Current exhibit:
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About Reading Abbott
Maude Abbott loved to read. This exhibition explores both what she read and ways we can read her life story. While many publications on the famous doctor have focused on the barriers she faced in a male-dominated profession, this exhibition places Abbott among her favourite authors, texts, and locations. At its heart are Abbott’s five diaries. These precious journals record her daily activities, meetings, travels, meals, health, friends, books, and even her hair appointments.
“Reading Abbott” showcases a wide array of primary sources on Abbott’s life. The exhibit is arranged under four thematic headings, exploring her relationships (“Osler + Abbott”), mobility (“Abbott on the Move”), reading (“Abbott reads”), and writing (“Abbott writes”). Curated by architectural historian Annmarie Adams, “Reading Abbott” invites feminist and spatial readings of Abbott's legacy.
“Reading Abbott” is sponsored by the Department of Social Studies of Medicine, Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Au sujet de l'exposition
Maude Abbott avait une passion pour la lecture. Cette exposition vous fera découvrir à la fois ce qu’elle aimait lire et comment lire le récit de sa vie. Alors que de nombreuses publications ont examiné les obstacles que la célèbre médecin a dû surmonter dans une profession majoritairement masculine, Maude Abbott est ici présentée au milieu de ses textes et endroits préférés. L’exposition a été créée autour de ses cinq journaux intimes qui présentent un portrait de sa santé, de son cercle d’amitiés et de ses lectures et racontent ses activités quotidiennes, y compris ses rencontres, ses voyages, ses repas et même ses rendez-vous pour se faire coiffer.
L’exposition « Lire Abbott » propose un regard différent sur la vie de cette femme à travers de nombreuses sources primaires, et elle est organisée autour de quatre grands thèmes : ses relations (« Osler + Abbott »), ses voyages (« Abbott on the Move »), ses lectures (« Abbott reads ») et ses écrits (« Abbott writes »). Assemblée par Annmarie Adams, historienne en architecture,, « Lire Abbott » alimente une réflexion féministe et spatiale autour de l’héritage de la Dre Abbott.
L’exposition « Lire Abbott » est commanditée par le Département d’études sociales de la médecine, l’École d’architecture Peter Guo-hua Fu et le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines (CRSH).
Recent events and exhibits:
Heart & Mind by Stéphan Ballard, 2023 Michèle Larose-Osler Library Artist-in-Residence
Thou Hast Need of Them: Historical Minorities in the Faculty of Medicine
Staff from theOsler Library of the History of Medicine,Maude Abbott Medical Museum, and the discussed the fascinating holdings related to three medical graduates from ƬƵ University, each of whom prevailed over the systemic barriers they faced in pursuing their medical careers. Each institution gave a brief presentation about their graduate, followed by the opportunity to interact with items from their material history.
Past exhibitions and presentations
- The Rise and Influence of Medicine in the Islamic World, a collaboration between the Islamic Studies Library and the Osler Library of the History of Medicine, September 2023 - February 2024.
- Coffee with a Codex: Medical Manuscripts & Marginalia / manuscrits médicaux et notes marginales. Curator Dot Porter of the University of Pennsylvania’s Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies and Prof. Emerita Faith Wallis of ƬƵ University came together for a special joint edition of Coffee with a Codex. They looked at two medical Manuscripts: the Osler Library's recent acquisition, Carmen de urinis with the Commentary of Gilbert the Englishman, and Manuscript LJS 24 from the Kislak collection at the University of Pennsylvania. For information about the series, see: .
- ƬƵ Medical Student Research Symposium. Meygan Brody, "Mortality in Medicine: How Palliative Care and Euthanasia Reframe Our Relationship with Death" ; Amina Moustaqim-Barrette, The opioid overdose crisis in British Columbia: Towards a Sociopolitical Reckoning ; Emmanuel Adams-Gelinas, The Biological Psychiatry of Islamic Medicine: an Antidote to Misconceptions about Medieval Madness ; Neevya Balasubramaniam, “The Central Nervous System in the 18th Century Japanese Dissection Scrolls: Art of Observation and Dissection” ; Paris Dastjerdi, "Restoring Avicenna's Tomb - A Historical Analysis of William Osler's Efforts" ; Yoel Yakobi, “An Army of the (Illustrated) Dead: The Use of Style in Andreas Vesalius's Skeleton and Muscle Men in Deposing Galen as the Emperor of Anatomy.” Plus, a special guest appearance by Dr. Milton Roxanas, "Early auscultation and the glass stethoscope." Watch the presentations here: .
- Danister Perera, Sri Lanka medical manuscripts as sources for medical history and the revitalization of traditional knowledge. ! Watch the presentation here: .
- An evening with Ana María Gómez López, Michèle Larose - Osler Library Artist-in-Residence. 3 April 2023.
