Embracing the Future as a Steward of Medical Heritage
BY JEFFREY S. REZNICK, CHIEF, HISTORY OF MEDICINE DIVISION, NLM
Libraries around the world are digitizing their historical treasures and making them more accessible via the Internet than ever before. Leading the way is the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world’s largest biomedical library, located on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. But digitization is only part of the story. Preserving the collections for future generations is important, too.
Scientists are shedding light on how global warming may be adversely affecting biodiversity, triggering the spread of diseases, and threatening the supply of medically useful natural products. Jonathan Sleeman, director of the National Wildlife Health Center at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and David Newman, former chief of the National Cancer Institute’s Natural Products Branch, talked about the threats at the April 12, 2016, Demystifying Medicine lecture.
One of the Demystifying Medicine sessions featured a space scientist who talked about the importance of biomedical research that addresses the medical needs of future space travelers.
An Introduction to Methods, Tools, and Data from the Digital Humanities
BY E. THOMAS EWING, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR GRADUATE STUDIES, RESEARCH, AND DIVERSITY, VIRGINIA TECH
Seventy-five participants and observers gathered at the Natcher Conference Center (Building 45) in April 2016 to explore innovative methods and data sources useful for analyzing large quantities of images and texts in the field of medical history.
