ICML 2009: Meeting Room 2 Session 6

Theme: Medical Humanities

Time: 10.45-12.15
Date: Wednesday 2nd September 2009
Chair: Dr Christoper Gardner-Thorpe

The Medical History of British India online project
Jan E Usher, National Library of Scotland, United Kingdom
Mrs Francine Millard, National Library of Scotland, United Kingdom

Mrs Jan Usher, BA, MSC, is Head of Official Publications at the National Library of Scotland. She has a particular interest in their collection of India Papers, especially the medical volumes included in the project.

Mrs Francine Millard works in the Official Publications Unit of the National Library of Scotland as the digitisation manager of the Medical History of British India online project.

Abstract:
The paper will show how we took a little-known yet rich resource and turned it into a globally available one. It will examine the origins, success and future plans for this Wellcome Trust funded project to microfilm and digitise approximately 200 rare and vulnerable medical volumes published by the Government of India between ca1850 and 1950. These publications record the demands placed by both epidemic and endemic diseases on the colonial Indian state and its development of public health. It includes reports on army health, medicines, veterinary research, lock hospitals and medical institutes and colleges. The site can be searched by keyword, or by category (titles, contents pages, diseases and associated terms, maps, diagrams, place names, publishers, authors and year of publication). The various complexities and pitfalls in the planning process will be presented as well as some of the practical difficulties encountered, with images and descriptions of some of the material involved. Parameters essential to enable effective presentation and exploitation of the material will be discussed, including copyright issues, maintaining the site, and enabling free world-wide access. The resulting web feature will be presented along with discussion of future digitisation plans. The paper will also discuss the continuing benefits of the project, including forging successful long-term academic partnerships.

Obstetrics in Colonial Philippines
Cymbeline Villamin, Science and Technology Information Institute, Philippines
Ms Genevieve Ruth R Villamin, Apsmith Solutions Corporation, Philippines
Presented By: Ms. Ma. Theresa A. Refalda, eTelecare Global Solutions, Philippines

Cymbeline Villamin is supervising science research specialist at the Science and Technology Information Institute (STII) in Taguig City, Philippines. She heads the STII Documentation Section and is in charge of the supervision of the STII Web Databases, one of which is the Scientists Database. She is also the editor of the Philippine Men and Women of Science.

Ms. Genevieve Ruth R Villamin is a graduate of BA Philosophy from the University of the Philippines-Los Banos and MA Communication from Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Santa Mesa. She is currently content manager of Apsmith Solutions Corporation in Makati City.

Ms. Refalda is a graduate of AB Psychology from Far Eastern University; competed all academic requirements (except for thesis) for masteral degree in Psychology at the University of Santo Tomas, and works at present with eTelecare Global Solutions.

Abstract:
This research aims to provide a historical background on the practice of obstetrics in the Philippines dating back to as early as the 18th century when the Philippines was a colony of Spain, towards the American regime in the early 20th century. Online search of the Analytics in the DOST Online Public Access Catalog, particularly the earlier issues of the Philippine Journal of Science, first published in 1906, was done, retrieving the works of the father of Philippine obstetrics, Fernando Calderon. A manual searching of the library collection of the Science and Technology Information Institute was also done, retrieving the rare two volumes of Scientists in the Philippines that featured a full length biography of the first lady physician in the country, Honoria Acosta-Sison. The results of the study showed the dominant influence of the Spanish friars on all aspects of life including socio-medical. Midwives received direct instructions from priests. The friars wrote manuals on how to assist women at birthing, which although ludicrous, were obeyed to the letter. The American colonial government in the Philippines that started in 1901, paved the way for healing and teaching the medical science to steadily develop. Obstetrics during the American regime has liberated the next generation of women in the Philippines, whose ancestors endured pain, suffering, and death for more than 300 years under Spain, during their most defining moment in life. This study of early medical literature in the Philippines educates the world in the feminist tradition of pain.

One Library of Books
Dr Katriona Munthe, CEO of Munthe Insitute Museum Collections, United Kingdom.

Katriona Munthe has always been interested in the psychobiography of an individual. She is a Jungian analyst who practises in Rome. She was also trained in philosophy and art history. More recently her interests have extended further into the history of medicine.

Abstract:
Axel Martin Fredrik Munthe (October 31, 1857, Oskarshamn, Sweden – February 11, 1949, Stockholm) was a Swedish physician and psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele (1929), an autobiographical account of his work and life.

Curious Herbalist: the life and interesting times of Elizabeth Blackwell
Mr Bruce E Madge, The London Upright MRI Centre, United Kingdom

Bruce Madge has been a health librarian for over 30 years. In 2004 he got his Honorary FCLIP for work done in the area of health informatics. He was a founder member of the UK Council for Health Informatics Professions (UKCHIP) and is a strong advocate of regulation of the profession. Currently he is working as Director of Marketing for the London Upright MRI Centre, a small medical imaging centre in London, which just goes to prove that librarians can be flexible in the jobs that they can perform. Before coming to his current post he was a Sub-Librarian at the British Medical Association Library. Prior to that he worked for 2 years as Assistant Director for Patient Information at the newly established National Patient Safety Agency. Here he set up and ran an information service for patients and a small library for staff. His first senior management role in 1995 came when he headed up the Healthcare Information Service at the British Library. Here he managed the production of the popular Allied and Complementary Medicine database (AMED) as well as the UK indexing input for Medline amongst other medical indexing work. Prior to that he spent several years working in various positions within the NHS which included District Librarian at Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust and Librarian at the National Poisons Unit. His international experience includes being the Chair of the Health and Biosciences Libraries Committee of IFLA, a member of the European Association of Health Information and Libraries Council and a past Chair of the International Co-operation Section of the US Medical Library Association. He is also a Trustee of Partnerships in Health Information. In 2000, he wrote a book entitled "Harnessing Health Libraries" for Radcliffe Medical Press and has a number of articles to his name.

Abstract:
Elizabeth Blackwell (1707? –1758), was a Scottish botanical illustrator and author. She achieved fame as a botanical illustrator, and was both artist and engraver for the plates of "A Curious Herbal", published between 1737 and 1739. The book illustrated many odd-looking and unknown plants from the New World, and was designed as a reference work on medicinal plants for the use of physicians and apothecaries.