The campus is invited to celebrate the UNMC College of Medicine’s centennial history Thursday, Aug. 22, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater.
James Armitage, M.D., COM dean, will give the welcome and Robert Wigton, M.D., COM associate dean, will give a historical presentation. There will be free pizza and soda while supplies last.
Following the Aug. 22 historical program, participants will visit the centennial exhibit on the third floor between University Hospital and Wittson Hall. Three wooden display cases have been built to highlight the College of Medicine’s history, growth and vision.
The College of Medicine joined the University of Nebraska April 18, 1902, but its roots go back to the Omaha Medical College, which first admitted students in September 1881.
Through the exhibit, individuals learn that, in 1902, each academic year was seven months long. Today, the first and second years of medical education require eight months, the third year 12 months and the fourth year nine months.
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Amputation set on display in the COM historical exhibit. |
Some of the artifacts on display are:
- An amputation set with surgical instruments used by Dr. G.V.D. Basten in 1891.
- Pharmaceuticals including strychnine, carbolic acid, potassium chloride, tannic acid and paregoric.
- A centrifuge used by Dr. Cecil Wittson
- A bloodletting box used to draw blood. With the trigger set, the box was placed over the area to be bled. When the trigger was pulled, three sets of blades swept down making 12 incisions about 0.5 cm deep.
- A portable sphygmomanometer used in the early 1900s (for blood pressure monitoring)
- A mercury manometer
- A stomach pump from the late 1800s
- An early 20th century blood transfusion kit.
Darin Armstrong of UNMC’s Facilities Management designed the display cases. Jay Moore, M.D., COM associate dean; Stuart Dayton and Mary Helms of the McGoogan Library; and Sandra Benson and Marvin Vallier of Biomedical Communications created the exhibit.
The exhibit will be on display throughout the College of Medicine’s centennial.