With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,” by Mary Roach.
With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,” by Mary Roach.
About the Book: The book that launched Mary Roach's science-writing career, "Stiff" investigates the contribution of human cadavers to science [with studies ranging from humane to grisly to wacky; from crash safety to the physics of crucifixion], as well as human burial practices [including alternatives to burial or cremation]. Written with humor and respect – and without sacrificing the ethical questions – Roach follows her journalistic interest while guiding readers along the various labs, morgues, and fields of rotting corpses in the industry.
Reasons to Read: If you like books that make you say "dang" a lot (or your preferred utterance), if you want to take a steady (but never overly macabre) look at death (and maybe get a party fact about Victorian medicine along the way), or if you want to understand the reality of cadaver testing for you or your loved one.
Reasons to Avoid: If you like your books to be focused [Roach encompasses the history of anatomy, organ donation, crash and ballistics testing, embalming techniques, funeral practices, and more.], or if you'd rather dial down the wisecracks in books about death.
With October upon us, comes celebration of spooky season. The classic signs of Halloween approaching are here: theaters show scary movie marathons for those who want thrills and frights, skeleton and ghost decor begins to grace front yards and debate over what to wear for the event itself reaches a fever pitch. But witches, ghosts, and ghouls weren’t always reserved for just Halloween. In fact, some legends were born out of explanations for very real phenomena that used to strike terror across villages.
One particular example comes to mind. The year is 1788. Your friend has fallen ill recently. She’s lost a lot of weight, she has a fever, and her skin is growing paler by the day. She has even started coughing up blood. Even worse, these symptoms mimic that of her late brother, who died a few months previously. Thankfully, a neighbor has identified the culprit and knows the solution: dig up her brother’s corpse, cut out his heart, and burn it.
Wait, what? As strange as it sounds, this was a real series of events that happened in New England. Before the Germ Theory of disease, people needed explanations for the spread of disease. While bad air (Miasma Theory) or the four humors were potential explanations, when it came to the disease known as tuberculosis, vampires were offered as a potential explanation (1).
The original legend was brought over by immigrants from European countries (2). While the exact way vampires worked depended on the region, the general idea was that those who died came back to drain life from the living, often their family members. Given how tuberculosis spreads, family members did become ill, especially given members of one family might share the same bed. Digging up the corpse of the deceased family member was seen as a way to stop the illness and put it to bed at last. Given the cold winters in the region, sometimes bodies would be well preserved when they were dug up, further playing into the idea that the dead were feasting on the living. While the burning of organs didn’t actually do anything, in the face of an invisible illness, it provided those afraid with a feeling of some agency.
The vampire legend doesn’t arise solely from tuberculosis, but some hallmarks of the blood suckers can be traced to the pathogen: the pallor vampires are known for, along with sleeping in coffins. Other aspects of the mythical monster are hypothesized to come from other illnesses. Vampire’s aversion to light (photophobia), running water and biting others may all originate from rabies cases. Those afflicted with rabies can showcase these symptoms, and those who wrote early vampire stories may have drawn inspiration from the deadly disease (3). Symptoms of the genetic disease porphyria have also been attributed to perhaps inspiring the myth as it also causes issues with being in the sun (4).
Thankfully, we eventually figured out the real culprit behind tuberculosis wasn’t the walking dead, but a bacterium, and that we could defeat it with antibiotics, not wooden stakes. But it’s important not to judge those who believed in the vampire theory too harshly. They had figured out the contagious part of the disease. They only misattributed the vector.
So this October, remember where part of the fear of vampirism comes from. It’s not fangs, or gothic mansions, or poor book adaptations. Instead, think of those who latched onto the legend as an explanation, who knew something deadly was spreading, but didn’t know where to look or where it would strike next.
1. Blanding M. Vampire panic gripped New England in the 1800s. the real evil was in the air. Boston Globe (Online). Oct 27 2023. Available from: https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/vampire-panic-gripped-new-england-1800s-real-evil/docview/2882529806/se-2.
