What is an Archives? Is it some mysterious club that only library workers belong to? The short answer is no. Chances are you have an archive at home -maybe love letters to your spouse, family photos, mom’s wedding gown, a collection of your favorite vinyl records. My personal archives consists of photographs, handwritten love letters from my husband, my […]
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Dr. Rudolph Menger was an early San Antonio doctor who loved nature and is best remembered for his nature observations and pictures. He was born in San Antonio, Texas on April 21, 1851, to Johann and Augusta Menger. His parents, native Germans, arrived in Texas in 1846. Menger attended the German-English school, a school established […]
Read moreThe early twentieth century was a transforming period for the United States. Progress was the name of the game and science became a way to play. Physicians of the day used scientific language and data to authenticate their methods and equipment. The PI Nixon Medical Historical Library has such medical equipment from the period […]
Read moreHumidification is the process of introducing moisture into paper by placing the document inside an enclosed area with a water source. This is often done for tightly rolled documents such as large maps, posters, or large pictures. Water vapor enters the fibers of the document, allowing them to relax. Often the document may then be […]
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The medical bag and instruments below belonged to Dr. John Matthews, an ophthalmologist whose practice was held in the Nix Medical Arts Building (now the Emily Morgan Hotel), in San Antonio. Dr. Matthews was a prominent member of San Antonio’s medical community. As a physician and active member and leader in local medical organizations, […]
Read moreS. Perry Post, M.D., donated this Spencer monocular microscope to the P. I. Nixon Medical Historical Library in April 2001. Little information was provided about the microscope upon its delivery. Dr. Post merely stated that he purchased the microscope, second hand, from an upper classman when he entered medical school (UTMB, Galveston) in 1934. Preliminary […]
Read morePortrait of Paolo Mascagni. Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine, History of Medicine Division. This portrait is in the public domain in the U.S., PD-US. Housed in the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library’s Special Collections is Paolo Mascagni’s 1787 Vasorum lymphaticorum corporis humani historia et ichnographia. Recognized as a landmark in anatomical illustration, this […]
Read moreWhen eating your breakfast cereal of corn flakes or granola, have you ever wondered who came up with the idea of manufacturing these foods? It might surprise you to know that they were invented by a 19th century physician and surgeon who was devoted to healthy living and the use of natural remedies. John Harvey […]
Read moreJohn Bulwer was born in London in 1606, the only surviving son of an apothecary named Thomas Bulwer and Marie Evans of St. Albans. He continued to work and live in London until his death in October 1656. Although information about his education is unclear, he was probably educated in Oxford (no degree) in the […]
Read moreThe Archives of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library houses a collection of professional papers, research notebooks, and personal manuscripts of renowned, early 20th- century French physiologist Louis Lapicque. Born August 1, 1866, Louis Lapicque was a pioneer in the field of neural excitability. One of his main contributions was to propose the integrate-and-fire […]
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