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3 leaves, 276 pp. Original cloth. Light stains on front cover (see photo). Discoloration in bottom 2" of blank gutter margin of pp. 172-173 (due to a newspaper clipping). Pages 169-172 and 173-176 are unopened. Very Good. First Edition, first printing. INSCRIBED BY HARVEY CUSHING TO TRACY PUTNAM: "With Christmas greetings to/ Irma and Tracy Putnam/ from H.C./ 1928" (see photo). The book was published in November 1928, so just in time for Cushing's book gift for Christmas 1928. William Osler had the habit of giving books--sometimes his own, but often books written by others--as gifts, including as Christmas gifts. Harvey Cushing "inherited" this habit from his mentor Osler. When Cushing gave a book to a friend or associate, he signed it with his inititals "H. C.", as he did here in this gift to Tracy Putnam and Putnam's wife Irma. Again, Cushing followed Osler, who often initialled his inscriptions "W. O." Cushing Bibliography no. 15. Reprints 14 essays by Cushing. Fulton, Harvey Cushing, pp. 561-63. Fulton's references to Tracy Putnam in the biography of Harvey Cushing: pp. 506-07: Chevalier Jackson impersonation. Fulton recounts the amusing episode in 1924 when HC asked his then-resident Tracy Putnam to impersonate Chevalier Jackson, who was giving an after-dinner talk to the Harvard Medical Society, but refused to attend the dinner. As Chevalier Jackson had a beard, Putnam had to wear a fake beard and attend the dinner as Jackson. Some attendees were definitely fooled, at least during the dinner, before they saw the real Chevalier Jackson give his talk after the dinner. p. 523: Putnam's "important paper" on chronic subdural hematoma. p. 525: Putnam as Arthur Tracy Cabot Fellow in charge of the Laboratory of Surgical Research. p. 532: dinner for 60th birthday of neurologist E. Wyllys Taylor. Stanley Cobb and Tracy Putnam were in charge of a "masque to brighten up the occasion: this turned out to be a slight boomerang as far as H.C. was concerned, for the masque consisted of a mock honorary degree ceremony with Bronson Crothers, 'Sir' Henry Viets, Harvey Cushing, and James Ayer as the victims". Fulton gives full details of the degree citation for H.C. at this dinner. p. 543: footnote: a paper by Sosman and Putnam on meningiomas. p. 553: Harvard Medical Society meeting in 1927 where Putnam spoke on the effects of anterior pituitary extract on growth in rats and dogs. p. 559: entertainment at the Brigham 15th anniversary celebration in 1928. HC writes to Stanley Cobb, who was travelling in Germany: "Perhaps the best part of the whole meeting was the show which was staged. Tracy, I judge, was the stage manager and it was altogether A-1". Fulton quotes the details of the show. p. 565: Harvard Medical Society meeting in 1928 with talk on work on growth hormones of the pituitary. p. 608: 1931 International Neurological Congress in Berne, Switzerland; dinner organized by HC so his students, including Putnam, could meet HC's "masters" such as Sherrington, Welch, etc. Fulton lists names and place card seating arrangement. p. 618: 1932 formation of the Harvey Cushing Society; Putnam was named Secretary. Fulton quotes what HC wrote to Putnam after the first meeting of the new Society. The photo section IN Fulton s biography after p. 612 includes a photo of the members at this first meeting; Putnam is seated on the ground, second from the right.
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