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The P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library

The Briscoe Library houses on the 5th floor an extraordinary collection of rare books and manuscripts, the P. I. Nixon Medical Historical Library. The late, distinguished, San Antonio physician and historian, Dr. Pat Ireland Nixon, who worked determinedly to build a quality library, 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 first editions of European and early American texts, including Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing, and influential works featuring anatomical 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, this superb core collection has expanded to contain close to 5000 volumes of treasured medical classics, including valuable works by Vesalius, Albinus, Celsus, and Avicenna – a remarkable collection considering the age of the Library.

Tours of the Nixon Library, including viewings of rare books within subject areas, can be arranged by contacting Special Collections Librarian, Pennie Borchers, at (210) 567-2469 or by email to borchers@uthscsa.edu.

The P.I. Nixon Library is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Special Collections Reading Room is open to all persons with a legitimate interest in the materials (proof of identity may be requested).

Local Medical History

Bexar County and South Texas have a rich medical heritage, and the Special Collections staff actively seeks to acquire materials related to this history. The collections include manuscripts, journals and account books of local physicians, photographs of area hospitals and other medical scenes, and 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.

More Information:

• Friends of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library
• Book as an Artifact Online Exhibit

Some Treasures in the P.I. Nixon Library

• The Canon of Medicine by Avicenna
• Anatomy of Melancholy by Burton
• De Medicina by Celsus
• The Micrographia by Hooke
• De Humani Corporis Fabrica by Vesalius

Select materials from the P.I. Nixon Library are available online in the Historical Collection of the Knowledge Cooperative.

Return to the UT HSC Special Collections.