Houston History of Medicine Society 2008-2009 Schedule and Abstracts

The National Library of Medicine and the Continuing Legacy of Michael E. DeBakey, M.D. (Stephen B. Greenberg) The Legacy of William Osler: North America’s most famous physician (Robert E. Rakel) A Lady Alone: Elizabeth Blackwell: First American Woman Doctor (Linda Gray Kelley, Charlton) A Mariner with Crippling Arthritis and Bleeding Eyes: The Chronic Arthritis of Christopher Columbus (Frank C. Arnett) Generation C(affeine): A History of Caffeine Consumption and its Medical Implications (Student Essay Contest winners) (Priti Dangayach) Our Artificial Fitness? Relaxed Selection Leads to Medical Dependence (Student Essay Contest winners) Philip Boone Remembering John P. McGovern, M.D. (1921-2007) (Bryant Boutwell) Who Was Albert Schweitzer? (Bryant Boutwell) Disease, Doctors and the Duty to Treat in American History (Thomas R. Cole) Vaccinating Freedom: The African-American Experience of Smallpox Prophylaxis in Old Philadelphia, 1723-1923 (Dayle B. Delancey) The Royal Hemophilia (The Royal Hemophilia)

Motifs slaves dans les lettres autrichiennes du XIXe siècle: tentative de compréhension et de synthèse dans le cas de Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916) was born and grew up in Moravia. Despite the fact that her very first language was Czech, all her literary work was written in German ; despite of her Czech origins from her fatherside, all the references to be found in her work concerning the social and national development of the Czech society of that time express, if not animosity, at least a total lack of understanding. Everthing happens as if the author just wanted to confirm and uphold the official views of the Austrian Monarchy. In this article, I’d like to show, mainly on the example of the novel Božena (1876), that a more careful reading which would take into account not only the textual statements of the writer, but as well the composition of the plot and the various behaviors of the Czech and German protagonists, could allow to bring nuances to Ebner-Eschenbach’s position towards the Czech – namely to see that she was perfectly aware and respectful of the cultural diversity and complexity of the Czech lands and that she felt a deep compassion for the claims of the minorities asking for the transformation of the Habsburg Empire into a Federation of free nations.