Duke Medical Center Archive Blog

The Archives recently began processing the Albert R. Behnke Collection. Captain Albert R. Behnke was a physician with the US Navy from 1929-1959. He is best known for developing the US Naval Medical Research Institute and for his research and work with compressed air to treat decompression sickness. He continued his work and research after retiring from the Navy as a professor of preventive medicine at the University of California and Director of the Institute of Applied Biology, Presbyterian Medical Center, San Francisco, California. Behnke is also one of the cofounders of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS). This collection is closely related to the C.J. Lambertsen Papers as another source of… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

We are happy to announce that our new exhibit, Remembering the 65th: Duke’s General Hospital Unit, is now on display. Featuring artifacts, photographs, and documents from the Medical Center Archives collections, the exhibit tells the story of Duke Medicine’s World War II hospital unit. Items include medical instruments used by hospital staff, an aircrew flak helmet worn by a patient treated at the hospital, original artwork of the unit’s doctors and nurses, and a letter from President Ronald Reagan commending the unit.

The idea for a Duke hospital army unit was born in October 1940, the brainchild of Wilburt C. Davison, then dean of the Duke University School of Medicine. Activated in July 1942, the Army reserve unit's original crew consisted of… MORE

Category: News

The Archives is happy to announce that we have added an oral history with Dr. John Falletta to our collections. Dr. Falletta is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Emeritus Senior Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the School of Medicine. In this recently conducted interview, he recounts his life and career, from his childhood in Kansas to his advisory role at the IRB.

After receiving his degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Dr. Falletta joined the staff of Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where his work on a local cluster of childhood leukemia cases solidified his interest in pediatric hematology-oncology. In 1976 he came to Duke to serve as the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.… MORE

Category: News

The Archives recently acquired new additions to the Robert L. Blake Papers. Blake was a medical artist in the Division of Medical Illustration (later named Division of Audiovisual Education) at Duke from 1943-1983. His long career is surpassed only by the lasting impact of his artistic contributions to the University and Medical Center. This recent accession expands upon our already extensive collection of Blake’s artwork.

This accession (pictured on the right) contains two scrapbooks, slides, prints, publications and other papers documenting Blake’s professional career at Duke. One scrapbook features photos of division staff between 1943 and 1983. The image of Bob Blake below is from this scrapbook. The other scrapbook features copies of… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

Surviving & Thriving: AIDS, Politics, and Culture

Location: Medical Center Library & Archives, Level 2R

Date: May 11-June 20, 2015

The Medical Center Library & Archives is currently hosting "Surviving & Thriving: Aids, Politics, and… MORE

Category: News

The Medical Center Archives Spring/Summer 2015 newsletter is now available. To read it, visit: /dumc-newsletter or click on the image below.

Category: News

This Friday the School of Nursing hosts its annual Reunion Weekend for alumni. Each year the Archives has a display during this event with items showcasing the history of nursing at Duke. We invite you to get a close-up look at some of our artifacts, such as a vintage nursing uniform and publications, and a timeline complete with historic images. Since we have more material than we can display, here is a look at some of what we have available for research.

One of the best parts about the School of Nursing Records collection is that it contains a wide variety of media. We have everything from artifacts and photographs to paper and textiles. Among the most interesting of these items are the scrapbooks compiled by nursing students. These… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

Please join us on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at noon for a lecture by Dr. John D. Hamilton, "The History of Infectious Diseases at Duke in the 20th Century.” The talk will be held in Room 102 of the Medical Center Library & Archives. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be available.

Dr. Hamilton joined the faculty in the Department of Medicine at Duke in 1971, serving first as the Chief of the Durham VA Infectious Diseases Section from 1971 to 1994, and then as Chief of the adult Duke Infectious Diseases and International Health Division from 1994 to 2010. His book, The History of Infectious Diseases at Duke University in the 20th Century, was published… MORE

Category: News

The Duke University Medical Center Archives is happy to announce that the Intercom is now online.

Duke Medicine’s primary news publication from 1953 to 1986, the Intercom featured information about campus construction and events, faculty and staff news, facts and figures, and articles about medical research and innovations at Duke. The Archives collaborated with the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center on this project, who digitized the first 25 years of the publication, making more than 500 issues available online. They can be accessed via … MORE

Category: News

Today we wish a happy birthday to Life Flight, which turned 30 this week! When it started on March 1, 1985, Life Flight was the first hospital-based emergency transportation service in North Carolina. The new service, which had required a year and a half of planning, was significant in a couple of ways: the helicopter could transport critically ill or injured patients more quickly than a ground ambulance, and it allowed Duke to extend its scope of tertiary care to a 150 mile radius of Durham. The helicopter contained everything needed for an airborne intensive care unit, including ventilators, blood pressure monitors, IV fluids and special drugs, cardiac monitors and pacemakers, defibrillators, and intubation equipment. The equipment and supplies,… MORE

Category: Duke Firsts

This week the Archives honors the life and work of medical artist Robert Blake, who recently passed away at the age of 98. Blake came to Duke in 1941 as part of Civilian Public Service Unit #61. The picture on the right shows Blake during his service with Unit #61. He contributed illustrations to the unit newsletter and his artistic ability was noticed by medical artist, Elon Clark, who hired him on as part of the Division of Medical Illustration after the war.

Blake remained at Duke through his retirement in 1983. During his long career, he contributed artwork for medical exhibits, such as one on Accidental Poisoning for Dr. Jay Arena; calligraphy for Duke medical diplomas; and countless illustrations for Duke physicians. Blake, alongside Elon… MORE

Category: DUMC History

In celebration of African American History Month, the Medical Center Archives is excited to publish a new research guide about the history of African Americans at the Medical Center. The guide aims to introduce researchers to materials documenting the history of African American faculty, students, and staff at Duke Medicine. Included are recommended oral histories, archival collections, photograph and AV items, and publications, selected key dates and key figures, and links to suggested digital resources. To view the guide, visit: https://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/afam. 

Category: News

We are happy to announce that our new exhibit, "Head to Toe: Medical Attire Past & Present," is now on display. Featuring clothing and accessories from the Medical Center Archives collections, the exhibit explores the role of apparel in the health profession, and particularly at Duke Medicine, over the past 75 years. Items include an original 1970's era Duke nursing student uniform, an early medical bag of a Duke physician, and a graduation cap of the first School of Medicine Dean, Wilburt Davison, as well as historical photographs and documents. 

Learn about the… MORE

Category: News

The Duke University Medical Center Archives is honored to receive a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation Endowment Fund. Awarded for history of medicine projects at Duke, the grant will enable the Archives to digitize films from the Audiovisual Collection. Because many of the materials in this collection exist solely on older and obsolete media formats, digitization will help the Archives preserve and improve access to important and unique footage documenting the Medical Center’s heritage. Films include interviews with prominent Duke figures such as Drs. J. Deryl Hart and Jay Arena, as well as footage about major innovations and key events, including the groundbreaking of Duke North and the 65th General… MORE

Category: News

Though we are a relatively small department, our mission is big: to serve the Medical Center community by collecting, preserving, maintaining, and making available for research the permanent records of the DUMC and DUHS. To this end, the Archives offers a broad range of records management services to departments and offices across campus at no cost to our users.

Services we provide:

•          Safe and secure storage of permanently valuable records in a climate controlled environment
•          Guidance and recommendations on records retention and disposal
•          Convenient access to and retrieval of records
•          Pick up and circulation of records

Benefits to your… MORE

Category: Ask The Archives