EVENT SUMMARY
The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.

A fascinating glimpse into a rare collection

March 8, 2023, at 1pm
 

More than two dozen UMRA members gathered for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes visit to the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine on the U of M Twin Cities campus in early March. The visit was hosted by Curator Lois Hendrickson. She and her colleagues Emily Beck (pictured behind the table) and Anna Orskov assembled some 40 items from the library’s collection of 73,000-plus volumes of rare books, journals, and manuscripts that span more than 500 years, and 8,300 artifacts.

The event was the second in the new “Cabinets of Curiosity” series of visits to obscure collections on the U of M campus, organized by UMRA members Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Jan Morlock, and Cathy Lee Gierke.

More events are being planned for the coming months. 

 


 


EVENT

Cabinets of Curiosity: Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine

Wed, Mar 8, 2023, 1pm

Location
Phillips-Wangensteen Building
516 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis 55455
 

Medical books and artifacts remind us of the amazing breakthroughs that benefit us in the 21st century. At the same time, many remind of us of some surprising continuities in health challenges like pandemics and endemic medical challenges. Documenting this history is the goal of the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine. Somewhat hidden in the lower level of the Phillips-Wangensteen Building in the Medical School complex, the library houses both tantalizing artifacts and rare volumes that date back more than half a millennium. Strange instruments for bloodletting, advertisements for quack medicines, rare copies of books by Vesalius and other anatomical pioneers, and illustrated accounts of Japanese water cures are just a sample of its more than 75,000 holdings.

Participation will be limited to 25. There is no fee for the outing, but advance registration is required. Registration has now closed.  We hope you can attend a future event!  Contact Cathy at [email protected] if you would like to be added to a wait list.

The second in our series of Cabinets of Curiosity on the UMN  campus, the library was established by Owen Wangensteen, a renowned and successful surgeon who taught at the University in the middle of the 20th century. Aware of the importance of historical records and familiar with rare books collection in Europe and other major medical schools, he began to build a collection. He contributed part of his salary and encouraged grateful patients to support this university collection as it acquire books and manuscripts, as well as significant instruments. Generous and dedicated to science and medicine, he never patented his Wangensteen suction apparatus because he wanted it to be widely accessible at a modest cost, which is to the present day. It is another of the treasures on our campus.

Long-time curator and collector Lois Hendrickson has agreed to bring out significant examples of these rare materials for us to marvel about. This is a wonderful opportunity to see and view manuscripts and books primarily available primarily to scholars, some of come from well beyond our campus to use these materials for research purposes. This event is an opportunity to see them up close and hear about their provenance and currency today.

The plan is to visit from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on March 8 (while the campus is quiet during Spring Break). Parking is adjacent at the Washington Avenue Ramp, and there will be optional post-event conversation at the nearby Beacon Pub in the Graduate Hotel.

Questions? Contact Sally Gregory Kohlstedt at [email protected] or Jan Morlock at [email protected].



Upcoming Events

Event Date: May 19, 2025, at 9:30am

Wood Lake Nature Center is a peaceful 150-acre cattail marsh, woodland, and restored prairie that is a haven for migrating birds and waterfowl. This UMRA hike is a great opportunity for those who would like a shorter, easier hike. The trails are dirt, grass, and woodchip, with some bridges and a bit of paved trails. Only a couple small hills to navigate, the park is mostly flat. 


Event Date: May 20, 2025, at 11am

University of Minnesota Regent Penny Wheeler, MD, will be the featured guest for the UMRA luncheon forum on May 20. In place of the usual speech format for our forums, Regent Wheeler will be interviewed by UMRA member and liaison to the Board of Regents John Finnegan, professor and dean emeritus of the U of M School of Public Health.


Event Date: May 23, 2025, at 2pm

I, Claudius by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934, will be up for discussion when UMRA's Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom on May 23.


Event Date: June 2, 2025, at 9:30am

June is the perfect time for an urban hike! Bev will lead a 4-mile hike from Lake Nokomis Community Center along Minnehaha Creek to Minnehaha Falls and back.


Event Date: June 10, 2025, at 12:30pm

The UMRA Photo Club will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library, in the small shopping center at New Brighton and St. Anthony Boulevards.  

The theme is hats.


Event Date: June 16, 2025, at 9:30am

Join Michael for a 4-to-5-mile hike at one of the most popular parks in the West Metro, Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington. It is located at the north end of Hyland Lake Park Reserve at 8737 East Bush Lake Road in Bloomington. 


Event Date: June 20, 2025, at 2pm

The UMRA Book Club will discuss The Great River by Boyce Upton when it meets via Zoom on June 20.  


Event Date: June 23, 2025, at 8am

Learn about writing memoirs, technology for seniors, campus architecture, and more at the fourth annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held in the McNamara Alumni Center on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis on Monday, June 23.


Event Date: June 25, 2025, at 11am

Catch up with friends and former colleagues, meet new UMRA members, enjoy delicious food, and participate in the third annual UMRA Summer Social Quiz at the Como Lakeside Pavilion in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 25.


Event Date: July 7, 2025, at 9:30am

The UMRA Hiking Club will hike two wonderful county parks in Monticello, MN on Monday, July 7. Lynn Anderson will lead the hikes and we will meet at her home at 9:30 a.m. and carpool from there.  


Event Date: July 14, 2025, at 9:15am

Our July 14 "hike" is a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles led by Barb Friedman and Bev Moe. 


Event Date: August 4, 2025, at 9:30am

Join hike leader Nanette Hanks on August 4th for a “Trail in Two Cities” hike.