Exhibits
Explore the history of medicine and reflect on the challenges and accomplishments that formed today’s medical landscape.
Galter Library curates and hosts exhibits that examine historical and modern topics in the health sciences, with particular emphasis on the development, ethos, and practice of Western medicine. Using rare books, artifacts, and archives from the 15th century to the present day, we present questions as relevant today as 100 or more years ago. Our exhibits often unfold from the unique framework and notable history of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the city of Chicago as we seek to uncover the diverse narratives sometimes lost to history.
Current Exhibits
Reconstructing the Body
Oct 7, 2024 - PresentThe images and artifacts in this exhibit reimagine and reconstruct the human body, as inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Reviving the Body Science, Frankenstein, and the "Spark of Life"
Oct 7, 2024 - PresentDiscover the scientific theories that inspired the animation of Frankenstein’s monster in Mary Shelley’s classic gothic horror novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. Researchers argued that galvanism, a sort of electricity they believed was the...
The Stormy Petrel & the Bull Moose J.B. Murphy & the Attempted Assassination of Theodore Roosevelt
Jul 18, 2023 - PresentIn October 1912, a would-be assassin's bullet brought former president Theodore Roosevelt into the path of renowned Chicago surgeon John Benjamin Murphy. This exhibit tells the story of the chance encounter between these larger-than-life figures...
Pathways in Medicine Vignettes of Notable Faculty and Alumni/ae
Apr 1, 2021 - PresentFeatures four early graduates of the medical school, highlighting their backgrounds and cultural identities, which were especially underrepresented in mid- to late 19th century American medicine, their accomplishments, and the different directions their medical careers...
In Pursuit of a Grand Cause Highlighting exceptional students and faculty of the Northwestern University Woman's Medical School
Mar 12, 2020 - PresentCreated in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Northwestern University Woman's Medical School, formerly Woman's Hospital Medical College of Chicago, this exhibit presents a brief history of the school and focuses...
Operation Saving Lives Northwestern as the 12th General Hospital during World War II
Aug 13, 2019 - PresentDuring World War II, Northwestern physicians banded with Chicago-area nurses, enlisted men, and Red Cross civilians to form the 12th General Hospital Unit, treating nearly 30,000 patients in the North African and Mediterranean theaters.