2. Groom N. UNEARTHING THE DEAD: Medicine and Detection, Body and Mind. In: The Vampire. A New History. Yale University Press; 2018:23-40. doi:10.2307/j.ctv6gqxp2.9
3. Gómez-Alonso J. Rabies: a possible explanation for the vampire legend. Neurology. 1998;51(3):856-859. doi:10.1212/wnl.51.3.856
4. McGrath J. Are vampires real? scientists have linked diseases and decomposition to all the historical tropes of nosferatu. Business Insider. Oct 21, 2023. Available from: https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/are-vampires-real-scientists-have-linked-diseases/docview/2879550637/se-2.
Paint n' Sip - Camp Wellbeing Date: Tues, October 1, 2024 6pm – 8pm Location: “The Vern” at GW’s Mount Vernon campus Cost: Free for GW students
Come join us on at the Vern to sip a house mocktails while painting with all your besties. Come decompress! Just bring yourself, all supplies will be provided for free. This event is part of Camp Wellbeing.
Irresistible: The Global Patterns of Ikat Date: Tues-Saturday, 10am to 5pm through December 21 Location: The George Washington Museum and the Textile Museum, 701 21st St. NW, Washington, DC 20052 Cost: Free
Prized worldwide for producing vivid patterns and colors, the ancient resist-dyeing technique of ikat developed independently in communities across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This exhibition explores the global phenomenon of ikat textiles through examples from countries as diverse as Chile, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan.
The Book of Everything (Play) Date: October 3-5 7:30 pm + October 5-2 p.m. Location: Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, 800 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052 Cost: Students $10, Non-Students $20
Who sees tropical fish thriving in the Amsterdam canals, trumpeting sparrows and even a hailstorm of frogs? Thomas! But he also has negative visions: the unhappiness of his family, the violence in his father, and the damage that lingers long after the war is over. And he writes it all down, ugly and beautiful in his powerful Book of Everything. Play by Richard Tulloch, and based on the book by Guus Kuije.
A Speakeasy Evening Date: October 10, 7:00pm to 10:30pm Location: National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001 United States Cost: Free
Inspired by the speakeasy clubs of the Harlem Renaissance, which were welcoming and inclusive places for all, the Museum invites you into a space that welcomes LGBTQIA community, African Americans (and allies) of all gender identities and orientations.
Now in year six, this program will examine the role of discos as a safe space for everyone to dance together and be their authentic selves. The evening will feature a panel discussion about disco, art making, a musical performance, dancing and light fare.
The Peace Trail on the National Mall Date: Any day with walking weather Location: Start at United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20037 Cost: Free
The Northwest corner of the National Mall could be considered the "War and Peace Corner" of our nation's capital. It is home to this country's most famous veterans memorials, which draw tens of millions of visitors each year. In 2017, the U.S. Institute of Peace launched the Peace Trail on the National Mall to further enhance the experience of visiting our nation's capital. Anchored at USIP and tracing a path to a dozen other key sites in the vicinity, the reference guide highlights peace themes, elevating examples of key figures, institutions and moments in history that demonstrate America's enduring commitment to peace. Download Peace Trail Reference Guide, Activity Book, or Mobile App from the website.
Sessa Date: Saturday, October 19-6 p.m. Location: Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage Cost: Free (Online advance reservations for a given performance date will open on a rolling basis, opening every Wednesday two weeks out from the date.)
Sessa, the São Paulo musician known for his enchanting 2019 debut album Grandeza, returns with an expansive collection of songs built with reverence for the deep historical traditions of Brazilian music.
This exhibition, drawn primarily from the Corcoran Collection, presents some 25 portraits Parks made between 1941 and 1970. Explore Parks's innovations in portraiture through some of his best-known photographs. Learn how his portraits speak to larger stories of the civil rights movement, the African American experience, and American culture.
