Duke Medical Center Archive Blog

This is the third blog post in a three part series about Dr. Jay M. Arena. (To see the previous posts click here for Part 1here for Part 2

As an archivist, you never know what is inside the next box until you take the top off and take a peek inside. Sometimes you see exactly what you expect, but there are times you discover something completely unexpected, which is what happened when we processed the Jay M. Arena Papers and one box revealed copious correspondence between Esther (Eppie) Lederer, more commonly known by her pen name… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Medical Center Archives Spring/Summer 2016 newsletter is now available. To read it, visit: /dumc-newsletter or click on the image below.

In this issue:

• From the Director’s Chair
• Meet the Archives Interns
• Welcome Lucy Waldrop
• Archives at Work
• New Materials at the Archives
• 65th General Hospital Exhibit Now Online

To subscribe to our newsletter, email us at: dumc.archives@mc.duke.edu

Category: News

This is the second blog post in a three part series about Dr. Jay M. Arena. (To see the previous post, click here.)

In 1974, Duke Professor of Pediatrics, Jay M. Arena, traveled to the People’s Republic of China as part of the American Medical Association (AMA) delegation. As a pediatrician, Arena’s interest lay in the health and nutritional status of children in China.

During the trip, Arena met with local Chinese medical delegations and toured hospitals, medical schools, and clinics, paying special attention to children’s wards and pediatric care. The photograph above shows Arena (second row,
second from right) with AMA delegates and hospital staff at the Capital Hospital in Peking. Arena took numerous… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Medical Center Archives is happy to announce that we have added more historic photographs to MEDSpace. Over 30 images from the 1930’s to the 1990’s have been uploaded to the digital repository. Included are portraits of Chairs and Division Chiefs, photos of nursing students, images and artwork of campus buildings, and candids of hospital staff at work. The new additions can be viewed by scrolling down to the bottom of MEDSpace’s homepage and clicking the “Recent Additions” tab on the far right.

To view all of our digitized historic images, please visit the … MORE

Category: News

The Medical Center Library & Archives is happy to announce that our new exhibit, “Early Duke Notables,” is now on display. Featuring artifacts, photographs, and documents from the Archives, the exhibit highlights some of the key individuals who helped found Duke Health. Visitors will learn about Dr. Wilburt C. Davison (pictured right), the first hospital director and School of Medicine Dean, who did everything from recruit faculty to help design the hospital; Bessie Baker, the first School of Nursing Dean who also oversaw nursing at the hospital; Dr. J. Deryl Hart, Chair of Surgery who pioneered the use of ultraviolet light in operating rooms to eliminate infectious organisms that cause post-operative Staph infections; and Dr. Frederic M. Hanes, Chair of Medicine, who started the… MORE

Category: News

This is the first blog post in a three part series about Dr. Jay M. Arena, a preeminent physician in the field of pediatrics and toxicology. During his career, Arena published approximately 300 articles and pamphlets on poisoning and a variety of pediatric subjects, as well as authoring, coauthoring, and editing numerous books on child safety and poisoning. In addition to writing, Arena also served on the editorial board of numerous publications, was appointed to and served with various government agencies, and served as an advisor on the Committee on Safety for Children and the United States Project Safety Commission. As an advisory expert on the Accidents and Poison Panel of the International Pediatric Association, Arena frequently gave expert witness testimony in cases of accidental… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

Just in time for spring’s colorful blossoms, the Duke Medical Center Archives acquired three vibrant watercolors of Duke Medicine buildings from the Facilities, Planning, Design/Construction department. The paintings were added to the Facilities Planning and Development Collection. The watercolors depict the Medical Center (2003), the Duke Cancer Center (2009), and Duke Medicine Circle (2009). The Medical Center and Duke Medicine Circle include campus views, while the Duke Cancer Center painting shows the front of the building with flowers in full bloom. Click to enlarge the image.

The artwork, ranging in size from 22.5” x 14”… MORE

Category: Collection Highlights

The Duke Medical Center Archives is happy to be a co-sponsor of the upcoming Wikipedia event. Full details are below.

Women of Science and Philosophy: Reframing the Canon with the Lisa Unger Baskin Collection and Project Vox

When: Tuesday, March 29, 6-9pm

Where: The Edge Workshop room

Wikipedia Meetup page: Women_of_Science_and_Philosophy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1519930418312442/

Please join us for an opportunity to learn how to edit Wikipedia articles about… MORE

Category: News

If you think the Medical Center is easy to get lost in now, consider what it may have been like decades ago, before standardized signage was created. 45 years ago this month, March 1971, Duke University Medical Center introduced its first major signage system, SEDO.

During the 1960s, the Medical Center experienced unprecedented growth. New development meant more buildings, more employees, and more patients. As it expanded, the need for a way to easily navigate the growing complex became increasingly important. To address this issue, Duke hired a graphic designer to produce and oversee the implementation of a new wayfinding system. 

The result was SEDO, or “System for Environmental Direction and Orientation.” This new approach divided the Medical Center into eight major,… MORE

Category: Collection Highlights

In honor of Black History Month, in this blog post we’re featuring Prentiss Harrison, who, upon graduating from Duke’s program in 1968, was the first African American PA in the nation.

Harrison first heard of Duke’s fledging PA program while working as an operating room technician at the UNC Chapel Hill Hospital. Established in 1965, Duke’s program was a two-year course intended to train students to practice medicine and provide health care services under a doctor’s supervision, and was the first of its kind in the nation. Harrison, who had been trained as a medical corspman while serving in the Army, recognized that this new field could offer professional opportunity and advancement. He applied and was accepted into the second class.

The Medical Center Archives has… MORE

Category: Collection Highlights