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Linus Pauling and The Nature of the Chemical Bond: A Documentary History

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Artifacts
  • Biographical
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Exhibit
  • Images
  • Library/Archive
  • Links
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Physical Sciences
  • Primary Source
  • Secondary Source
  • Video
URL: 

http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/coll/pauling/bond/

Author: 
Special Collections, The Valley Library, Oregon State University
Excerpt: 

Utilizing over 800 scanned documents, photographs, audio clips and video excerpts, this website narrates the incredible achievement of Linus Pauling and others in the discovery of the nature of the chemical bond. Scattered throughout the project are images of a number of very important and extremely rare items, most of which are held within The Valley Library's Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers, and many of which have not been previously displayed. It is expected that this website will serve as a primary reference point for individuals interested in the history of chemical bond.

Annotation: 

The Nature of the Chemical Bond: A Documentary History is a digital history project of the Special Collections Division of Valley Library at Oregon State University, where Pauling was a 1923 graduate. In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Pauling’s first Nobel, the project documents the events surrounding Pauling’s most phenomenal discovery.

Review: 

Linus Pauling is known as the twentieth century’s greatest chemist for his work integrating the fields of chemistry and quantum physics. The description of the nature of the chemical bond was only one of Pauling’s many significant contributions to science, and his prolific career made him the only person to have won two unshared Nobel Prizes.

The Nature of the Chemical Bond: A Documentary History is a digital history project of the Special Collections Division of Valley Library at Oregon State University, where Pauling was a 1923 graduate. In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Pauling’s first Nobel, the project documents the events surrounding Pauling’s most phenomenal discovery.

The site is well organized and divided into three sections. The first, narrative section of the site tells the story of Pauling’s development as a young scientist influenced by other greats such as Bohr and Schrödinger. The story is interesting and informative and the writers have done well presenting the chemistry with emphasis on the meaning and importance of each development without confusing those who lack a chemical background. This section boasts 49 “chapters” detailing Pauling’s history, but these chapters are, in some cases, little more than a couple of paragraphs. Still, the amount and depth of information available is substantial.

In the second section, a visitor will find a mountain of primary manuscripts and correspondence as well as one of the jewels of the site--a list of “key participants.” Throughout the previous narrative, the names of the most famous or important people who worked with and influenced Pauling are linked to pages that give extra information about these individuals. The information includes the years the person lived, one or more quotes about his relationship to Pauling, and links to any audio or visual clips available. But most importantly, there is a record of the location and contact information for the archive that holds the papers of each supplemental characters. Researchers thus find references to information about the key figures surrounding Pauling at the peak of his career.

Other resources available in the document section of the site include digital images of Pauling’s published works, Pauling’s correspondence from 1925-1939, manuscripts totaling more than 300 pages of notes and lectures, pictures, illustrations, and quotes. Audio and video clips are forthcoming and will enrich the site by allowing visitors to hear and see Pauling speak about his work. All told, the site contains more that 800 digital documents.

The final section, “Linus Pauling Day-By-Day,” offers calendar-style pages that place the scientist’s correspondence, work, and travel into an easy-to-follow timeline. Users can click on each day to find all of Pauling’s known activities for that date including entries as obscure as making a payment to the DMV.

The site is well designed, attractive, and easy to navigate. The sections are cross-linked so that related information is quickly at hand. A list of links and a well-developed bibliography also contribute to the success of the site. Overall, The Nature of the Chemical Bond: A Documentary History is a fitting tribute and resource for a truly important scientific personality.

Miles Travis
George Mason University
February 3, 2005

The Blue Baby Operation

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Exhibit
  • Images
  • Library/Archive
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.medicalarchives.jhmi.edu/page1.htm

Author: 
Marjorie Winslow Kehoe
Excerpt: 

On November 29, 1944, a small, frail child was wheeled into an operating room at the Johns Hopkins Hospital for the first attempt to treat tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart malformation that robs the blood of oxygen. This life-threatening condition is often signaled by a bluish or "cyanotic" cast to the skin, hence the term, blue baby. The procedure joined an artery leaving the heart to an artery leading to the lungs, in an attempt to give the blood a second chance at oxygenation. It was the first blue baby operation and came to be known as the Blalock-Taussig Shunt.

