New-York tribune., 1878-07-08


authorize the publication of an edition Of 10000
copies at an expense of 5000, ,000 for distribution
as mentioned above and for sale at the cost price OF
paper and printing to physicians who should WISH
to have copies in their own libraries. In support OF
this request memorial was presented to Congress
from committee of physicians appointed 1or the
purpose by the Medical Society of the County Oh
New-York. Its concluding paragraph IS as follows
The the United States has prepareda
hailed with praise by the medical press
OF the United States and OF all Europe ,t ~
England and Germany. This subject catalogue VIII Dy ns
publication place the buried wealth OF the medical hi
erature of all countries at the easy and ready
scientific workers. The metion OF this great %or
necessity for the medical profession OF tle op,.oa ~
States and for the healthy DEVELOPMENT OF meuca ,S
ure of this and all countries IL will rank amongst tne
practical and beneficial publications OF the present
period. .
The specimen fasciculus referred to is In pamphe'
form, giving the first seventytwo pages OF the pro-
posed Qualification. 1t was prepared for exhibition
at the Centennial, where physicians from all coun-
tries had an opportunity to examine it, As an illus
traton of the contents together with the extent ana
detail of the work undertaken. it may be mentioned
that the single heading "abscess" covers about
seven hundred references filling eight pages OF the
work. single reference will serve as an example
of the rest BARLOW. w. H., two cases of deep alb
scess treated with carbolic acid Manchester Medi-
cal and Surgical Report 1870 III pp. 81 t4O)."
II is said that medical men make habitual use in
their practice of fewer books than do the members
of any other profession, and that such skill ana
knowledge as they possess to greater degree than
with other PROFESSIONS the result of personal exper
iment and observation. Now as human life forms to
great extent the material upon which each as
prant for honor or profit in the art curative must be
trusted to experiment, of course any plan which
will make more available the experience of other
practitioners as substitute for personal experience
must be OF immense value TO all mankind. Until re-
cent times all great advances in medicine and sur
gerry have been the result of the experiments and
reasoning of few great minds Their writings have
formed the textbooks from which subsequent gen.
erations have drawn their knowledge of human all
ments and of remedies for them. Differences of con-
cluson by the original thinkers radical as that
between Christianity and paganism gave rise to
rival schools of practitioners, who remained
for centuries firmly seated upon their
special hobbies and totally blind TO any merit pos
sessed by other schools. In the present century,
medicine, in common with all other branches of
science, and even of religion, has taken great
stride toward liberty and truth. In all civilized
countries periodicals. have come INTO life, in which
are chronicled all passing events and discoveries
which are Of interest to the medical profession.
Nearly one-half of the books III the National Med
ical Library are bound volumes of these pubca-
TONS They comprise issues in all the modern
languages of civilization. and some of them cover
an unbroken series extending back more than half
q century. The largest single series, an Italian
medical journal, now embraces more than two
hundred and thirty volumes.
The library now contains nearly ninety thousand
volumes some If which exceedingly valuable,
not only for the information they contain, but as
relics of the eaily days of bookmaking. the most
ancient volumes date from the fourteenth CEN
tuary before the invention of printing! They are
carefully written in "A clear hand upon parchment
and are perfectly legble at this day. The iumi-
mated capitals and bordeT-work. together with the
bindings and heavy clasps, illustrate the patience
and taste of the ancient bOokmakers. The library
is the resort Of writers upon medical subjects from
all parts of the country, and not seldom from
other lands, who come here TO avail themselves OF
the unrivaed facilities for reference which II af
fords. Arrangements have been made by which
sets of works upon any given subject or by any
single author can be sent at the request of any
responsible persons to any city which possesses
fre-pIoof library building, TO be left in the GUS
tody OF the Librarian and returned to Washington
after they shall have been consulted by the ply
scians who have requested them Ii is expected
that the forthcoming catalogue will have a ten
dency to establish medical Libraries in all the great
cities either by the direct purchase of new books
or by the putting together of the private libraries
of local physicians who may wish TO avail them
selves Of such an arrangement.