History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons^™

Waring Library Society Newsletter, Fall/Winter 2025, Waring Library Society, Waring Historical Library, Medical University Of South Carolina, Jude Arendall, Joann Livingston Zeise, Tabitha Samuel, Jahliah Brown

The Waring Library Society Newsletters

No abstract provided.

What’S In A Name? Re-Evaluating Early Medical Library Leaders In A Modern Context, Jennifer K. Lloyd

Library Faculty Publications

This paper will highlight two early medical librarians, Mary Louise Marshall (1893-1986) and William D. Postell, Sr (1908-1982) who were in our chapter’s region, although during their careers, SCC did not exist. While we cannot expect that historical figures have the same knowledge and values as our contemporary colleagues, we can evaluate their writings to see what internal biases were present.

Critically reappraising the work of our predecessors can be a difficult task, especially if these individuals were held in high esteem, won national awards and published important papers about medical librarianship. However, as theories are repudiated, re-evaluation is key. …

Consumptive Vampires: Notes On Nineteenth-Century Blood-Drinkers, Rachel Widmer

The Ozark Historical Review

From the late 19th century, newspapers reported of incidences where blood-drinking was used as a potential cure for disease. This paper explores this report and investigates this behavior among consumptives at the time.

Ada News - 09/08/2025, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Early Theories On Fluid Resistance And Translation Of Euler’S “Dilucidationes De Resistentia Fluidorum”, Sylvio R. Bistafa

Euleriana

In 1763, Euler published Dilucidationes de resistentia fluidorum (Explanations on the resistance of fluids), a memoir that challenges the fluid resistance theories proposed by Isaac Newton and d’Alembert. Euler's work explores the resistance experienced by solid bodies moving through fluids, critiquing both Newton's "common rule" and d’Alembert's paradox, which predicted zero resistance for non-viscous fluids. Euler's treatise is divided into two parts: the first focuses on the mathematical modeling of fluid flow patterns, while the second addresses the calculation of fluid resistance on surfaces. Despite significant advancements, Euler's work remains constrained by the limitations of non-viscous fluid assumptions, ultimately grappling …

Dean’S Report: U-M School Of Dentistry - Celebrating A 150-Year Tradition Of Excellence — And Planning For The Future

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This report commemorates the 150th anniversary of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, founded in 1875 largely due to the lobbying efforts of the Michigan Dental Association (MDA). It details the leadership of its first dean, Dr. Jonathan Taft, who established high professional standards that shaped the institution's commitment to excellence. The school boasts over 12,000 DDS graduates and 3,460 dental hygiene graduates, emphasizing its continuous role in advancing dentistry through innovation, research, and patient care, from early textbook development to modern digital tools like CBCTs and CAD-CAM technology. The incoming DDS Class of 2029 marks a milestone with …

Between The Buffer And The Black Box: Ed(1), Invisible Text, And Delegation In Word Processing, Kai Prenger

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis provides a media archaeological and theoretical examination of ed(1), the Unix line editor developed by Ken Thompson at Bell Labs in 1969, arguing that its approach to "invisible text" processing established lasting patterns of human-computer collaboration that persist in contemporary digital systems. Through historical research, technical analysis, and critical interpretation, this study demonstrates how ed(1) embodied a particular epistemology of text processing that appears alien in a contemporary context, but proves insightful in the age of generative text creation.

ed(1) emerged from the unique convergence of Bell Labs' collaborative research culture, severe hardware constraints of early Unix systems, …

Choked: How Decades Of Failures To Address Air Pollution And Housing Shortages Exacerbated Mortality In Pittsburgh During The Influenza Pandemic Of 1918, Virginia Montanez

Graduate Masters Theses

Pittsburgh experienced the highest death rate of all major U.S. cities during the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic. This record mortality was not due to inadequate, absent, or ignored nonpharmaceutical interventions and mandates. Instead, for decades prior, city officials prioritized industry at the expense of the collective health of the laboring class. They were especially egregious in permitting industrial smoke pollution and overcrowded housing to persist in immigrant-heavy working-class wards, leaving residents susceptible to respiratory disease incidence and mortality. As a result, Pittsburgh’s annual influenza and pneumonia death rates were drastically the worst in the nation to such an extent that …

Ada News - 08/04/2025, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Let’S Teach More Accurate And Inclusive History! The Case Of Islamic Contributions To Mathematics And Science, Nuh Aydin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Schools commonly teach a history of mathematics and science that is Eurocentric. This selective version of the history of science, called Classical Narrative by some, is rooted in colonial times and mindset, and has reinforced certain negative opinions about other cultures. It ignores or downplays contributions to mathematics and sciences from non-western civilizations, and falsely attributes many scientific discoveries to European scholars. Medieval Islamic Civilization, which had strong connections to Renaissance Europe, serves as a clear example of how this narrative is distorted. Based on research on primary sources since the middle of the 20th century, we now know that …

A Practical Rule Of Divisibility By 7 In Uqlīdisī’S Kitāb Al-Fuṣūl Fī Al-Ḥisāb Al-Hindī, Müjdat Takıcak, Mertkan Şimşek

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

There are many known examples of divisibility rules in modern mathematics. However, some of these rules are far from being practical, such as the current divisibility rule by 7. A far more useful method can be found in the work of the tenth-century Islamic mathematician Abū al-Ḥasan al-Uqlīdisī (d. 980), who proposed a divisibility rule for 7 in his treatise Kitāb al-Fuṣūl fī al-Ḥisāb al-Hindī. Compared to modern techniques, Uqlīdisī’s rule is both simpler and more practical. This article (re)introduces this rule, and provides an exposition of the mathematical reasoning that underpins it.

