The Washington times., 1906-04-30
MEDICAL LIBRARY
FINEST IN WORLD
Book Treasures Stored in
the Army Museum.
N u M BER OVER 100000
DR.. Garrison Describes Wonderful Col
lection Gathered in the Surgeon
Generals Office.
N U DER OVER 100000

The Library of the Surgeon Generals
Office" was the interesting subject OF a
paper II ad by DR.. Fielding II. Garrison.
the assistant librarian. at the last meet,
ing of the District of Columbia Library
Association DR.. Garrison said in part:
The library of the Surgeon Generals
office, situated in the Army Medical
Museum. at the corner of Seventh and
B streets southwest, is now one Of the
three largest medical libraries in the
world, containing over $4,000 medical
books and pamphlets, and is equaled
only by the collections of Paris and s..
Petersburg in the number and value OF
its treasures. 1t has the most unrivaled
collection of medical periodicals in the
world and is singUlarly rich in the works
of earlier medical writers as we'll as in
modern medical literature, which is sup
piled as soon as published. by its agents
(boOksellers) in foreign cities and tho
United States.
The reading room of the library is
open to the public from 9 a. m. until
4:20 D. m, and medical books are lent
10 physicians upon payment Of a suit
able deposit In the case OF physicians
residing in distant cities and educa-
tional centers. the volumes are frequent
ly forwarded through universities, medi-
cal societies. and public Libraries. which.
in this case. assume responsibility for
the books lent and their safe return.
The library is constantly used by
physicians from all parts of the country
and even by physicians from abroad.
some of whom have been known to
cross the ocean in order to consult GER
tain rare works not available elsewhere.
-
office, while an important adjunct of
the Army Medical Corps. IS. in every
sense the national medical library. by
reason of its extent and value and its
location in the Capital City. The credit
OF building up this remarka bic collection
OF books Is due 10 DR.. john s. Billings,
its former librarian, and now the dis
tinguished director OF the New York
pubic library. There was originally
small collection OF medical books in
the Surgeon Generals Office in Wash
ington, which collection was commenced
BY Surgeon General Lowell, prior 10
1886, and At the beginning OF the civil
war amounted to between 300 and 400
volumes When Dr. Billings assumed
administration OF the library in 1865 he
saw 1t once the opportunity of buiIdine
up great national collection oF medical
books and :he present library of the
Surgeon Generals Office IS the result of
his energy. perseverance and judgment.
4ldeu by adequate appropriations from
Congress. the growth OF the library un-
der its able director was phenomenal
Began Indexing at Early Day.
''Dr Billings had early conceived the
idea Of indexing the files OF periodicals
in the library. so that in addition to the
author catalogue. a bibliography of the
literature OF medicine by subjects might
be printed This work was actually be,
gun in 1873. and in 1876 a Specimen Fas-
ciCuluS' tf a c1faIOu1lp nv authors and
subjects was printed. The first volume
of the catalogue. n large duarto of $50
pages. followed in 1850 and has been con
tinued TO date. The index cataIoguo
consists at present Of a first series of
sixteen volumes from a TO L, inclusive.
1SSe-lSS5, and "A second series. of which
eleven volumes from a to O have been
printed during 1S96-1906.
Soon after the publication of the
Specimen Fasciculus, DR.. Robert Fletch-
er was assigned To duty in the library
and became the principal assistant in
the work Of preparing and printing the
1rdeX catalogue, and. in the words of
DR. Billings. himself. the accurancy ana
typographical excellence Of the volumes
are largely due to his skillful and care
full supervision
THE index catalogue of the library
contains the whole literature of medi-
cine, carefully indexed. classified. sub
DIVIDED. and arranged alpha betical order
under subject headings. This renders It
of inestimatble value TO physicians in
their scientific reasearches. For eX-
ample, under the headings. Cholera
'PnuemOnid.' Smallpox etc. will ba
found the whole literature of these sub
Jects. so classified and subdivided that
any aspect of them. may. so far as liter
ature is concerned, be investigated al
once.
Edition Limited to 1900 Copies.
'The index catalogue is also. by rea-