A hot night in Bengal

Banyan tree with Hindu shrine at Gaya, Bihar. Coloured aquatint by T. Daniell, 1796 (Wellcome Library, Creative Commons)

If you haven't yet read this Sunday's posting on the Wellcome Library's blog, I can promise you an entertaining read!  Chris Hilton quotes from an East India Company letterbook for Dinapore District, dating from 1840-1841, which is currently undergoing conservation in the Library.

Happy 1st Birthday Wellcome Library Blog

Congratulations to the Wellcome Library Blog on receiving 20,000 visits in its first year from people in 139 countries.

Written by Wellcome Library staff, this is an entertaining and informative blog for those interested in the Wellcome's amazing collection of medical history items. If you haven't had a chance to visit, why not do so on its first birthday?

(Photo credit: www.himetop.wikidot.com)

Wellcome to the Library

At the SAALG 80th conference on Friday 20th February delegates were very privileged to see some fine examples of South Asian manuscripts from the Wellcome Library's collections. Presented by Dr. Nikolai Serikoff, the Asian Collection Librarian, these items demonstrate what a remarkable library the Wellcome is.
It's easy and free to join. Go to the E-registration page to kickstart your membership. You can reserve books from the comfort of your PC before making a visit in person. I have used the Library a few times and the staff are very helpful and friendly. I highly recommend it; the Wellcome Library blog offers a taste of the rich and varied nature of its holdings.

Wellcome Images

I'm really looking forward to visiting the Wellcome Collection again for the SAALG conference. The Collection contains some amazing images and many are now available free to view online here. As part of the Medical History of British India Project I have discovered some fascinating pioneers of early medical science and due to this resource have been able to see their faces.
This photograph (credit: Wellcome Images) shows S.R. Christophers, lifelong malaria scientist, on board the ship Elphinstone surrounded by his equipment, including an insect-catching net hung on the door. Christophers lived to be 104 years old and "had the qualities of scientific honesty and integrity."
Russian W.M. Haffkine, who did much vital work in India on cholera and plague, is pictured in Calcutta, 1894, giving anti-cholera inoculations. There is also a super portrait of the Indian Medical Service cholera and snake venom researcher D.D. Cunningham, who I have long admired because he wasn’t afraid to express his opinions.
It’s easy to search, so have fun and you never know who you might meet!