| Monday-Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Closed | Closed |
There is no charge to view the collections. If you have specific research needs call or e-mail to make an appointment, as some materials are located remotely.
Address & Contact Information
7703 Floyd Curl Dr.
San Antonio TX, 78248
5th floor, Briscoe Library
(210) 567-2400
The Special Collections of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library
San Antonio physician and historian Dr. Pat Ireland Nixon lent his name to what is now a treasure-trove of antiquarian texts, dating from the 15th to the early 20th century. Ophthalmology, surgery, and anatomy are particular strengths of the Nixon Library. Also contained within the Special Collections are classic European and early American first editions, such as Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing and Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. A number of magnificent anatomical atlases feature illustrations that qualify as works of art in their own right.
Originally donated to the Health Science Center in the early 1970s by the Bexar County Medical Society, the superb core collection has expanded to contain close to 5000 volumes of treasured medical texts, including important works by Vesalius (De Humani Corporis Fabrica – 1543), Albinus (Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body – 1749), Celsus (De Medicina – 1481), Avicenna (The Canon of Medicine – 1486), Burton (Anatomy of Melancholy – 1632), and Hooke (The Micrographia – 1667).
Tours of the Nixon Library, including viewings of rare books within subject areas, can be arranged by contacting Special Projects Librarian Susan Hunnicutt at (210) 567-2406 or hunnicutt@uthscsa.edu. Selected materials from the Nixon Library may also be viewed online in the UTHSC Digital Archive / Historical Collection.
The library regularly features holdings on the Treasures of the UT Health Science Center Libraries Blog.
About the Image: 4th year medical students Nadine Terrazas and Robyn Treadwell visit the P.I. Nixon Library in April 2007 during the senior medical school elective, History of Anatomy In Situ, directed by Charleen M. Moore, PhD, Professor in the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology.
The Friends of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library
The Nixon Library has an active Friends group that meets regularly for lectures, films, and dinners. Membership is open to all. For more information, visit the Friends page.
Library Exhibits
Exhibits on medical historical topics are researched and mounted for the Health Science Center by Special Projects Librarian Susan Hunnicutt, hunnicutt@uthscsa.edu, and Library Assistant Walter Creech. Displays are available as traveling exhibitions to other institutions as an educational service offered by the Library.
About the Image: A man uses a dog to pull a mandrake from the ground from Histoire de la medecine, de la pharmacie, de l’art dentaire et de l’art veterinaire by Jacques Poulet, Jean-Charles Sournia, and Marcel Martiny. (Click image for larger view.) This book is available to view in the P.I. Nixon Library.
University Archives and Local History Materials
Bexar County and South Texas have a rich medical heritage. The University Archives houses historical records of the University and the development of medicine in Bexar County and South Texas. The Archives provides a reference service for the Health Science Center community and a repository for the preservation of historically important University records.
You can find detailed information about many of our archival collections at Texas Archival Resources Online.
Included in the collection are:
- University publications
- correspondence of key officials
- minutes
- student yearbooks
- papers of early San Antonio physicians
- and more
The Special Collections staff actively seek to acquire materials related to the history of medicine, including:
- manuscripts
- journals and account books of local physicians
- photographs of area hospitals and health practitioners
- records of local medical organizations
Persons owning such materials are encouraged to donate them so that they may be preserved and made available for research. The community is also reminded that materials that do not seem valuable today may provide an important historical insight in the future.
Tags: PI Nixon
