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American Association for the History of Medicine

Osler Medal Essay Contest, 1998. The William Osler Medal of the American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM) is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on a medico-historical topic written by a student enrolled in a school of medicine or of osteopathy in the United States or Canada. All students who are candidates for the degree of Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy or are graduates of the class of 1997 are eligible. The essay must have been written while the entrant was a student in good standing. Students who are currently enrolled, or have been enrolled, in graduate studies in history, the humanities, or the social sciences are not eligible for the competition. Such persons may be eligible for the Richard Shryock Medal of the AAHM.

This medal, first awarded in 1942, commemorates Sir William Osler, who stimulated an interest in the humanities among medical students and physicians. The writer of the winning essay will be invited to attend the 1998 meeting of the Association, to be held from 7–10 May 1998 in Toronto (Ontario), Canada, where the medal will be conferred. Reasonable travel expenses will be defrayed. Essays may pertain either to the historical development of a contemporary medical problem or to a topic within the health sciences related to a discrete period of the past, and should demonstrate either original research or an unusual appreciation and understanding of the problems discussed. The essay must be entirely the work of one contestant, and of a maximum length of ten thousand words (including endnotes).

The required contest submission form (for substantiation of student status) and rules must be obtained from the Osler Medal Committee chair: Barron Lerner, M.D., Ph.D., Center for Society and Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 650 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032. Entries must be postmarked no later than 1 February 1998.

Shryock Medal Essay Contest, 1998. Graduate students in the United States and Canada are invited to enter the Shryock Medal Essay Contest. The medal honors Richard Harrison Shryock (1893–1972), a pioneer among historians interested in the history of medicine. The award is given for an outstanding, unpublished essay on any topic in the history of medicine. The essay must be the result of original research or show an unusual appreciation and understanding of problems in the history of medicine. The winner will be invited to attend the 1998 meeting of the Association from 7–10 May 1998 in Toronto (Ontario), Canada, where the medal will be conferred. Reasonable travel expenses for the winner will be defrayed. Students must be enrolled in a graduate program other than medical school at the time of submission (those students currently eligible for the Association’s Osler Medal competition for medical students are not eligible for the Shryock Medal).

Interested students must obtain guidelines and an application form from the Shryock Medal Committee chair: Arleen Tuchman, Ph.D., History Department, Vanderbilt University, Box 1652-B, Nashville, TN 37235.

Please obtain these materials early. Essays must be postmarked no later than 1 February 1998.

National and International News

American Association for the History of Nursing. The sponsors of the 1998 Lavinia L. Dock Award encourage scholars to submit their post-doctoral research manuscripts, articles, or books related to the history of nursing. Submissions may be published or unpublished works completed within the last three years and must be written in English. Deadline for submissions: 15 May 1998. For further information, contact: Dr. Elizabeth Norman, Chair, Awards Committee, American Association for the History of Nursing, 8 South Brookwood Drive, Montclair, NJ 07042 (tel.: 201-648-5597; e-mail: enorman@andromeda.rutgers.edu).

Call for Papers. The British Medical Journal and British Medical Association announce a conference to be held in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the MRC streptomycin trial, 29–30 October 1998, in London. The aim of the conference is to bring together historians, clinicians, statisticians, and social scientists to discuss the past, present, and future of therapeutic evaluation. Conference organizers are especially interested in recruiting papers on the history of clinical trials...