Día de los Muertos Family Day Date: Saturday, October 26 11:30am - 3:00 pm Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th & G St. NW, Washington, DC 20004 Cost: Free
Celebrate Día de los Muertos with the Smithsonian American Art Museum! Bring the whole family to see exciting live performances, including traditional Mexican folk dance by Corazon Folklorico, a mariachi performance by Mariachi Aguila DC, and a showcase of different Latin American music genres and dances with Sol y Rumba.
Are your bookshelves looking a little empty? Do you have an interest in having a physical copy of some textbooks or study guides? Want a piece of medical history to call your own? The Himmelfarb Annual Book Sale has all of this and more.
From October 8th to October 11th, Himmelfarb will sell books in the first-floor alcove. The cost of hardback books is $4 and the cost of paperbacks is $2. All payments must be made by card. The sale is open from 8:00am to 8:00pm Tuesday to Thursday, and from 8:00am to Noon on Friday.
Himmelfarb Library provides clinical, evidence-based medicine resources including DynaMed and epocrates+ which provide information to support cancer care. DynaMed is a point-of-care tool designed to facilitate efficient and evidence-based patient care information including drug and disease information. DynaMed provides information including background, history and physical, diagnosis, disease management, prognosis, prevention, and screening information on medical conditions. DynaMed’s easy-to-read topic pages cover a wide range of conditions and diseases, including cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma in children as seen in the screenshot below.
epocrates+ is Himmelfarb’s other evidence-based point-of-care database that provides disease and drug information. epocrates+ provides a step-by-step approach, covering prevention, risk factors, history and exam, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Like DynaMed, epocrates+ covers coverage of a wide range of medical conditions, including cancers. Epcorates also offers a quick reference area that covers the basics of a condition, as seen in the cervical cancer quick reference screenshot below.
If you’re looking for the latest in cancer research, Himmelfarb provides access to many cancer journals! The following list is just a sample of the cancer-related titles you can access through Himmelfarb’s journal collection:
Cancer: An American Cancer Society journal that started publication in 1948, Cancer is one of the oldest peer-reviewed oncology journals. This journal focuses on highly relevant, timely information on the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer.
JAMA Oncology: This definitive oncology journal publishes important clinical research, major cancer breakthroughs, actionable discoveries, and innovative cancer treatments.
Cancer Cell: This journal provides access to major advances in cancer research including clinical investigations that establish new paradigms in treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of cancers.
Gynecologic Oncology: This journal publishes clinical and investigative articles about tumors of the female reproductive tract and the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of female cancers.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute: This journal publishes significant cancer research findings focused on clinical, epidemiologic, behavioral, and health outcomes studies.
Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network: JNCCN publishes the latest information on clinical practices, oncology health services research, and translational medicine, as well as updates to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.
If you’re interested in finding health statistics about cancer, we have information on that too! Check out our Health Statistics: Cancer Guide. This guide provides links to resources to find general cancer statistics, as well as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. Resources to find cancer mortality maps and graphs are also included.
The book brings together personal narratives from LHS+ medical students and regional perspectives from organizations across the United States which led to the formation of the national body. The chapter "Tu Lucha es Mi Lucha" (Your Struggle is My Struggle) examines the development of a health policy initiative led by LHS+ medical students. Other chapters focus on the role of faculty/physician advisors who are partners in the success of LHS+ students, as well as the support roles of Student Affairs offices, and the role of Medical Education offices in training future practitioners to care for LHS+ individuals. The book also covers faculty development and advancement of LHS+ faculty in graduate medical education, which touches on topics such as culturally relevant faculty mentoring.
For those interested and engaged in medical education, or those wishing to gain more detailed insight into the history of LHS+ people in the graduate medical education field, this book is a unique and comprehensive resource.
References
Sánchez, J. P., & Rodriguez, D. (2023). Latino, Hispanic, or of Spanish Origin+ Identified Student Leaders in Medicine : Recognizing More Than 50 Years of Presence, Activism, and Leadership. (1st ed.). Springer International Publishing AG.
For around a decade, 3D printing has been leading to significant medical advancements – custom prosthetics, for example, or orthopedic implants. However, while exciting, these are not the most immediately useful for a health sciences student. As SMHS, GWSPH, or Nursing students, if you’d like to get the most out of the free 3D printing service at Himmelfarb, consider the following five use cases!
