By Atalanta Grant-Suttie Some people think palmistry (or chiromancy as it is sometimes known) is hocus pocus and that it is all nonsense. How can lines and bumps in the palm of the hand foretell your future? Yet, you can find palm readers all over the world; you may have one in your area. Palmistry […]
Tag Archives: 1500s
July
26
Why me?
posted by circulating now
By Ginny A. Roth We’ve all been there. It’s finally time for that fun summer barbecue. You’re surrounded by family and friends, the weather is warm, the burgers are cooking, and nothing can ruin this perfect evening. Well, almost nothing. While you are lying on your deck chair, eyes closed, and having enjoyed your glorious […]
July
13
A New Herbal in the Collection
posted by Circulating Now
By Margaret Kaiser The Library has recently acquired a rare work on medicinal plants by Leonhart Fuchs: Le Benefice commun de tout le monde, ou commodité de vie d’un chascun, pour la conservation de santé [the common benefit of all, for the preservation of health], 1555-56. The book is a very small volume, about 4 […]
May
10
“Beyond Chicken Soup” with a Taste of NLM
posted by Circulating Now
By Karen Falk and Jeffrey S. Reznick During the past few years, the NLM History of Medicine Division has loaned items from its collections for display in a number of prominent public exhibitions, at venues including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. Most recently, several rare books and […]
May
05
A Mughal Era Manuscript Curiously Illustrated
posted by Circulating Now
By Homira Pashai The National Library of Medicine is the home of many precious manuscripts belonging to the Indian Mughal era (16th–18th century). Among these manuscripts, there is a unique copy of Kitab-i fi al-tibb al-mansuri (Book on Medicine Dedicated to al-Mansur) by Muhammad Zakariya al-Razi (died 925 AD). Al-Razi’s text on the subject of […]
March
22
Colonialism and the Plant Hunters
posted by Circulating Now
By Michael North This post is the fifth in a series exploring the National Library of Medicine’s rich and varied collection of “herbals,” which are books devoted to the description of medicinal plants (and sometimes other natural substances) with instructions on how to use them to treat illness. The Library’s herbals are some of the […]
January
06
Research Reborn: Dioscorides and Mattioli
posted by Circulating Now
By Michael North This post is the fourth in a series exploring the National Library of Medicine’s rich and varied collection of “herbals,” which are books devoted to the description of medicinal plants (and sometimes other natural substances) with instructions on how to use them to treat illness. The Library’s herbals are some of the […]