- Medical student research symposium. Yoel Yakobi, "Concessions, Coercions, and Coveted Conversions: Papal Injunctions against Jewish Physicians in the Renaissance"; Alba Sanchez-Allakhverdieva, "Beyond the Origins of the Institute Philippe-Pinel: Exploring the Relationship between Forensic Psychiatry and the Deinstitutionalization Movement in Quebec"; Devon Haseltine, “Optimizing Global Food Security for a Sustainable and Healthy Tomorrow”; Rushali Gandhi, “On the Presence of Unaccounted Bias: The Saga of Samuel George Morton’s Skull Collection and Race”; Saman Arfaie, “Leonardo da Vinci's Medical Library: Mining the Secrets of Genius, and Creativity”; Ali Fazlollahi, “Passing the Torch: Education During the Golden Age of Neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute.” 1 November 2022. Watch here:
- Professor Joseph W. Lella Symposium. Talks by Margaret Lock, Bernard Brais, Brendan Ross, Rolando Del Maestro, Jeremy Norman, Guylaine Beaudry, Mario Molina, Milton Roxanas, Vivien Lane, Maia Woolner (not recorded). 3 November 2022. Watch here: .
- Scholarship at the Source: Allister Neher on Art and Anatomy in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Talk by scholar and author Allister Neher upon themes from his book, Art and Anatomy in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Watch here: .
- Cure Yourself by Electricity! Personal Electrotherapeutic Devices in Canada and Beyond c. 1880s-1930s. Exhibit curated by Dr. Maia Woolner. McLennan Library Lobby, August-September 2022.
- Show and Tell: The Secrets of Women / Montrer et racontrer : les secrets des femmes.Local artist Caroline Boileau and ƬƵ-trained historian Margaret Carlyle interact with a few of the Osler Library's new acquisitions (and some older ones!) in an attempt to demystify medical history during a feminist dialogue of discovery. 15 December 2021. Enjoy the event here: .
- Research and the Osler. An evening celebrating medical student humanities research supported by the Osler Library. Featured speakers: Lilly Groszman, "Untold Medical History: Montreal’s Days of Shame;" Brendan Ross,"The Chinese Apotheosis of Dr. Norman Bethune: The Making of a Medical Folk Hero;" Faith Wallis, "Osler the Student." Watch the symposium: .
- The many faces of Norman Bethune. A moderated discussion held virtually on 23 March 2021. Watch the discussion: .
- Perspectives on Sir William Osler in the 21st century. Virtual symposium hosted by our colleagues in the Department of Social Studies of Medicine on February 3, 2021. Moderated by Suzanne Morton (ƬƵ University) and featuring panelists Jenna Healey (Queen's University), Samir Shaheen-Hussain (ƬƵ University), Nadeem Toodayan (University of Queensland), André Lametti (ƬƵ University), Mary Hague-Yearl (ƬƵ University), and Christoph Gradmann (University of Oslo). Read of each of the talks, written by the medical students from the ƬƵ Osler Society. Watch the symposium: .
- Osler Day, featuring theDel Maestro Family William Osler Medical StudentEssay Awards(recording available here: ) and the 43rd Annual Osler Lectureship, Wednesday November 4th, 2020.
- Poetry Matters - Shane NeilsonThursday, February 13, 2020. A poet, physician, and critic from New Brunswick, ShaneNeilson focuseson the articulation of pain and disordered affect through poetic form. As poet and editor, he comments on the emergent area of "disability poetics"; as a physician, he considers the value of poetry in medical practice.
- Osler Day, featuring the Pam and Rolando Del Maestro William Osler Medical Students Essay Awards and the , Wednesday, November 6th, 2019.
- "The Reception of Galen's Pharmacology in Latin", talk by Mary Louise Nickerson Travel Grant awardee Dr. Iolanda Ventura, Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies, Università di Bologna, Wednesday, October 23, 2019, 17:00 in ARTS 160. Sponsored by the ƬƵ Medievalists Annual Rare Books Talk.
- Talk and workshop led by Mary Hague-Yearl, organized by Robin Simpsonin conjunction withJonathas de Andrade, "Counter-Narratives and other Fallacies," exhibitat the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery, Concordia University.
- Sir William Osler's Leonardo da Vinci Collection: Flight, Anatomy and Art. An exhibition curated by Dr. Rolando F. Del Maestro, William Feindel Professor Emeritus in Neuro-Oncology at ƬƵ University and Director, Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre at the Montreal Neurological Institute, 15 April - 30 June 2019. A catalogue to the exhibit is available and can be viewed or downloadedhere. Read some press coverage of this exhibit from France.fr: ; .
- Osler: The Man You Rarely See. An exhibition of rarely-displayed items relating to William Osler,curated by former Medical History Librarian, Pamela Miller, 15 April - 30 June 2019.
- Predictor Unveiled: The First Reliable Home Pregnancy Test & its Little-Known Connection to Montreal.Panel discussion withMeg Crane (NYC - inventor of the Predictor), Prof. Jenna Healey (Queens Univ.), Prof. Christabelle Sethna (Univ. Ottawa), and Prof. Alanna Thain (ƬƵ Univ.), May 7, 2019.
- Curiosities of Conception; Selections from the Osler Library of the History of Medicine. An exhibit co-curated by Shana Cooperstein and Frances Cullen with contributions from Robin Lynch, Lauren Harnish, Rach Klein, Anya Kowalchuk, and Kristy Kong, 24 January - 15 May 2019.