Annotation: 

This site is the companion to a 1995 exhibit that commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the first "Blue Baby Operation," a procedure designed to treat a congenital heart defect that deprives the blood of oxygen. The procedure was pioneered by a surgical team that included Alfred Blalock, Helen B. Taussig, and Vivien T. Thomas. The site contains a description of the procedure, an account of the idea, several images, and notes on the three main contributors. A link to further readings also directs visitors to related information as well as the manuscript archives of Blalock, Taussig, and Thomas.

From Birth to Death at the Pan-American Exposition

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Images
  • Library/Archive
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
  • University
URL: 

Author: 
The Libraries, University at Buffalo
Excerpt: 

This portion of the exhibit, Illuminations: Revisiting the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition of 1901, provides a fascinating glimpse into the general state of health care and medical technology available at the turn of the century. What could attendees at the Exposition expect in terms of hygiene and health care? Were restroom facilities provided, and were they kept clean? Were doctors and medical equipment available on the grounds? Who drove the ambulance that carried the wounded President McKinley?

Annotation: 

From Birth to Death is part of a larger site devoted to the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition of 1901. By examining the health care provided at such a large popular event, this site offers an interesting perspective on the state of health and medicine at the turn of the century. The heart of the site is made up of eight articles detailing topics ranging from lavatory facilities to several of the fair's medical exhibits. The articles are also supplemented by images and quotes. At least one more article on international nursing conventions may also be added soon.

Public Health in Illinois

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Government
  • Images
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.idph.state.il.us/timeline/history.htm

Author: 
Illinois Department of Public Health
Excerpt: 

1877
The State Board of Health is organized and for the first time public health work is assigned as a permanent function of state government. The board is given responsibility for regulating the practice of medicine and promoting sanitary and hygienic activities to control and prevent disease. Dr. John H. Rauch of Chicago, the highest ranking medical director on Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's staff in the Army of Tennessee and sanitary superintendent for the Chicago Board of Health, is elected the first board president. For its first two years of operation, the board receives an appropriation of $5,000.

Annotation: 

This site is a timeline of public health in Illinois, beginning with the organization of the first State Board of Health. The timeline is well designed with links to information grouped by decade. Many of the entries have images and some of these images can be enlarged by clicking on them. Besides the timeline, a visitor can click on a link to a section titled, "...Years Ago in Public Health." In this section, there are more than thirty short articles about new initiatives or developments in the Illinois public health system. As the title of the section would suggest, these articles each represent the state of public health at certain points in the past. For example, one article tells the reader that 37 years ago, Illinois enacted a law requiring all newborn infants to be tested for phenylketonuria. It would be wise for researchers to pay special attention to the dates, because the 37 years is counted from when the website was uploaded in 2002. For further information, visitors can follow links to the Illinois Department of Public Health homepage for health statistics, laws and rules, and health fact sheets.

Medical Antiques

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Artifacts
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Images
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Personal
URL: 

http://medicalantiques.com/

Author: 
Douglas Arbittier, M.D.
Excerpt: 

An on-going educational project for those interested in collecting and learning more about these fascinating medical artifacts. Specializing in cased surgical sets, bloodletting artifacts, and medical instruments. If you are seeking research, photos, information, pricing, and people who are passionate about medical and surgical history... this is the place to visit.

Evaluation and identification of historical pieces can be provided for medical, surgical, and bloodletting items like those displayed on this site.

ARMY NURSE CORPS HISTORY

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Government
  • Images
  • Industrial/Military Technology
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
URL: 

http://history.amedd.army.mil/ANCWebsite/anchhome.html

Author: 
Army Nurse Corps Historian
Excerpt: 

The U.S. Army Nurse Corps Historical Collection is a branch of The Office of Medical History, which is a part of the OTSG/MEDCOM Historical Program. Our mission is to support the men and women of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps through the assembly and publication of reference materials, oral histories, original works, web publications, special studies, AMEDD newspaper/professional publications and print series. The dedication and commitment of the past members of this great Corps have shaped who we are today. This website offers a wealth of information regarding U.S. Army Nurse Corps History.

