NOLS spotlights medicine in traveling exhibit, book discussion

By Sequim Gazette Staff • April 24, 2024 1:30 am
Photo courtesy of North Olympic Library System “The Story of Aspirin Revisited,” was displayed in early April at the Clallam Bay Library (pictured) and is now at the Sequim Library temporary location through May 11.
Photo courtesy of North Olympic Library System “The Story of Aspirin Revisited,” was displayed in early April at the Clallam Bay Library (pictured) and is now at the Sequim Library temporary location through May 11.

The North Olympic Library System (NOLS) is displaying the National Library of Medicine traveling banner exhibition, “Take Two and Call Me in the Morning: The Story of Aspirin Revisited,” at the Sequim Library temporary location at 609 W. Washington St., through May 11.

In addition, NOLS is hosting a virtual book discussion about “The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness” by Meghan O’Rourke. Join the Zoom discussion at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, using the link at nols.org/take-two.

Books are available for checkout on a first-come, first-served basis at the front desk of all NOLS locations. Other formats are available via the library catalog.

The traveling exhibition, guest curated by Dr. Anne Rothfeld, Ph.D., examines how modern organic chemistry and technology isolated, then synthesized nature’s properties into a medication now common worldwide.

For centuries, people used willow bark to relieve pain and treat fevers; however, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that scientists developed an analog of the active ingredient in willow bark, creating the essential drug that’s now part of everyday life, aspirin.

By the latter half of the 20th century, scientists had begun examining aspirin for benefits beyond pain relief and fever reduction.

“The Story of Aspirin Revisited” includes a companion website with a selection of health information resources and a digital gallery of items from the historical collections of the National Library of Medicine.

The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website.

About the book

According to the publisher’s synopsis, “The Invisible Kingdom” is a landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of chronic illness and autoimmune diseases.

O’Rourke details the silent epidemic of diseases that are poorly understood, frequently marginalized and can go undiagnosed and unrecognized altogether.

The book was a finalist for the National Book Awards 2022 for Nonfiction.

For more information about this and other upcoming library events, visit nols.org or email to discover@nols.org.