3D Printing benefits tactile and visual learners, especially with objects that must be represented abstractly, like atoms and molecules. Unlike a diagram on a page, molecules like this dopamine model can be rotated and moved, which can aid memory of chemical interactions.
[Dopamine model guaranteed; dopamine hit from receiving not guaranteed]
When it comes to the complexity of the human body, structures with many similar parts – like the bones of the hand – benefit from modeling. They can be arranged, labeled, and assembled [but unfortunately not high-fived, unless you have amazing plastic glue].
Temporal Bone: Anatomy Models to Test:
Certainly within GW, 3D models can (and have) been used to practice surgery. Kidney models can be used to practice transplants, and (depicted below) prints of the temporal bone can be used for a trial mastoidectomy.
September is Suicide Prevention Month - making it a good opportunity to raise awareness about suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor.
Just like other mental health conditions, suicidal thoughts can impact anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, equating to one death every eleven minutes (CDC, 2024a). Between 2000 and 2018, suicide rates increased by 37%, and returned to their peak in 2022 following a brief decline between 2018 to 2020 (CDC, 2024a).
Knowing the risk factors of suicidal ideation and behavior is important for everyone. According to a 2016 review published in The Lancet, “approximately 45% of individuals who die by suicide consult a primary care physician within one month of death, yet there is rarely documentation of physician inquiry or patient disclosure” of suicidal ideation or behavior (Turecki, & Brent, 2016).
While many individuals with suicidal ideation do not attempt suicide (Dlonsky, et al., 2016), recognizing the risk factors can help you identify someone in need of help and help you find the help they need. According to the CDC, factors that contribute to suicide risk range from individual, relationship, community, and societal factors and can include, but are not limited to the following:
Individual Risk Factors:
Previous suicide attempt
History of depression and other mental illness
Serious illness
Job or financial problems
Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
Sense of hopelessness
Relationship Risk Factors:
Bullying
Family or loved one’s history of suicide
Loss of relationships
Social isolation
High-conflict or violent relationships
Community Risk Factors:
Lack of access to healthcare
Community violence
Historical trauma
Discrimination
Societal Risk Factors:
Stigma associated with seeking help and mental illness
Easy access to lethal means of suicide
Unsafe media portrayals of suicide
(CDC, 2024b)
Some factors can protect people from experiencing suicidal ideation and behavior. These include, but are not limited to the following:
Effective coping and problem-solving skills
Strong sense of cultural identity
Support from loved ones
Feeling connected to others
Feeling connected to school, community, and social institutions
Availability of high-quality physical and behavioral healthcare
If you are interested in learning more about suicide prevention, Himmelfarb Library has a Suicide and Suicidology Collection that includes numerous books on this topic. Notable books from this collection include:
With September in full swing, folks might find themselves short on downtime as exams and courses wind into full gear. Thankfully, this month’s medical media recommendation from our new Scholarly Communications and Metadata Librarian, Brittany Smith, is a sitcom that might be easy to sneak watching an episode during a tight schedule.
Known for its humor and heart, Scrubs is a sitcom that ran from 2001-2010 that follows a group of interns and continues throughout their residency at Sacred Heart Hospital(1). While the show centered around its lead J.D, it also spent time building out its extended cast such as fellow residents Turk and Reid, nurse Carla Espinosa, Doctor Cox and the mysterious Janitor. Winning multiple awards, the wacky series wasn’t afraid to get silly despite the medical setting; there was even an entire episode that was a musical.
Despite the zany antics, what really made Scrubs a treat to watch was its heart. The show “wrestled with the humanity of the characters in a meaningful way,” said Smith. Both patients and the physicians are shown as real people, and when Scrubs tackled those moments, it did so with empathy and thought. Some examples include a doctor struggling with OCD, the loss of a fellow staff member, and how losing patients can impact those who care for them (2).
Scrubs can be streamed on multiple streaming services online.
