When Dr. Richard J. Barohn, executive vice chancellor for Health Affairs, joined a group of medical students at Ellis Library’s Special Collections, his goal was for his students to learn about the history of science. Guided by Dr. John Henry Adams, an instruction and research librarian, the students explored some of Mizzou’s antiquarian science books in the fourth-floor classroom.
“Isaac Newton once said, ‘We can see further because we are standing on the shoulders of giants,’” Barohn stated. “This visit gave our students the chance to quite literally meet those giants whose discoveries continue to shape their training.”
Students were invited to handle rare and historic volumes, a privilege once reserved for gloved hands but now safely done with clean, bare hands thanks to modern preservation practices. They began with a first edition of Galileo’s Dialogo (Florence, 1632), in which he used the newly invented telescope to confirm that the Earth revolves around the sun. They then examined two of Isaac Newton’s works: The mathematical principles of natural philosophy (London, 1729) and Opticks (London, 1730).”
The journey continued into the realm of medicine. Students read an early edition of Thomas Willis’s Practice of physick (Long, 1684), an anatomy book, where he described the intricate blood vessels of the brain—now known as the “Circle of Willis.” They also explored a first edition of Charles Bell’s The Nervous System of the Human Body (Washington, 1883), detailing the anatomy of the facial nerve and the clinical features of facial paralysis, now universally known as “Bell’s Palsy.”
Marian Toledo Candelaria, the head of Special Collections, stated, “The books that the School of Medicine students explored are some of the foundational texts of modern scientific thought. Designing relevant experiential learning opportunities is at the heart of what Special Collections offers to the Mizzou community, and students had the opportunity to touch, view, and discuss the books that contributed to making the medical field what it is today. We are thankful to Dr. Barohn and his students for championing Special Collections as an important partner in supporting STEM education at Mizzou.”
Barohn extended his thanks to the Mizzou Libraries, especially the Special Collections librarians, for making the experience possible. “Their stewardship of these collections ensures that our students can connect with the history of science and medicine in ways that inspire learning for generations to come.”
