First-year medical students talk with Dr. Jeff Baker during Anatomy Day.
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"This is awesome!"
"Inspired!" "Favorite day!" "More please!"
These are just a few sentiments shared from this year's Anatomy Day Event. Every fall, the History of Medicine Collections host first-year medical school students from Duke's School of Medicine for an afternoon of engagement with rare materials. The Gothic Reading Room was abuzz on October 9 as students interacted with faculty, library staff, and a wide range of materials from our History of Medicine Collections. The opportunity allows students to examine historical anatomical materials on a variety of topics and make connections to the present and their work in the gross anatomy lab.
We invite you to explore this online guide that includes topics and items used for the event.
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Psycho-Phone: 100 Years of Unlocking Unconscious Powers
Last summer, the History of Medicine Collections received a remarkable collection from Dr. Tom Bashore. We celebrated the Bashore Collection in October, with Dr. Bashore providing a fantastic and fun talk—even offering to shock attendees with one of the electro therapy devices. Items from his collection will continue to be used for displays, instruction, and exhibition. One item, pictured above, captured the attention of Jennifer Dai, the Josiah Charles Trent History of Medicine Intern, You can read more on the psycho-phone in a blog past Jen wrote for the Devil's Tale.
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A 15th-century text connecting natural philosophy, Aristotelian ideas, and medieval ideologies with aspects of medicine. While more recently attributed to Albertus de Orlamünde, this incunable published in 1490 includes compilations of the works of Albertus Magnus and features the first printed illustration of the cerebral ventricles of the brain.
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This early 20th-century work reflects the perennial debate over vaccination. In this text, Felix Oswald champions natural hygiene as the path to good health, including condemning compulsory vaccination along with a number of other public health measures.
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Below are some of the classes and groups we worked with for course-related instruction and engagement:
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At Your Service: Duke's Civilian Public Service Camp #61
On October 16, 1940, the Civilian Public Service (CPS) was established as an alternative to military conscription for conscientious objectors. These men who declined military service due to religious beliefs were placed in CPS camps, or units, across the United States and given jobs on the home front to help support the war effort. In all, there were 152 CPS camps, units, throughout the U.S., including one at Duke University.
The Civilian Public Service Camp #61 was established in December 1942. The camp originally had thirty members who worked at Highland Hospital, Meyer Ward, and in the operating rooms at Duke University Hospital. While most of the CPS workers had some higher education experience, none of them had prior training or work experience in hospitals before coming to Duke. Curated by Rebecca Williams, Research, Outreach, and Education Librarian at Duke Medical Center Archives, this exhibit explores the experiences of the CPS Camp #61 members, their interactions with the larger Duke medical community, and the camp’s legacy. On display through May 3, 2026.
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On September 18, we held our annual Engineering Exposition. This annual event provides an opportunity for attendees to engage with a wide range of items from the Rubenstein Library, including materials from our History of Medicine Collections, such as a Leeuwenhoek microscope replica and Robert Hooke's stunning Micographia (pictured above). Photo courtesy of Pratt Communications.
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