Ann Arbor—”The Seven Ages of Man: The Human Life Cycle Throughout Medical History” will be on exhibit at the University of Michigan’s Special Collections Library from Aug. 26 through Nov. 2. The exhibit features a display of books and materials from the Taubman Medical Library’s Rare Book Room that document how medical science has viewed the seven ages of life from ancient times through the 19th century. The ages, which are defined from William Shakespeare’s play, “As You Like It” include the infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, old age, and death. The exhibit features landmarks of medical history including the first edition of De Humani Corporis Fabrica (The Fabric of the Human Body) by Andreas Vesalius, which as the first human anatomy book to be based on human rather than animal dissection corrected many beliefs of the Ancients. Also included is the first edition of William Harvey’s book, De Motu Cordis (On the Circulation of the Blood) that documents Harvey’s findings proving that blood circulates through the body. One of the earliest editions of the midwifery handbook, The Rosengarten that was published in 1532, is also on display along with Hans Holbein’s Dance of Death with its impressive woodcuts. The Special Collections Library is located on the 7th floor of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library on the campus of the University of Michigan. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. For more information about this free exhibit, call (734) 764-9377. Related links:

Taubman Medical Library Rare Book Room The Special Collections Library
Email: wgm@umich.edu