National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-08-09
BOOKS FOR DOCTORS
A MINE OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE ARMY
MEDICAL LIBRARY.
But One Larger Collection Of Medical Works
In the world-The Great Index Catalogue
How tho Books Are Availablo to Non-Resl-
deuts-A New Building Needed.

young and enthusiastic physician to one
OF the gentlemen in charge Of the army
medical library yesterday. please let
mo soc some books on tho subject"
For reply he WAS handed tho volumes
oftho Index and Catalogue containing the
"Cs," where flfty-nino pages in the large
folio volume were found devoted to the
literature of the Asiatio plague.
"Great Scott Havo l got to wade
through all this before l know what L
want2 No, lfo is too brief"
"Stop, my friend; think / can point
out few comprehensive treaties OF
thousand pages or so that Will probably
suffice for your purpose.
A REPUBLICAN reporter, who had been
examining Guiteaus skeleton, overheard
this brief conversation and was struck
with tho completeness Of tho collection,
which could offer such vast variety OF
works treating upon one disease.
Eyes, the library is at present tho most
valuable in certain Of its features" said
DIR. Fletcher, in charge during DR.. Bill
lings's absence. "and the second largest
in the world. The imperial, now ma
tional, library of France is larger in point
of number of books. Our library is re-
markably complete in medical journals
and transactions Of medical societies. In
addition, we receive all the current med
ical journals published in every part of
tho world; our list Is not short Of 700. 1t
is easy enough here. but in Spain, Portu-
gal, and some other, countries, it is with
tho greatest difficulty that wo can obtain
the privilege of subscribing"
what is the value Of these journals
and transactions to the studcnt2"
"Chieay for the recorded cases they
contain. These are always valuable If ro-
ported with anything like accuracy. Far
more so than the most elaborate treatise
containing ideas taken from the text
books, because, while the pathology may
DO erroneous, the facts tell their own tale.
These cases arc rendered available for
reference, as are all the $4,000 bound vol
umes aud 81, 900 pamphlets, by the Index
Catalogue, which is such feature of our
library. In this, under the name of u
given disease, is given an alphabetical list
of the authors and names of the works
treating upon it. The fifth volume, OK
tending to tho end of tho word heart and
its connections and subsubjects, has just
been completed. These volumes are as
you see, largo quartos Of about 1,O25 pages
and printed in small type for the most
part. The whole work will be completed
Ill IWblNe OF u1tGtu NOlumt5, WIN
perhaps couple of supplementary vol
umes, the material for which we are col
lecting all the time in the form of de-
scriptiye cards of new additions to tho
library"
''How long does it take you to get out
q volumeP"
pretty nearly q year. 1t Is not safe
to count on more than one being ready
for issue every twelve months. You see
there about twenty languages in which
the books and pamphlets are printed, and
the proofreading of those double column
quarto pages is no small task"
What is done with them when
printed 2"
"They are sent to every prominen
library in this country and Europe. We
get inquiries for names of works on given
subjects continually, and when these arc
embraced in our completed volumes we
refer inquirers to the page, directing
them to the nearest place where the
Index Catalogue is to be seen. In case
the subject sought is not included in our
published volumes We permit visitors to
have access to our descriptive cards.
which form the material Of which the
published volumes are composed. The
whole library is indexed by means OF
these cards, which only await arrange
ment for the printer"
"How is the library itself rendered
accessible to reference?"
Suppose MUSICIAN in New York, or
any other city possessing fire-proof
public library building, desires to see
certain works. He must apply through
the librarian who has blanks ready to
fill out with the request. This is sent on
here and the books are forwarded by
express to the librarian, who is RESPONSE
BILE for their return in two weeks; the
express charges both ways are borne by the
borrower, and after the books are exam
ined receipt is sent to tho librarian, ii
they are found in good condition. Some
books are never loaned. being irreplacea
BILE by money If lost.
Another plan which we devised is on the
same principle that books are loaned
from the Congressional library where nc
fre-proof library building exists at the
home of the physician. On application
for certain list of books or for set
bearing on q given subject we send an
estimate ofthe money value, and on the
deposit of this sum we send the books to
the borrower direct on the same condi.
lions 90 to the librarian. For example
physician in Detroit sent the other day
for set of works on cremation, which
we sent along upon his depositing 500
If persons can do SO We much prefer then
to come to Washington and consult the
books in the library itself, as we have SC
many who do SO that II is runninga risk Of
bringing them here on fools errand to
send many books away. The library Is
open from to o'clock every day, and
the gentlemen in charge are so familiar
with the books that they can refer in @
moment to any one wanted. We have
numbers of members of tho faculty o
Johns Hopkins university in baltimore
and other neighboring institutions Of {
similar character who come over here Il
consult our books. The library is Of i'm.
mense advantage to the medical colleges
here and in Baltimore. We have three il
Washington, and will soon have another
The museum is, of course, of great correl
alive value. 1t contains the largest col
lection Of pathological preparations ans
specimens showing the effects of gunsho
wounds in the world. Surprising a ply
stefan or student is studying diseases o
the liver in the library. He can, by &
simple request, have prepared specimen
of that organ in every stage and variet,
of NOR bid condition right before him"
To show the wide range Of the inqui
ries made at the library, the following
specimens, collected as curiosity b,
Or. killings In paper prepared by hin
are given "for the literature of hydro
phobia;" ''for all cases of epilepsy re-
ported rs cured by burns" "for com
plete list Of all books and papers writer
by DIR. John jones'" "for materials TO
the life of DIR. John Morgan" "for a lis
Of the printed medical theses of TIN
graduates of tho University of Pennsyl
vania;" 'for materials for history OF tn,
medical schools of Baltimore. including
NIL catalogues, announcements, &c.;'
"for all accounts Of epidemics occur
ring in Memphis" "for data relative t,
the diseases of Georgia" "how man.
editions have been published of thu
treatise Of the school Of Salernum p
(Which Is the best edition of Galen ?
"Who was the author of SechS Butcher aus
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