Three distinguished professors emeriti are launching an impressive literary lineup this fall:

Thursday, Nov. 1:

C. Barber Mueller will host a signing of his new work, Excalibur: The Sword of Science That Reshaped the World. The event will be held in the University Club’s Great Hall from 3 to 5 p.m. Mueller is a founder of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Surgery from 1967 to 1972.

The book presents an overview of ideas generated during the age of science. As a scholar, thinker, surgeon and nonagenarian, Mueller explores the development of science as a cultural phenomenon that began in a climate of opposition, and now dominates many features of our daily lives.

Tuesday, Nov. 6:

A book launch will also be held for Students Matter: The Rewards of University Teaching by Patangi (Chari) Rangachari, who has been involved in all aspects of McMaster’s undergraduate medical program. The professor emeritus of medicine co-authored the book with J. Kevin Dorsey, rheumatologist, dean and provost of the Southern Illinois School of Medicine. Dorsey has a particular interest in physician empathy, along with studying clinical reasoning skills of medical students. The book launch will take place in the Centre for Leadership and Learning on the fifth floor of Mills Memorial Library from 1 to 2 p.m.

In the book, 15 renowned biomedical scientists and educators from Canada, Portugal, South Africa, Taiwan and the United States share the experiences that led them to teaching at a university level. One reviewer noted that all educators can learn from this book, which offers insightful observations centred around problem-based learning, standardized patients and “hidden agendas” in curriculum.

Norman Jones, the first head of McMaster’s division of respirology, also introduced his new book The Ins and Outs of Breathing at the Health Sciences Library on Tuesday, Oct. 16.

The book is the result of the author’s 50-year quest to understand the science of breathing. Jones, a professor emeritus of medicine, explores respirology within the framework of exciting physical adventures, from expeditions to Mount Everest to Roger Bannister’s first four-minute mile run.