History of Medicine Exhibit at Karpeles

Casimir Funk, discoverer of vitamins

Thursday, January 6 – Thursday, March 31, 2011

Medical theory and practice have advanced at an accelerating rate in the past century and have altered more during that time than in the two millennia before it, but every breakthrough has built on earlier discoveries. For the first three months of 2011 the Karpeles Museum will exhibit a collection documenting some of the most significant developments in medical history, with original material related to its greatest scientific achievements. Records of the conquest of such terrifying diseases as the bubonic plague, leprosy, diphtheria, and polio are included, and major innovations in nutrition, sanitation, and the prevention and treatment of disease are dramatically illustrated.

Included in this compelling exhibition are first-hand records of such heroes as Albert Schweitzer, discussing his treatment of leprosy in Africa; Christiaan Barnard, the surgeon who performed the first heart transplant; Casimir Funk, the discoverer of vitamins; and Alexander Fleming, the man responsible for the development of penicillin. Other giants in the history of health care represented here are Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross; Joseph Lister, the pioneer of hospital  sanitation; Louis Pasteur, who revolutionized the scientific prevention of disease, and many others.

The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is located at 94 Broadway, across from City Hall, in the City of Newburgh. The Karpeles Museums are a national chain with nine in the U.S., specializing in the preservation and display of original, historically significant documents and manuscripts. Museum Hours: Thu.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m. Admission is always free.