Stoners, Walnuts, Stockings, And Guns: A Material History Of Modern Firearms, Aiden Mashaal

History Summer Fellows

The study of firearms as material objects is notably rare among academic historians. It is relegated mainly to the pages of firearms magazines and carried out by journalists, gun collectors and enthusiasts, and gun manufacturers. Although they provide valuable information to readers outside of academia, it is long past due to observe the history of guns according to scholarly standards. This study provides a concise analysis of firearms history, focusing on the materials used in the manufacture of modern firearms—aluminum alloy and polymers. It explores the successes and failures of guns that used such materials in order to explain how …

Xyy: Why? Science For The People And The Xyy Controversy, Fern Rice

The Purdue Historian

The mid-20th century saw a boom of scientific discoveries in genetics as people sought to understand the American political landscape through genomes. The desire to understand criminality through genetics rose as counterculture surged. The genetic defect known as “XYY syndrome” became connected to criminality through biased medical studies and sensationalized criminal cases worldwide. When the National Institute of Mental Health began to fund studies attempting to prove a link between XYY syndrome and criminality, organizations concerned with scientific justice took notice. The leftist organization Science for the People campaigned against an XYY study in Boston, deeming it unethical and biologically …

Ada News - 07/07/2025, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Alexander Von Humboldt En España. Los Antecedentes Necesarios Del Viaje Americano., Miguel Angel Puig-Samper

Homage to Alexander von Humboldt: Travels to and from Spain Throughout the Centuries / Homenaje a Alexander von Humboldt: Viajes hacia y desde España de todos los siglos

Uno de los aspectos más desconocidos del viaje americano de Alejandro de Humboldt es el de su paso por España, sobre todo su trabajo científico, sus contactos y los medios de preparación de la exploración del Nuevo Mundo en compañía del botánico y médico francés Aimé Bonpland. Humboldt tenía varios motivos para tomar la decisión de viajar a España, aunque el fundamental fue el fracaso de sus planes anteriores para viajar a otros lugares del mundo. Necesitaba el permiso del rey Carlos IV para investigar en las regiones que le interesaban. Conseguir este permiso no era un asunto fácil, ya …

Los Méritos De Alexander Von Humboldt Para La Climatología Mundial Y Para La Forestación, Frank Holl

Homage to Alexander von Humboldt: Travels to and from Spain Throughout the Centuries / Homenaje a Alexander von Humboldt: Viajes hacia y desde España de todos los siglos

Alexander von Humboldt fue uno de los climatólogos más destacados del siglo XIX. El presente artículo trata sobre sus estudios climáticos y muestra el impacto que estos tuvieron en muchos países del mundo. La primera publicación fundamental sobre los efectos climáticos de los bosques la realizó Humboldt en 1809 en su Ensayo político sobre Nueva España. Numerosas medidas de forestación se iniciaron en el siglo XIX gracias a sus estudios. Pero Humboldt detectó algo más: fue el primero que habló de “grandes masas de vapor y gas en los centros de la industria” que afectan el clima. Sin embargo, él …

Waring Library Society Newsletter, Summer 2025, Waring Library Society, Waring Historical Library, Medical University Of South Carolina, Jude Arendall, Robert Ball, Jerry Reeves, Joann Livingston Zeise, Tabitha Samuel

The Waring Library Society Newsletters

In this issue, Waring Library Society President Robert Ball, M.D. highlights the accomplishments of Dr. Randolph D. Smoak, Jr., emphasizing his leadership in medical organizations, advocacy for health reform and anti-smoking efforts, and recognition as a distinguished alumnus of MUSC. Jerry Reves, M.D., shares a brief new history of the Medical College. The Waring’s staff also provide updates: JoAnn Zeise, provides updates on the Waring’s restoration project, including the asbestos; Tabitha Samuel shares the new Spring 2025 titles added to MEDICA@MUSC, Jude Arendall makes a return to the Waring.

Artificial Intelligence Introduction Section, Seth Newell, Sally Brown

Artificial Intelligence Exhibit

The introduction gives an overview of the exhibition, along with an explanation of AI literacy, AI vs. Google, and a basic AI timeline.

Terror: The Dark Aesthetics Of Technology, Klaus Schnitzer

LASER Journal

Why is one drawn to the sleek shapes of missiles, fighter planes and massive bombers whose bellies can unleash formidable destruction?

There is an undeniable beauty in designs that once were the epitome of engineering and technology - the equivalency of speed, agility and precision. But this aestheticization of weapons of mass destruction cannot blind one to the ultimate purpose of these sleek objects, be it aggressive or defensive.

The History Of The Mainehealth Institute For Research, Clifford J. Rosen Md

Histories

No abstract provided.