Boston Medical Library
Encyclopedia
42°20′6.89"N 71°6′14"W
The Boston Medical Library (est. 1875) of Boston
, Massachusetts
, which evolved into the "largest academic medical library in the world," was originally organized to alleviate the problem that had emerged due to the scattered distribution of medical texts throughout the city.
, and the Public Library all had volumes of information that needed to be more accessible to physicians. This was the second attempt to create a medical library in the city.; the first attempt was in 1805. This second library was incorporated with the first "as an independent institution under the control of the profession as a whole". James Read Chadwick
, a gynecologist, collected books, pamphlets, and medical periodicals and make this material accessible to the practicing physician. It later became the later the Boston Medical Library (BML). Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
, Parkman Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Harvard, served as the BML’s first president and writer Librarian
.
combined their collections. Dean of Harvard Medical School George Packer Berry named it The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. Countway, a purveyor of soap and high-school dropout, had become the president of the United States branch of Lever Brothers
at the age of 42; after his death, his sister gave 3.5 million dollars of Countway's fortune toward a new library at Berry's request.
, which houses the skull of Phineas Gage
. The department was renamed the Center for the History of Medicine in 2004. The New England Journal of Medicine
noted that The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine loaned out material from the 19th century in order to make the 2010 electronic-conversion of the complete journal possible as paper copies of some issues of the Journal were found missing from the Journal's own paper archive .
According to the History of Medicine Division of the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine, The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine is the "largest academic medical library in the world, and its collection include rare and historical materials that can be numbered among the largest in the world".
The Boston Medical Library (est. 1875) of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, which evolved into the "largest academic medical library in the world," was originally organized to alleviate the problem that had emerged due to the scattered distribution of medical texts throughout the city.
Early History
In 1875, the Society for Medical Observation, the Society for Medical Improvement, the Treadwell Library at the Massachusetts General HospitalMassachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
, and the Public Library all had volumes of information that needed to be more accessible to physicians. This was the second attempt to create a medical library in the city.; the first attempt was in 1805. This second library was incorporated with the first "as an independent institution under the control of the profession as a whole". James Read Chadwick
James Read Chadwick
James Read Chadwick was an American gynecologist and medical librarian remembered for describing the Chadwick sign of early pregnancy in 1887.- Biography :...
, a gynecologist, collected books, pamphlets, and medical periodicals and make this material accessible to the practicing physician. It later became the later the Boston Medical Library (BML). Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
, Parkman Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Harvard, served as the BML’s first president and writer Librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
.
The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
In 1965, the BML and the Harvard Medical LibraryHarvard University Library
The Harvard University Library system comprises about 90 libraries, with more than 16 million volumes. It is the oldest library system in the United States, the largest academic and the largest private library system in the world...
combined their collections. Dean of Harvard Medical School George Packer Berry named it The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. Countway, a purveyor of soap and high-school dropout, had become the president of the United States branch of Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
at the age of 42; after his death, his sister gave 3.5 million dollars of Countway's fortune toward a new library at Berry's request.
Current Developments
In 1999, the Rare Books and Special Collections Department of the Countway Library assumed custodial responsibility for the Warren Anatomical MuseumWarren Anatomical Museum
The Warren Anatomical Museum, housed within Harvard Medical School's Countway Library of Medicine,was founded in 1847 by Harvard professor Dr. John Collins Warren,...
, which houses the skull of Phineas Gage
Phineas Gage
Phineas P. Gage was an American railroad construction foreman now remembered for his improbablesurvival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and for that injury's reported effects on his personality and...
. The department was renamed the Center for the History of Medicine in 2004. The New England Journal of Medicine
New England Journal of Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It describes itself as the oldest continuously published medical journal in the world.-History:...
noted that The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine loaned out material from the 19th century in order to make the 2010 electronic-conversion of the complete journal possible as paper copies of some issues of the Journal were found missing from the Journal's own paper archive .
According to the History of Medicine Division of the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine, The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine is the "largest academic medical library in the world, and its collection include rare and historical materials that can be numbered among the largest in the world".
Collections
- In 1972, Robert GoldwynRobert GoldwynRobert Malcolm Goldwyn , born in Worcester, Massachusetts, was an author, activist, Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and Chief of Plastic Surgery at the Beth Israel Hospital from 1972 to 1996. He was the editor-in-chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for 25 years.-Medical...
established The National Archives of Plastic Surgery. - History of medicine (802 incunabula)
- European books printed 16th–20th centuries
- English books published 1475–20th century, American books 18th–20th centuries, Bostoniana
- Medical Hebraica and Judaica 14th–20th centuries
- Manuscripts and archives, especially of New England origin (20 million items)
- Medical library of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
(900 titles) - Warren Library of early works in surgery (2,000 volumes)
- Friedrich TiedemannFriedrich TiedemannFriedrich Tiedemann was a German anatomist and physiologist.He was born at Cassel, the eldest son of Dietrich Tiedemann , a philosopher and psychologist of considerable repute. He graduated in medicine at Marburg in 1804, but soon abandoned practice...
collection of anatomy and physiology (4,000 items) - Historical Collection in [Radiology]
- Medical prints, photographs and artwork (35,000)
- Renowned collection of medical medals (6,000)
- Archives of Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health - The Archives for Women in medicineWomen in medicineHistorically and in many parts of the world, women's participation in the profession of medicine has been significantly restricted, although women's practice of medicine, informally, in the role of caregivers, or in the allied health professions, has been widespread...
Further reading
- James Read Chadwick. (April 1903). "Boston Medical Library." Medical Library and Historical Journal.
- Garland, Joseph E. (1975). Centennial history of the Boston Medical Library, 1875-1975. New England Journal of Medicine 293.