News
Molecular Imaging News
February 6, 2006
William G. Myers, M.D., Ph.D., Collection Opening, Exhibits Scheduled for May
Ohio State University
The William G. Myers, MD, PhD, Collection opens this May at the Medical Heritage Center at the Prior Health Sciences Library at the Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus. Myers, a pioneer in the field of nuclear medicine, has been called the "godfather of the cyclotron" for his continuing role as champion of that device. His contributions to the profession include the development of radioactive gold seeds for interstitial therapy and the introduction of 11 radioisotopes for use in nuclear medicine.
Highlights of the Myers collection include:
- Photographs of and correspondence between Myers and other founders of nuclear medicine, such as Paul Aebersold, John Lawrence, Nobel laureate Rosalyn S. Yalow, Hal Anger, and Irene Curie, and Noble laureate and atomic energy pioneer Glen T. Seaborg;
- Correspondence from Myers to his wife describing his experience as a radiation monitor during Operation Crossroads; and
- Unique photographs of early and experimental nuclear equipment, including early scintillation cameras and cyclotrons.
Myers was one of the early members of SNM and remained active in the organization throughout his long career. Myers served as the society’s historian for 13 years (1973–86). During this time, he published many articles documenting the history of nuclear medicine in the society’s journal, The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Myers received numerous prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Educator Award, the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award, the Paul C. Aebersold Award for outstanding achievement in basic science applied to nuclear medicine, and SNM’s Historian Emeritus Award.
An exhibit and other public programs will accompany the collection opening, enhancing awareness of the collection’s availability for research. MHC’s Web site will feature a Myers virtual exhibit and a new MHC digital library with the Myers Collection serving as the pilot collection. For future access to these digital resources or to find out more about the Medical Heritage Center, please visit http://mhc.med.ohio-state.edu/.
On May 25, as part of the opening festivities, nuclear medicine history scholar, long-time associate of Myers, and author of Atoms for Life: A Personal History of Nuclear Medicine, Henry N. Wagner, MD, will lecture on the history of nuclear medicine and Myers’s role in that history. For more information on that event or the collection, please contact Mary Manning, archivist, at manning.84@osu.edu or 614-292-9966.
