The Bert Hansen collection of medicine and public health in popular graphic art

Bert Hansen was born on February 5, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Columbia College in 1965 and a doctorate in the history of science from Princeton University in 1974. In 1978 he received a Mellon Fellowship at Harvard University and taught medical history courses there until 1979. Hansen held academic appointments at State University of New York at Binghamton; the University of Toronto; New York University; and Baruch College, City University of New York. His work focused on the natural sciences and magic in the middle ages; medical history in the nineteenth century, including the development of medical education, the work of Louis Pasteur, and diagnosing homosexuality; and popular culture perceptions and representations of medicine from the 19th through 21st centuries. Hansen’s writings include numerous journal articles and book chapters and full-length publications Nicole Oresme and the Marvels of Nature: A Study of His De Causis Mirabilium and Picturing Medical Progress from Pasteur to Polio: A History of Mass Media Images and Popular Attitudes in America. Hansen is a prolific collector of publications, memorabilia, and artifacts related to his interests in medical history and mass media. In 2015, Hansen retired from Baruch College. He continues to write, collect, and present at academic conferences.