We were closed last Friday because of a move. Two of our excellent staff members from the Rare Books Room at the Texas Medical Center Library have joined us over at the HRC. Moving is exhausting! […]
The Electreat Mechanical Heart
by Kate Wilson, Archivist In processing the D. H. Rankin Medical Artifacts Collection I have found myself intrigued with the Electreat Mechanical Heart. I’m not really sure what draws me to this object- maybe the fact that we have six of them in the collection or maybe the incredibly illustrated promotional flyer that accompanies the device.… Continue Reading The Electreat Mechanical Heart […]
And the Sorting Begins!
By Kate Wilson, Archivist The McGovern Historical Collections recently received a collection of early twentieth century medical artifacts. The collector, a family physician in Austin, Texas, had a personal interest in hearing related devices and quack medicine, so most of the objects in the collection can fall into those categories. The first step in processing a collection is organizing… Continue Reading And the Sorting Begins! […]
Dental Decks
by Philip Montgomery This Dental Deck for the NDB exam appeared at the Texas Medical Center Library’s book drop. Staff on the circulation desk called the McGovern Historical Center and offered us the deck. We snapped it up. It is a curious set of flashcard. In my mind flash cards are something I used in… Continue Reading Dental Decks […]
Kohl-lined elephant eyes and the malaria taxi
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 […]