by Philip Montgomery, archivist I was flipping through our collection of Medical World News photos looking for vaccination shots when I ran across this photo from March of 1965. I found this photo in a folder titled “Immunization [small pox] Tonga.” I opened the folder expecting to see images of healthcare workers vaccinating inhabitants of… Continue Reading Kohl-lined elephant eyes and the malaria taxi […]
Trials of Trowels
by Philip Montgomery, archivist One of our volunteers found two trowels in a cabinet. The trowels are in excellent shape and relatively unused. I suppose they were used for the laying of a cornerstone or some masonry project related to a new construction. These trowels reside in the TMC Library’s McGovern Historical Collections without historical… Continue Reading Trials of Trowels […]
Pulling Teeth from the Man of Steel
by Philip Montgomery, archivist I want to be perfectly clear at the beginning of this post that being an archivist is a tough job. I can’t even begin to describe the trials that come with being an archivist. You have your dirt, your mold, your sneezing, your cold temperatures, your silverfish, your 50 year-old hypodermics,… Continue Reading Pulling Teeth from the Man of Steel […]
"Hearing" at Finger Tips
by Philip Montgomery, archivist Archives require constant maintenance. We are for ever moving boxes, finding homes for random items, making lists, checking them twice, shelving, reshelving and processing collections so we can highlight little hidden gems. Today’s picture is one of those little hidden gems. This is a photo of Vice President Hubert Humphrey and… Continue Reading "Hearing" at Finger Tips […]
Back in the saddle
by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant mcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu Figuratively, if not literally. Actually, we do have a saddle here at the McGovern Historical Research Center. It came with the Methodist Hospital collection, although nobody at Methodist could tell Elizabeth White, at the time it was donated, what was significant about it. They simply insisted it went with… Continue Reading Back in the saddle […]
Air and Rail, 1944
by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant mcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu Guess what? Ephemera! I found a new cache this week and it’s too beautiful not to share. The following come from a series of items related to the early days of the newly-founded Texas Medical Center, when the M.D. Anderson Foundation had development grants and was looking for ways… Continue Reading Air and Rail, 1944 […]
The Archival Chamber of Horrors
by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant mcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu I have a different kind of scary blog post for you this week. Well, it’s scary if you’re an archivist. Phil Montgomery, the archivist, and I do a lot of different things here, but when people ask me what I do most of the time, I tell them I… Continue Reading The Archival Chamber of Horrors […]
Hallowe'en Season
by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant mcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu Happy Hallowe’en from the McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center! Archivist Phil Montgomery suggested that, this year, we should set up an exhibit for Hallowe’en. Since we’re a medical school archive, we probably have an unfair advantage when it comes to selecting creepy artwork. The first item in our… Continue Reading Hallowe'en Season […]
Jones Motor Basal metabolism tester, 1937
by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant mcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu I am easily distracted by shiny objects. There is more to an archive than books and professional papers. I’m a bit of a pop culture aficionado, as I’m sure our readers can tell from past blog posts: I love ephemera[1]–the postcards, advertising, commercial packaging. I also love the realia[2].… Continue Reading Jones Motor Basal metabolism tester, 1937 […]
Outdoor Sculpture: George H. Hermann
by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant mcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu Just a short post today. This is a follow-up on yesterday’s post about outdoor sculpture in the Medical Center. Phil Montgomery found the following pictures of the head of the George H. Hermann statue being cast: […]