Description: Cancer, James T. Patterson observed in The Dread Disease, serves as a powerful metaphor in American culture, where the malady mirrors the “manifestation of social, economic, and ideological divisions” in modern life. In the decades since publication of Patterson’s book, medical research has made great strides in methods of detection and treatment. But the challenge for science
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_arc_391602,size=250,left]William Stimpson, co-creator of the Megatherium Club, was not only an exceptional zoologist, but also considered an extremely modest, warm-hearted friend, according to Robert Kennicott. Stimpson collected specimens for the Smithsonian’s invertebrate collection, of which he described 948 species.Stimpson was born on February 14,
Description: Not only did the Smithsonian research in Washington, D.C., inform the course of World War II, the war also shaped the collections and research of the Smithsonian. Military medical staff sent thousands of specimens of disease carrying insects to the museum for identification. Soldiers stationed in far-flung locations provided the Smithsonian with collecting opportunities that