Health Sciences Library Hosts Special Civil War Presentation

Edward C. Halperin, M.D., M.A., chancellor and chief executive officer, shared his passion for history with a special presentation, "Medicine and the U.S. Civil War of 1861 - 1865" on February 8. The presentation was held in conjunction with the National Library of Medicine Exhibit Life and Limb: The Toll of the American Civil War, currently being hosted by the Health Sciences Library. Also on display were period appropriate medical artifacts including a Civil War era amputation kit. Dr. Halperin's presentation included discussions on the presidential election of 1860, deaths in the Civil War and their relative impact on society, developments in weapon technology during the Civil War, amputations, biomedical ethics in the Civil War, notable individuals and the health care of African American troops. The exhibit is currently on display in the Skyline Building lobby through February 24.