MHSNJ Zoom Program—Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 7:00 pm EDT

Speaker:  David J. Wolf, MD

Topic:  Rudolf Virchow and Joseph Lister:  The Connections Between a Pioneering German Pathologist and an Innovative British Surgeon Who Transformed Medicine During the Late 19^th Century

Summary

The genesis of this talk is a short letter written by Joseph Lister in 1902 supporting the erection of a monument by the British Medical Community to honor the celebrated German pathologist, Rudolf Virchow. The talk explores the connections between Joseph Lister and Rudolf Virchow, their accomplishments, and the relationship between the British and German medical communities during the late 19th century.

About the Speaker

David J. Wolf is a retired clinical hematologist and medical oncologist who spent his professional career on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) and New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He is currently President-Elect of the American Osler Society and the faculty advisor to the WCM Medical Student History of Medicine Club. In 2021, Dr. Wolf established the David J. Wolf, M.D. Medical Archives Endowment, which sponsors the David J. Wolf, M.D. Visiting Research Scholar Program at WCM. As a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, he serves on the Section for the History of Medicine Executive Committee. An antiquarian medical book collector, he is a member of the Grolier Club and the Association of International Bibliophiles.