On November 9th, the University of Wisconsin welcomed Olaf Sparre Anderson, M.D. as the keynote speaker for the Paul F. Cranefield Lecture
in Physiology. Speaking to a gallery of approximately 70 faculty and students, Dr. Anderson, professor of physiology and biophysics at Weill
Cornell Medical College, spoke on the topic of “Regulating Membrane Protein Function by Altering Lipid Bilayer Properties” and his
friendship with Dr. Paul F. Cranefield. After Dr. Anderson’s lecture, event coordinator Dr. Richard Moss, chair of the UW Physiology
Department, invited attendees to an exhibit highlighting rare and intriguing items donated to the Ebling Library by Dr. Cranefield.
The books and artifacts displayed represented Dr. Cranefield’s varied interests and his avocation with book collecting. Included in the exhibit were:
“Anatomical exercitations, concerning the generation of living creatures” by William Harvey (1653) “Les oevres d’Ambroise Paré” (1579),
The Anatomy of the Brain by Charles Bell (1802), and “Andreae Vesalii Bruxellensis Icones anatomicae” (1934), and many others including a
check to Nobel Prize Winner Niels Bohr and a letter signed by Albert Einstein. The 1934 Vesalius edition was the main highlight of the
exhibit due to it being the last striking of Vesalius’ original 16th century woodcuts before they were destroyed during World War II in
Munich, Germany. Many students and visitors were exited to know such visually detailed and colorful rare books were still in existence and
available to be viewed or used for their research.
During 2004, the Executor for Dr. Cranefield’s estate contacted Ebling Library to begin the transfer of a portion of Dr. Cranefield’s personal
library to the library’s collection. After processing had been completed, over 1,800 books, 7,000 reprints, and over 300 pieces of
ephemera were added to the collection. Additional materials outside of Ebling’s health science focus will be distributed to other
UW campus libraries. Due to the collaboration between Dr Moss’ staff and Ebling Library, a complementary catalog of Dr. Cranefield’s collection
was available to exhibit attendees. The catalog will be cataloged and added to the library collection so anyone may view the items contained
within Dr. Cranefield’s generous donation. All books and journals from the donation have been cataloged and entered into UW’s library catalog,
allowing them to be viewed by any interested person.
Special thanks to Senior Associate Dean Richard Moss, M.D., Nancy Bintz and Ladera Barnes for their organization and support of the event and Catalog.
Additional thanks to Ebling’s Mary Hitchcock, Amanda Lambert and Director, Julie Schneider for their work on the content, cover work and layout
of the Catalog.
Pictured here: Mary Hitchcock, in purple, (also responsible for coordinating the exhibit and submitting this News story) and visitors viewing the “Harvey” and other Cranefield donations. Photo courtesy of Chris Frazee for Media Solutions.
Interest in viewing any of these or other rare books in the Ebling collection: Micaela Sullivan-Fowler, msullivan@library.wisc.edu
