter, to ice cream in Syria in the summer. Dr. Freedman s talk focuses on dining through the seasons. OCTOBER 17 All day Eating Through Time Festival Save the Date for our 3rd Annual Festival of Medical History and the Arts, celebrating the intersection of the humanities and health. Join chefs including special guest Jacques Pépin, community activists, history buffs, and food enthusiasts in a daylong celebration of history, food, and health. FOOD HOM FRIENDS ATLAS FREE For information, registration, and updates, visit

10 Become a Friend of the Rare Book Room F or access to more programs and events, consider becoming a Friend of the Rare Book Room. The Drs. Barry and Bobbi Coller Rare Book Reading Room is home to some of our rarest and most significant holdings, forming the heart of our collections. This year, Friends will have the opportunity to socialize with special guests and speakers, explore the history of health in New York City, and meet expert curators and scholars. As a Friend, you ll join a group of committed and passionate supporters who enjoy exclusive benefits and special access all while providing fundamental support for our public programs and outreach activities; the acquisition, conservation, and cataloging of remarkable historical materials; and digitization of our key treasures. To join, complete the following form or visit For more information, contact Arlene Shaner at ashaner@nyam.org.

11 Friends Membership Benefits $75 - Friend / $50 - Student Friend Discounted prices for public events Invitations to Friends events and programs (discounted for student Friends) Reception following the annual Friends lecture Acknowledgment on our website and annual report $200 - Contributor All Friends benefits, plus: A tote bag featuring an image from the collections $650 - Supporter All Contributor benefits, plus: An exclusive set of note cards featuring breathtaking images from our collections $1,200 - Malloch Circle Member All Supporter benefits, plus: Invitation to exclusive events, including meet the speaker opportunities, private tours of collections and notable exhibitions $2,500 - Malloch Circle Patron All Malloch Circle Member benefits, plus: Free entry (with a guest) to all Friends programs and festivals A private lunch with our curator and historical reference librarian $5,000 - Vesalius Circle Partner All Malloch Circle Patron benefits, plus: Adopt a rare book needing conservation; acknowledgment in a bookplate A private tour, with up to six guests, of the rare book room focused on your individual interests $10,000 - Vesalius Circle Benefactor All Vesalius Circle Partner benefits, plus: Host a cocktail reception for up to fifteen guests at the Academy with special support from our events team Friends Membership Form $75 - Friend / $50 Student Friend $200 - Contributor $650 - Supporter $1,200 - Malloch Circle Member $2,500 - Malloch Circle Patron $5,000 - Vesalius Circle Partner $10,000 - Vesalius Circle Benefactor VISA Mastercard AmEx Credit card # Title First Name Last Name Street Address 1 Street Address 2 City Exp. Date CSC# State ZIP Code Signature Phone Make check payable to FRBR, The New York Academy of Medicine. Send check to FRBR, The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY Or register online at I do not wish to receive membership benefits, making my gift 100% tax deductible. Yes, I would like to join the list for upcoming events.

12 The New York Academy of Medicine 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY (212) Copyright 2015 by The New York Academy of Medicine. All rights reserved.