The Rogue Scholar

The Rogue Scholar Wants You!

But be assured that I only want you for your mind. More importantly, I want you for your knowledge of and expertise with digital cameras, face-up copiers, flatbed scanners and digital data formats.

The project we're talking about is funded by a grant from the New York Metropolitan Library Council and deals with original printed material from 1829 or so. The subject material is an original history of the case of William Burke and William Hare who were tried and convicted of exhuming corpses for sale to the University of Edinburgh for use in clinical medical study.

The work is paid, part-time and would last from April to September. If you are interested (or know someone who might be), the website to respond to is here.

Time is of the essence, so the sooner you respond the sooner your resume is likely to be looked at by myself and HR. We're hoping to get someone into place in the next 2 weeks.

I'm looking forward to working with you.

Heat WAVE!!!!!

This just in:

MAYOR BLOOMBERG DECLARES HEAT EMERGENCY FOR METRO NYC

Over the next few days, we expect excessive heat and humidity in The New York Metro region. Please plan your activities with protection in mind.

 

If needed, you can find a NYC cooling center here.

 

We can also take steps to reduce energy usage, as described here.

 

The NYC Office of Emergency Management offers the tips listed below during a heat wave:

• New Yorkers should, whenever possible, stay out of the sun. When in the sun, wear sun screen (at least SPF 15) and a hat to protect your face and head. Dress in lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that covers as much skin as possible.
  
• Drink fluids - particularly water - even if you do not feel thirsty. Your body needs water to keep cool. Avoid beverages containing alcohol or caffeine.
  
• Avoid strenuous activity, especially during the sun's peak hours - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  
• Cool down with repeated cool baths or showers.
  
• Never leave children, seniors, or pets in a parked car during periods of intense summer heat.
  
• Make a special effort to check on neighbors, especially seniors and those with special needs.
  
• Report open fire hydrants by calling 311.
  
• Recognize the symptoms of heat-related illnesses including heat exhaustion and heat stroke:
  
  • Heat exhaustion: Symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, headache, weak pulse, dizziness, exhaustion, fainting, nausea or vomiting, and cold, clammy skin. Body temperature will seem normal.
    
  • Heat Stroke: Symptoms include flushed, hot, dry skin, weak or rapid pulse, shallow breathing, lack of sweating, throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and unconsciousness. Body temperature will be elevated, and victim should receive immediate medical attention.

Stay cool!

New NYAM Website

The Academy has redesigned its web site (***APPLAUSE***) for the first time in two years: take a look.  Here's the official announcement from Kathryn Cervino, NYAM's Associate Director of Communications:

"I invite you to visit and explore the Academy's newly redesigned website at www.nyam.org.

The sitewide facelift has made our website more visually and functionally appealing. Among the most significant changes:

 

-The homepage has been completely restructured to give much-deserved emphasis to the endeavors of the Academy's five most active divisions focused on health research and promotion. You'll notice that text and photos describing each division continually rotate through the "Divisions" section on the homepage.

-The Library has been given a significant presence on the homepage. We now offer five easy entry points to different functions of the Library, tailored to consumers'  most common  requests. Webstat tracking software shows that the Library is the most-visited section of our website.

-The search engine has been upgraded to provide results that are much more helpful than before. With that, the search bar has been moved to a more prominent location at the top of each page. The new search engine is now provided through Google and provides more accurate content summaries.

-More Academy events are highlighted on the homepage (three, rather than one).

-A new color scheme has been implemented throughout the site, making the pages crisper, cleaner, and easier to read.

-The banner on the top of each page is now smaller , clearing more room for content.

 

This is the Academy's first sitewide upgrade since the then-new website was launched in January 2004. I hope that you like it, and welcome your feedback. As always, I am eager to work with each division to make specific upgrades and changes within your section of the website.  These can include (but are not limited to) adding new photos, creating new pages, and restructuring parts of your section.

 

Thanks to those of you who helped with the changes, and to our webmaster, Mike Wu, and his staff for making these upgrades possible."

Emily Dunning Barringer, M.D.

From Bowery to Hollywood: Emily Dunning Barringer, MD, Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine - an exhibit at the New York Academy of Medicine Library

 

In 1903, Emily Dunning Barringer, MD became the first woman to serve as an ambulance surgeon in New York City. She was also an advocate for women's health, with a particular interest in venereal diseases and the plight of female inmates in New York prisons. With the coming of the second World War, she worked tirelessly to allow women physicians to serve as commissioned officers in the armed services.
In 1950, she wrote an autobiography, "From Bowery to Bellevue", about her experiences as an ambulance surgeon in 1903. Two years after the book's publication, a movie version, "The Girl in White", was released.
This exhibit explores Dr. Barringer's real and reel lives; journal and newspaper articles, photographs, and books explore her professional life, while  posters, ads, and memorobilia provide insight into the marketing of the film.
The exhibit is on display in the Library, 3rd Floor of the New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York NY. The display is available for viewing Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 9am to 5pm and Wednesday from 9am to 7pm.

NYAM Announcement

Every now and then I get news of an event at the Academy. The various research departments hold meetings, talks, and professional get togethers and such like, and some of the topics are pretty interesting, even if you don't happen to be a medical researcher. At any rate, if it's open to the public, I'll post it here, so if you have the time and inclincation, consider attending.

Lectures and Events from the Section on Health Care Delivery for April and May 2005.