Five Centuries of Veterinary Medicine

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Images
  • Library/Archive
  • Life Sciences
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
  • University
URL: 

http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/onlinebooks/vetmed/contents.htm

Author: 
J. Fred Smithcors and Ann Smithcors
Excerpt: 

The Smithcors Collection of Veterinary History was formed over a period of 35 years by J.F. Smithcors, DVM, PhD, who developed the first course in veterinary history (1955) to be taught at any school or college of veterinary medicine in the United States (Michigan State University). The author of three major works in the field of veterinary history—Evolution of the veterinary art, 1957; The American veterinary profession, 1963; and The veterinarian in America, 1625-1975, 1975, and more than 150 journal articles, papers, and book chapters—he is regarded by his peers as the "dean of American veterinary historians."

Annotation: 

This site is a guide to the Veterinary History Collection at Washington State University. The collection is named for J.F. Smithcors who is regarded as one of the earliest and most published veterinary historians in America. The collection spans five centuries and includes mostly American and British titles. The works are cited alphabetically and some entries are followed by a very brief comment.

The Galileo Project

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Biographical
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Earth Sciences
  • Images
  • Philosophy of Science
  • Physical Sciences
  • Secondary Source
  • University
URL: 

http://galileo.rice.edu/

Excerpt: 

The Galileo Project is a source of information on the life and work of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Our aim is to provide hypertextual information about Galileo and the science of his time to viewers of all ages and levels of expertise. What you read and see here is a beginning -- we will continue to add and update information as it becomes available. We solicit contributions from our colleagues in the history of science and comments on how we can improve the project from everyone, particularly suggestions on how to make this tool more useful in primary and secondary education.

This project is currently supported by the Office of the Vice President of Computing of Rice University. The initial stages of the project were made possible by a grant from the Council on Library Resources to Fondren Library.

Witness and Response: September 11 Acquisitions at the Library of Congress

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Audio
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Exhibit
  • Government
  • Images
  • Library/Archive
  • Primary Source
  • Video
URL: 

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/

Author: 
Library of Congress and the September 11 Digital Archive
Excerpt: 

In partnership with the September 11 Digital Archive, the Library of Congress is providing this opportunity for you to share your experiences and memories of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Annotation: 

The Library of Congress Witness and Response Exhibition presents the images, text, audio, and video realted to the attacks of September 11, 2001 collected by almost every section of the Library. Featured selections of each type of material can be viewed by and visitors also have the opportunity to contribute their own stories, email, or art work, some of which is featured on the site as well.

The U.S. Coast Guard: Facts, Images, History, and More

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Engineering
  • Government
  • Images
  • Industrial/Military Technology
  • Links
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Primary Source
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.uscg.mil/general.html

Excerpt: 

The United States Coast Guard, one of the country's five armed services, is also one of the most unique agencies of the federal government. We trace our history back to 4 August 1790, when the first Congress authorized the construction of ten vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect the collection of the federal revenue. Known variously as the Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, we expanded in size and responsibilities as the nation grew.

These added responsibilities included humanitarian duties such as aiding mariners in distress. Our law enforcement functions also continued to expand. Congress tasked us with enforcing laws against slavery, piracy, and enlarged our responsibilities to prevent smuggling. We were also given the responsibility to protect the marine environment, explore and police Alaska, and chart the growing nation's coastlines, all well before the turn of the twentieth century.

Annotation: 

This site contains a huge amount of information related to the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Fact File offers information regarding the organization today on a wide range of topics. The site also offers photographic images, art, sketches, and insignias. Vessel and aircraft data sheets give stats and specifications for all Coast Guard equipment. A browser should follow the link to the office of the USCG historian to find the largest amount of historical information. This page links to more than 30 sections on topics from lighthouses, to search and rescue, to Coast Guard mascots. This part of the site offers transcriptions of oral histories, more images, several bibliographies, and an expansive number of articles, facts, and trivia. The site is an incredible resource for anyone researching histories of the military, maritime industries, coastal communities, or an almost unlimited number of other topics.

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