Inspiring innovation from tradition

Following a 3-page article on the Institute in the first issue of 2012 of Vesalius, the journal of the International Society for the History of Medicine, the prestigious, authoritative and influential German weekly magazine Der Spiegel devoted two pages to the Institute in its issue of September 7th.

After they attended the 13th Conference of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology, Appetiti and Touwaide participated in the 43rd conference of the International Society for the History of Medicine in Padua and Abano (Italy). In the historical Aula magna of Padua university, they presented together a communication on the 14th-century Dioscorides manuscript preserved in the library of Padua Seminary and digitized by the Institute. Also, Touwaide delivered a plenary lecture on "The Padua Botanic Garden in 1545", that is, the garden at the moment of its foundation. As Touwaide explained, creating a botanic garden is trying to capture the infinite of nature, something that is both an achievement and a constant beginning.

During the Padua meeting, Touwaide was re-elected Vice-President of the International Society for the History of Medicine for a second 4-year term (2012–16). On the other hand, both Appetiti and Touwaide have been appointed as members of the Honorary Advisory Board of the Lloyd Library Museum, in Cincinnati, OH.

Back to Washington, DC, Appetiti and Touwaide hit the road again and attended the annual meeting of the History of Science Society (HSS), November 15–18, in San Diego, CA. Alain Touwaide chaired the session "Sense, Body and Knowledge in the Early Modern World", on Saturday morning, November 17th.

Shortly afterwards, they will leave for Greece. Touwaide and  Appetiti will meet with colleagues and discuss methods for research on archaeobotany at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. After a workshop on December 3rd, Touwaide will deliver the Wiener lecture on December 4th, on  the topic "Mapping the Ancient Environment: The Contribution of Manuscripts and Texts". In Athens,  Touwaide and Appetiti will also inspect the Greek medical manuscripts of several institutions, from the Library of the Parliament and the National Library, to the Greek Academy, the Benaki Museum, the Byzantine Museum and the Anthropological Society.

From Athens, they will go to Thessaloniki where Touwaide will deliver a lecture on "Mandrake, Poppy and Others. Plants, Anesthesia, and Pain Management in Ancient Surgery" at the Medical School of the Aristotle University. Both will also visit the Rare Book and Manuscript Room of the Library at the University and also the library of the Vlatadon Monastery to complete the World Census of Greek Medical Manuscript.

From Greece, they will fly to Rome (Italy) to participate in the inauguration of the academic year at the Accademia di Storia dell'Arte Sanitaria (Academy for the History of the Healing Art). The lectures to be presented on this occasion will be devoted to the medicinal plants of the Old and New Worlds. Whereas Touwaide will speak about the Mediterranean traditions, Professor Carlos Viesca (UNAM, Mexico) will illustrate the traditions of the New World, and Dr. José Pardo-Tomás (CSIC, Barcelona, Spain) will comment  on the famous Codex Badianus.

In the US, the Lloyd Library and Museum has announced its Inaugural Curtis G. Lloyd Research Fellowship for the Academic Year 2013–14.

Named after the youngest Lloyd brother of Lloyd Brothers, Pharmacists, Inc. (1885–1936), the fellowship honors the work of Curtis Gates, pharmacist, botanist, and mycologist, in building the collections of Lloyd Library and Museum as Chief Acquisitions Officer. The fellowship is for a period of one to three months, with a possible extension of up to three months for work that is primarily based on resources within LLM collections. Applicants must be citizens of the United States or  U.S. lawful permanent residents. The stipend is $2,500.00 per month for the duration of the fellowship. Applications are due by January 15, 2013.

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