Eddie’s WayBack Machine – Can you guess the year?

On occasion, we’re told that we may not pay as much attention to our URMC basic scientists as we do our clinicians. Yikes! That’s certainly not our intent; we love you all equally!

Nonetheless, we’ve decided to launch a special series, “Eddie’s WayBack Machine,” especially for researchers.  (And yes, the inspiration for this feature is loosely based on Peabody’s Improbable History segments, appearing in the late 1950s and early 1960s as part of The Bullwinkle Show. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, Mr. Peabody was a beagle who was the smartest being in existence.)

As a non-scientist, when I look through some of our well-worn bound journals, I’m impressed with how outdated they are, not so much from the science (which I don’t understand) but from the advertisements.

Shown below is a “New Products” advertisement from a highly respected journal.

For the fun of it, can you guess the year of publication?

Send your response to susan_andersen@urmc.rochester.edu  The answer and the winning (closest) response will be posted next week.

 

Recently Acquired Drawings of Erwin H. Austin

The Miner Library’s Rare Books & Manuscripts Section has recently been given the twenty-one pen and ink drawings by Erwin Hoyt Austin (1912-1976) that illustrated Joseph Garland’s The Story of medicine, published at Boston by Houghton Mifflin Co. in 1949. Narrating the history of medicine from classical Greece to the mid-20th century, Garland’s book was intended for an adolescent audience.

A native of Albany, N.Y., E.H. Austin worked his entire career as a designer and illustrator. During the 1940s and 50s, he was associated with the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown, N.Y.

William Jenner visits John Hunter

In addition to his work for the Garland book, Austin illustrated L.C. Jones’ Spooks of the valley (1948), E.C. Cutting’s Whistling girls and jumping sheep (1951), J. Van Wagenen’s The golden age of homespun (1953), J.W. Hatch’s The Wee’s Tree’s Christmas (1956), and L.C. Jones’ Things that go bump in the night (1959). These drawings for Garland’s The story of medicine were presented to the Miner Library by the illustrator’s son, David Austin, of Rochester, N.Y.

W.T.G. Morton demonstrates ether, October 1846

Is Your Touchscreen a Mobile Petri Dish?

• How dirty is your mobile device?
• Is it covered in fingerprints or crumbs from your lunch?
• Are you ready to trade it in for an upgrade, but it looks positively unsanitary?
• Did you know that your device is probably dirtier than the bottom of your shoe?

It’s probably time to do some serious spring (or mid-winter cleaning)!

For daily maintenance, get yourself a microfiber cloth and install the clever app called “deBac-app.”  It’s a free, standardized, interactive cleaning guide for tablet pcs and mobile phones (Android® only).

However, for hygienic cleaning (especially in a medical environment), you’ll want to use a disinfectant.  Be careful- you don’t want to damage the device and invalidate your warranty.  The Apple Store sells an isopropyl alcohol Clens kit by Bausch & Lomb for $20, but you can save money by making your own solution.  Use distilled water and a 70% isopropyl alcohol in a 1:1 ratio.  Fill a spray bottle with the solution, lightly moisten a microfiber cloth (no paper towels or Q-tips) and gently wipe down the screen, case and keyboard.  Don’t spray the device directly!

Check out these articles for more information about ultraviolet sanitizers and other unique ways to clean and disinfect your mobile devices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/technology/personaltech/cleaning-the-mobile-germ-warehouse.html?nl=technology&emc=edit_ct_20140102&_r=0

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2282698/A-furtive-pick-nose-quick-text—The-terrifying-pictures-bacteria-lurking-mobile.html

Hidden Rochester: Learn About the Hidden Jewels of ROC City, Wednesday 2/26 at High Noon

“There’s never anything to do in Rochester!” If you’ve ever expressed this sentiment, prepare for enlightenment. Our city offers some fabulous treasures for those who know where to look, and our own URMC librarians Dan Trout and Lorraine Porcello have spent years winkling out Rochester’s hidden gems.

Join them at noon on Wednesday, February 26th, 2014 in the History of Medicine Room at Miner Library, and they will share their quirkiest, most deliciously extraordinary, best kept secrets of the Flower City! Don’t miss it! Besides, what else is there to do?

Feel free to invite your colleagues and bring your lunch!

For more information, contact Dan Trout at 275-3475 or Lorraine Porcello at 275-3247 or 341-0378.

Make a Date with EndNote this Valentine’s Day

Give yourself the gift of EndNote for this Valentine’s Day! Learn how to use the truly romantic relationship between EndNote and MS Word; store and manage your citations with love; ignite a passion for creating elegant bibliographies. Sign up for a date with EndNote on 2/14. (Scroll down to EndNote Basics to sign up)

In this EndNote workshop, you’ll learn to use the essential features of EndNote bibliographic management software, including creating and managing a database of references, importing references from an online database such as PubMed or Ovid Medline, and creating a manuscript and bibliography with EndNote and Microsoft Word.

If you cannot make it this Friday, there are many more classes offered throughout the spring. Miner librarians are also available for one-on-one or small group tutorials. Contact Linda Hasman or Valorie Hallinan for more information.

Come on! Get happy with Strong PETS – Wednesday, 2/12 @ 3:15

Join us on Wednesday, February 12, for a visit from a very special team of dedicated care givers… Strong P.E.T.S.  (Pets Engaged in Therapeutic Socialization).

We can assure you there’ll be plenty of wagging tails and cold, drippy noses, and maybe even some barking… definitely not your typical afternoon at Miner Library (although we do “Tweet”)!

Beyond the benefits of animal-human interaction like lower blood pressure and reduced stress, interacting with animals can increase our levels of oxytocin, a hormone that helps us feel happy and trusting. Awesome!

Got a few minutes? Shake off some of those winter blahs on February 12. Strong P.E.T.S. volunteers will stop by @ 3:15 p.m., after their “rounds” on the in-patient units.

Pet therapist Ann Lacey has been a therapy dog handler since 1982 and founded the Strong P.E.T.S. program at Strong Memorial Hospital in 2000. For more information about Strong P.E.T.S., Campus Canines, or Tales for Tails programs, visit URMC Today or contact Friends of Strong at (585) 275-2420.

Google Glass: New surgical education tool?

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Christopher Kaeding, Ohio State University, used Google Glass in the OR during a recent knee surgery. It allowed him to send real time video of the procedure to a doctor and a group of students at a remote location.

You can read all about it here and see a video:

Google Glass in the operating room at Ohio State University; orthopedic surgeon transmits live video of knee surgery (video)