Recently we happened to come across some illustrations in our collections that seemed too good to not share. The cartoons you see here were two of the images used to accompany Dr. Malcolm Tyor’s talk, “What’s the Evidence?” which he gave at a meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). (Unfortunately the year this presentation was given and the creator of the artwork are unknown.) Drawing on Tyor’s long, successful career as a gastroenterologist, his speech focused on the importance of inquiry and maintaining a sense of curiosity for both medical students and professionals: “We are all prone to employ certain key phrases generally introduced to our professional repertoire by our teachers…‘What’s the evidence?’ has served me well through my professional career.” The humor and personality in these illustrations alone suggest that Tyor’s talk would have been an engaging one.
Dr. Malcolm Tyor received his medical degree from Duke in 1946. He held positions at several different institutions – including serving as an intern at the University of Wisconsin General Hospital (1946-1947) and as a resident at Bowman Gray School of Medicine (1949-1951) – before returning to Duke in 1955. He was chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at Duke for 20 years (1965-1985), retiring in 1991. Active in professional organizations in gastroenterology, Tyor served as president of the AGA from 1981-1982. To learn more about Tyor and view his collection, visit the finding aid for the Malcolm P. Tyor and Anne Bradfield Papers.