Evening star., 1947-01-05

Library Building, among the
public structures to be re-
moved when funds are available, is
a project, no doubt, that has been
well considered, and unquestionably
this branch of the War Department
has outgrown its quarters in the last
go years.
However, this is not an old build
ing as well-built structures go. Con-
gress, on May 8, 1885, appropriated
100000 for it's erection. The archi-
tects were Cluss & Schulze, and the
site at Seventh street and Inde-
pendence avenue formerly Seventh
and B streets S.W) was selected
by Secretary of War William c. En-
dicott, Prof. Spencer F. Baird, sec
retary of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton, and Edward Clark, architect Of
the Capitol.
TIE amount appropriated for the
STRUCTURE, which was to house the
pension records and museums of the
Surgeon Generals Office, was insuf1-
cient by $4,000 of the estimated
cost of the building desired and for
the purposes for which it was in
tended, hence the plans had to be
rearranged. One small back build
ing was omitted, and many other
changes were made in order to bring
the cost within the appropriation.
Just what The Star thought of these
changes can be judged by what it
said at the time:
1.-THE building is not only too small,
but it is only partially fireproof,
and there is danger the valuable
contents may be destroyed by fire.
The erection of this building forms
an important epoch in the history of
the medical library. which has grown
to such proportions as to demand an
entire building. 1t is now the larg-
est collection of books in the world
which is devoted exclusively to
medicine and the closely allied SCI
ences. 1t contains $1,000 books and
$4,000 pamphlets-more than two
thirds of existing medical literature
Probably Had Its Origins
In Lowell Files About 1880
For many years there was a
small collection of medical books
and journals in the Office of the Sur
gecn General, which was probably
commenced by Surgeon General
Lowell about 1880. At the COM
mencement of the late war, this COL
lection consisted of about $50 vol
umes, mostly medical textbooks and
journals. In 1862 and 1868, while
Dr.. Hammond was Surgeon General
about 800 volumes were added, be-
ing chiefly works relating to mill
tary medicine and surgery. A cata-
logue published in the fall of 1865
shows that the library then con-
tanned about 1900 volumes. The
catalogue of 1872 placed the number
OF volumes at $1,000.
I'm 1874 there were $4,000 volumes
and $4,000 pamphlets, and since
that date the growth of the library
has been uninterrupted. This rapid
increase is largely due to the fact
that physicians donate their books
and pamphlets to the library. An
index catalogue is now being pre-
pared, and five volumes of the pro-
posed u have already been issued,
giving the subjects in alphabetical
order, and under each is list of the
books, pamphlets and everything in
the library which relates to the dis
ease.
1T is stated by competent au-
thorities that this library not only
contains more medical literature
than the British Museum or the
National Library of France, but that
it covers a wider field and is bet
Der practical reference and working
collection for medical purposes than
either of the great libraries referred
to. The librarian of this great COL
lection is DR.. ]. S. Billings, and he
is assisted by DR.. Robert Fletcher
and DR.. H. c. Yarrow with the
necessary clerical force.
$4,000 Specimens Then Shown
In Medical Museum
In addition to this valuable Ii
brary there is the Army Medical
Museum which contains some 22,-
900 specimens illustrating the
wounds and diseases incident to war
and armies. The latest appliances
for the treatment of diseases and
the new inventions of apparatus de-
signed to illustrate anatomy are
found in this collection, and in con-
junction with the library it is be-
Iieved to afford facilities for medical
study and research that have hith-
erto been unobtainable in this coun-
try. It is therefore resorted to not
only by medical men and writers in
this country, but those from for
eign countries who come here to
complete their education"
The writer personally recalls when
this building was erected, for he was
then employed in the National Mu-
scum adjoining. He also visited the
Medical Museum when it was still
in the old Ford Theater Building, on
Tenth street.
The inaugural ball for President
Garfield, March 4, 1881, was held in
the old building of the National Mu-
scum
A building whose history parallels
this story was two-story rough
lumber structure about midway be-
tween the National Museum and
the building then being erected for
the Medical Museum. The struc-
ture was erected out Of the appro-
priation made for the Cotton States
and International Exposition, held