About The John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center

From the beginning of his medical career, Dr. John P. McGovern had an interest in antiquarian medical books. Soon after coming to Houston in 1956, he met with Virginia Parker, the head of the medical library, and she asked him to serve as a consultant in developing the historical collections. In addition, Dr. McGovern has served as honorary curator of the library’s rare book collections for nearly 30 years.

"I knew that historical books would give students the story of how their profession developed and the scientific foundations for the medical specialties," Dr. McGovern said. "Now, the McGovern Historical Collections, with additions from my personal collection of books several years ago, provide students with a humanistic view of medical care. These values are timeless and students for generations to come will have a chance to study and learn patient-centered medicine from the writings of William Osler and other notable physicians of the past."

The John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center in the HAM-TMC Library holds in trust notable historical collections on the foundations of the medical specialties, Texas medicine, rheumatology, and North American public health. The archival collections focus on the development of the institutions and hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, and the careers of many prominent Houston physicians. In addition, the archive holds manuscript collections from American rheumatologists, members of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, and the life sciences departments at the Johnson Space Center.

The earliest acquisition records for books in the McGovern Center are found in the Houston Academy of Medicine’s library committee reports for 1935 and 1936. Thirty Fellows of the Academy raised $300 to purchase a collection of 275 French medical books published between 1730 and 1830. This collection became the core around which other physicians and Houstonians would place their gifts.

In 1949, the Houston Academy of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine combined their medical libraries. In anticipation of the completion of the Jesse H. Jones Library Building, the M.D. Anderson Foundation purchased the rheumatology collection of a New York physician, Dr. Reginald Burbank. This was followed by a gift from the Cora and Webb Mading Foundation of more than 1,000 titles on sanitation and communicable diseases.

After the 1954 dedication of the library building, many physicians donated books or historical pamphlets to be stored in a very small, locked room on the second floor. Within a couple years of coming to Houston, Dr. McGovern became one of the library’s staunchest supporters, annually supplying funds for the purchase of rare titles or to support the librarian’s attendance at the American Association for the History of Medicine. In 1977, the library formed a new department with new quarters to collect historical materials and to enhance the rare book collections.

In 1982, Dr. McGovern donated his personal, extensive history of medicine collection to the library and followed that gift with the donation of his William Osler collection in 1994. The library’s board of directors named the historical department in his honor in 1996 and that same year established the McGovern Endowment for the support of the department.

In the future, Dr. McGovern said he feels the library should focus on working closely with the medical, nursing and allied health schools to ensure that the library is an active curriculum development participant, and should enhance consumer education materials, including multi-lingual health education materials.

The McGovern Collection on the History of Medicine contains more than 5,500 titles focused on the development of the medical specialties in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection’s emphasis has been American imprints and English language materials. There are extensive holdings of medical titles from the publisher Samuel and William Wood of New York. There are significant sections on William Osler, pediatrics, allergy, and cardiology. There are also a small number of titles in French or German from the 18th century.

Collections within the McGovern Historical Collections include:

The Burbank/Fraser Collection on Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Gout, which contains more than 3,600 volumes, including books, pamphlets, bound reprints, and translations. With publications ranging from a 16th century manuscript to the modern works of John Talbott and Charles Short, this collection documents the changing regimens for rheumatic diseases and the foundations of the modern specialty of rheumatology. With publications from more than 20 countries, the collection offers innumerable opportunities for research on the history of the rheumatic diseases and the cross-cultural transference of medical information. The major portion of the collection is from the libraries of Dr. Reginald Burbank, New York City; Dr. Kevin Fraser, Melbourne, Australia; Dr. Philip S. Hench, Rochester, Minn; and Dr. Samuel Tarnopolsky, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Smaller groups of materials were donated by Dr. Earl J. Brewer, Houston; Dr. John Talbott, Chicago; and Dr. John L. Decker, Bethesda, Md.

The Cora and Webb Mading Collection on Public Health, containing more than 1,500 books and pamphlets on urban sanitation in the United States and communicable diseases. Two important aspects of the collection are the large numbers of early 20th century city or state health department reports and the 19th century pamphlets on specific contagious diseases.

The manuscript collections, which include personal papers from Houston physicians, administrators and biomedical researchers. A list of these collections reads like a "Who’s Who of Houston Medicine" – Ernst William Bertner, Earl Johnson Brewer, Hilde Bruch, Russell J. Blattner, Lee D. Cady, R. Lee Clark, Frederick C. Elliott, Felix Levere Haas, Ruth Hartgraves, Mavis Parrott Kelsey, Ernst Knobil, Joseph Louis Melnick Polio Collection; Walter Henrik Moursund, William Dempsey Seybold, and Harvey Grant Taylor.

Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission collections, donated by Houston researchers and other staff members of the Commission and its successor, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. Currently the archive holds materials from Wataru W. Sutow, H. Grant Taylor, Walter Russell, Robert Lange, Herman Wigodsky, Howard B. Hamilton, William J. Schull, Carl F. Tessmer, William Moloney, James V. Neel, Ivan Duff, Frank W. Putnam, Marvin A. Kastenbaum, Raymond Anderson, Jarrett Folley, and Gilbert Beebe. The holdings include technical reports, personal and professional correspondence, research notes, printed materials, and photographs. The papers are maintained separately under the name of each individual, and collection sizes vary greatly. Guides for the processed collections are available through the McGovern Center’s Web page, http://www.mcgovern.library.tmc.edu.

In addition, the McGovern Research Center has nearly 90 collections of newsletters, patient logbooks, scrapbooks, rosters, and reports from Texas Medical Center hospitals, institutes, and schools. Of particular, note are the records from the Postgraduate Medical Assembly of South Texas Collection (1932 to 1970), Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences Collection (1957 to 1985), and the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners Collection (1907 to 1975).

The McGovern Center’s photograph collections were received from many sources. Joseph I. Maurer, Houston photographer, contributed nearly 1,900 portraits of Houston physicians. The Texas Medical Center contributed several thousand images that document the first decades of TMC development. The photo archive from the journal, Medical World News, covers United States medicine from 1960 to 1976. The Methodist Hospital, the Memorial Hospital System, and members of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission have all contributed large groups of photographs.

The approximately 1,000 drawings and paintings in the Medical Arts Publishing Foundation collection were produced for the Houston journals Cancer Bulletin, Heart Bulletin, Psychiatric Bulletin, and Medical Record and Annals. Many artists were employed by the foundation to provide paintings of historical figures to illustrate the front covers of the journals and drawings to illustrate the textual matter inside. Some of the artists were Joseph F. Schwarting from Houston, and Dutch artists Joseph F. Doeve and Jo Spier. There are also several hundred portraits of U.S. and international cancer researchers drawn by these artists as they attended various medical meetings.

The McGovern Center is open to any researchers with a need for these specialized historical materials. All materials are available for use within the premises of the McGovern Center, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Weekend and evening hours are available by appointment. Reproduction services include slides, digitized images, black-and-white and color prints, and photocopies. Fees are charged for these services. Inquires are welcome by telephone or e-mail. A brochure about the collections is available and may be picked up in the HAM-TMC Library or can be mailed.

Contact:

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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