- Corps qui hantent d'autres corps. An exhibition featuring the work of 2018 Michele Larose-Osler Library Artist-in-Residence, , 4 February - 15 April 2019.
- "Universal medicine": Lessons from seventeenth-century England,Keynote address by Lauren Kassell, University of Cambridge, Angelical Conjunctions conference, 12 April 2019.
- Osler Day, featuring the Pam and Rolando Del Maestro William Osler Medical Students Essay Awards and the , 7 November 2018.
- The Fabric of the Human Body" (Vesalius, 1543): Images and Icons for the History of Medicine, Lecture by Hélène Cazes.Presented in collaboration withLe Département de langue et littérature françaisesandRare & Special Collections, Osler, Art, and Archives (ROAAr);supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 30 October 2018.
- De musei fabrica, Exhibition in collaboration with Text’art, a group of six Montreal fibre artists, and the Maude Abbott Medical Museum,17 May - 20 August 2018.
- Materia Medica, Exhibition by Loren Williams, December 13, 2017 - 4 May 2018.
- Book Launch:Physicianship and the Rebirth of Medical Education,byJ. Donald Boudreau, Eric Cassell, and Abraham Fuks, April 26, 2018. Print and e-book available through
- ,Lecture by Dr. Bernard Brais, sponsored by theMedical Students' Osler Society, April17, 2018.
- , Lecture by Professor Faith Wallis, sponsored by theMedical Students' Osler Society, February 5, 2018.
- Impossible pathologies: re-fragmenting the archive, Exhibition by Lucy Lyons, October 12 - December 12, 2017.
- The Gendered Cultures of Beer and Cheese: the Regulation of Human and Microbial Bodies on the Home and Industrial Scales, 1616 - 2017, September 11 - October 2, 2017.
- Vaccination: Fame, Fear and Controversy, 1798-1998, January 2017 - August 2017.
- , a talk by Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, MD, PhD, William Feindel Emeritus Professor in Neuro-Oncology, Director of ƬƵ Neurosurgical Simulation Research and Training Centre. This talk encouraged discussion surrounding ideas and individuals that have shaped the world of neuro-oncology, while placing emphasis on Canadian neuro-oncology research. Attendees were encouraged to prepare a ‘Canadian Neuro-Oncology Minute’ that highlighted an individual’s contributions to historical and/or current advancements in Canada and received an autographed copy of Dr. Rolando Del Maestro’s book(2008).
- Rural Medicine in 20th Century Quebec: Stories and Devices, curated by Dr. Richard Fraser, Laura Sang, Joan O’Malley, Marc Provost, Jerry Xie, Meriem Bounnab and Lucy Luo. October 2016 - January 2017.
- Knowing Blood: Medical Observations, Fluid Meanings, curated by Darren N. Wagner and Nick Whitfield. January-September 2016.
- , curated by Cynthia Tang and Anna Dysert. September-December 2015.
- , curated by Sylvie Boisjoli and and Shana Cooperstein. Read exhibition talks from the curators in the spring 2015 issue of the Osler Library Newsletter (no. 122). Follow link to an interview with the curators on our blog.
- , curated by Prof. Andrea Tone. September - April 2014.
- an exhibit talk by Professor Annmarie Adams, ƬƵ School of Architecture. Tuesday, 7 May 2013, 1:00-2:00, Meakins Auditorium (5th floor McIntyre Medical Sciences Building).
- , a Nickerson Fellowshiptalk by Dr. Frank Stahnisch, Thursday, 2 May 2013, 2:00 - 3:00, Don Bates Seminar Room 101, Department of Social Studies of Medicine, ƬƵ University, 3647 Peel Street.
- Artistic Practice Scientific Vision: British Artistic Anatomy in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineetenth Century, the catalogue to the exhibit curated byDr. Allister Neher.
- , a lecture given by Dr. Tania Anne Woloshyn (Recorded January 24, 2011). This recording is made possible by a generous gift from Gail Beck, O.Ont., Med’78 and Andrew Fenus, MLS’74.
- , a lecture given by Dr. Del Maestro (Recorded January 10, 2011). This recording is made possible by a generous gift from Gail Beck, O.Ont., Med’78 and Andrew Fenus, MLS’74.
- Our Friend, the Sun: Images of Light Therapeutics from the Osler Library Collection, 1901-1944, the catalogue to the exhibit curated by Dr. Tania Anne Woloshyn.
- The Ghafiqi Project
- Margaret Ridley Charlton - Pioneer Medical Librarian. The first person with library training to work at the ƬƵ University Medical Library and, with William Osler, one of the founders of the Medical Library Association.
- Osler's ƬƵ: Medical Education, 1870-1885
- , a lecture given by Dr. Tania Anne Woloshyn (Recorded January 24, 2011).
- - (Virtual ƬƵ Project)
- , a lecture given by Dr. Del Maestro (Recorded January 10, 2011).
- William Osler & the Teaching of Microscopy at ƬƵ