Students in the dissecting hall of the Medical College at New York University in 1885. The image is on the cover of Dr. Michael Sappol's book, "A Traffic of Dead Bodies." Image courtesy of the New York University Medical Center Archives.
Printer Friendly Format

The Friends of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library is hosting its 34th annual dinner and meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15.

The evening’s guest speaker will be Michael Sappol, Ph.D., curator-historian at the history of medicine division in the National Library of Medicine, and author of “A Traffic of Dead Bodies: Anatomy and Embodied Social Identity in 19th Century America.” Dr. Sappol has received the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Fellowship in American Civilization and is curator of the highly-acclaimed “Dream Anatomy” exhibition on the history of anatomical illustration, currently on view at the National Library of Medicine.

The first half of the 19th century was considered the ‘anatomical era’ in western medicine. The anatomist laid special claim to privileged knowledge gained through the appropriation and dissection of cadavers. As the most scientific of medical sub-disciplines, anatomy also provided a vocabulary that formed the working language of medical practice and scientific texts. A doctor versed in the correct anatomy-vernacular could authoritatively narrate the body and its pathologies, and colorful talk of body parts and bodysnatching became the stuff that bonded professionals into a confraternity of dissectors. A prime example from this select band is Charles Knowlton, M.D., whose claim to fame was authorship of “The Fruits of Philosophy,” a bestselling tract that was the first to offer medical advice to the American public on the subject of contraception.

The inspiration for Dr. Sappol’s talk, the Knowlton autobiography, published posthumously in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal of 1850, tells in a series of anatomical anecdotes how the old, New England eccentric became a doctor. It also illustrates how anatomic narratives have contributed to the making and unmaking of medical identity and authority.

The evening will begin with a buffet from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Health Science Center Auditorium Foyer. The cost of the dinner and lecture is $35. Advance registration is required. To make a reservation call Patricia Brown at (210) 567-2400 by Nov. 8.