On display in the Biomedical Library lobby, this week only: a charming, medically-oriented handwritten letter from Santa Claus to Anna, a six year-old girl in Buffalo, New York, dated December 24, 1843:
“To night is Christmas eve, & I have all the little children in the world to visit – I give the best things to the best children. You have been very good to take medicine & have the leeches on. I hope you will be better soon. Your dear friend, Santa Claus”.
Genealogical research by an antiquarian bookseller suggests Anna lived at least twenty more years.
The mini-exhibit is part of an ongoing series, New Old Things, highlighting selected recent acquisitions in History and Special Collections for the Sciences.
For more information about the history of bloodletting, see our online exhibit
submitted by Russell Johnson
History and Special Collections for the Sciences
