An Upcoming Acquisition

I thought you might like to know of some exciting news! We are about to take possession of book collections from three of our most notable members: Upton Scott, our first President;

John Archer, the first person in America to receive a medical degree;

and Sir William Osler, who needs no explanation.

Several decades ago, MedChi deaccessioned a large number of items to the Maryland Historical Society (now the Maryland Center for History & Culture – MCHC) so that they would be more accessible to the general public. They are currently winnowing their collections to focus solely on Maryland-related items. While Scott, Archer and Osler were connected to Maryland, most of the books in their collections are medical tomes. MCHC gave us the right of first refusal, and how could we ever refuse when we found out what they had!

The books in the Archer and Scott collections date from the 1700s, with a few from the 1600s and 1800s. The items from the Osler Collection included numerous editions of the Principles and Practice of Medicine and Modern Medicine: Its Theory and Practice; compilations of his numerous lectures; programs from Osler-related events, and a little box which includes a woodcut of his bookplate and some personal letters. Additionally, there are numerous pieces of ephemera, etc. including letters, pamphlets, histories of local hospitals and more.

We will be picking up the 17 55 78 boxes of books and ephemera in the next week or two. I will be setting up a station in the Monumental Office, and then logging it in to the Museum database of items. Once the collection is in hand, I will be blogging about it here on the blog. I hope you will follow along.