Cushing/Whitney Medical Library Announces Research Travel Grant

The Historical Library of the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University is pleased to announce its third annual research travel grant for use of the Historical Library. The award honors Ferenc A. Gyorgyey, Historical Librarian emeritus.

The Historical Library holds one of the country’s largest collections of rare medical books, journals, prints, photographs, and pamphlets. It was founded in 1941 by the donations of the extensive collections of Harvey Cushing, John F. Fulton, and Arnold C. Klebs. Special strengths are the works of Hippocrates, Galen, Vesalius, Boyle, Harvey, Culpeper, Haller, Priestley, and S. Weir Mitchell, and works on anesthesia, and on inoculation and vaccination for smallpox. The Library owns over fifty medieval and renaissance manuscripts, Arabic and Persian manuscripts, and over 300 medical incunabula. The notable Clements C. Fry Collection of Prints and Drawings has over 2,500 fine prints, drawings, and posters from the 15th century to the present on medical subjects. Although the Historical Library does not house the official archives of the Medical School, it does own a number of manuscript collections, most notably the Peter Parker Collection, papers of Harvey Cushing, and the John Fulton diaries and notebooks. For further information, visit the Historical Library website.

The travel grant is available to historians, medical practitioners, and other researchers who wish to use the collections of the Historical Library. There is a single award of up to $1500 for one week of research during the academic fiscal year 2010-2011 (July1-June 30). Funds may be used for transportation, housing, food, and photographic reproductions. The award is limited to residents of the United States and Canada.

Applicants should send a curriculum vitae and a description of the project including the relevance of the collections of the Historical Library to the project, and two references attesting to the particular project. Preference will be given to applicants beyond commuting distance to the Historical Library. This award is not intended for primary use of special collections in other libraries at Yale. An application form is available online. Applications are due by March 19, 2010. They will be considered by a committee and the candidates will be informed by May 14, 2010.

Ferenc A. Gyorgyey, born in Hungary, emigrated to the United States at the time of the Hungarian Revolution. He received his library degree at Southern Connecticut State University in 1961 and a master’s degree in history from Yale in 1967. Hired by Madeline Stanton as a cataloger in the Historical Library in 1962, he was named Historical Librarian when Miss Stanton retired in 1968. Known for his graciousness, devotion to patrons, a thorough knowledge of the collection, and a remarkable sense of humor, he held this position for 26 years until his retirement in 1994.

Requests for further information should be sent to:

Toby Anita Appel
John R. Bumstead Librarian for Medical History
Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
Yale University
P.O. Box 208014
New Haven, CT 06520-8014
Telephone: (203) 785-4354
Fax: (203) 785-5636
E-mail: toby.appel@yale.edu