FRIENDS OF THE P.I.
NIXON
The P.I. Nixon Medical
Historical Library
The University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio
7703 Floyd Curl Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900
Telephone: 210-567-2400
Fax: 210-567-2490 Observing human oddities has been a popular pastime since
http://www.library.uthscsa.edu they were first exhibited at fairs during medieval times. The
The Friends of the P.I. Nixon
Medical Historical Library was
organized to foster the growth,
development and use of a
collection of books, manuscripts,
and other materials relating to
the history of the health sciences.
The collection was brought
together primarily through the
efforts of Dr. P.I. Nixon, a
physician and historian in San
Antonio. The Library bears his
name to honor his efforts.
Board of Directors, 2008-2009
President:
Philip T. Valente, M.D.
Vice-President/President-Elect:
Julie K. Brown, Ph.D.
Past-President 2007-2008:
Kirsten Gardner, Ph.D.
Secretary/Treasurer:
Rajia Tobia, A.M.L.S.
Members-at-Large:
P.I. Nixon, III
David P. Cappelli, Ph.D.
Constance Lowe, M.F.A.
Charles W. Sargent, Ph.D.
Library Staff:
Pennie Borchers, M.L.S.
Special Collections Librarian
Collections, Programs, Exhibits
The Friends Annual Newsletter
Susan Hunnicutt, M.L.I.S.
Special Projects Librarian
MEDICAL HISTORICAL LIBRARY
NEWSLETTER
No. 25 Annual Newsletter Fall 2009
“Fascinating Anomalies of the Circus Side Show”
living skeleton, the giant, the dwarf, the bearded lady have
always drawn crowds who wanted to look, wonder and touch.
Some of the most fascinating examples of these anomalies
have appeared in circus side shows. The etiologies and
eventual fate of some of the more unusual human beings will
be discussed at the 39th Annual Dinner-Presentation on
November 3rd by guest speaker, Dr. Joyce G. Schwartz, a
board certified anatomic and clinical pathologist with the
South Texas Pathology Associates group which serves the
Methodist Hospital System.
Dr. Schwartz received her Bachelor of Science and M.A. degrees from the University of
Texas at Austin and her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science
Center at San Antonio. She was a tenured professor at the Health Science Center before
joining Quest Diagnostic Laboratories at its headquarters in New Jersey, where she
served as the Vice President, Chief Laboratory Officer and Vice President for Science
and Innovation.
She is a recipient of the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation “Piper Professor Award” for
excellence in teaching and the Medical School “Alumnus of the Year Award,” presented
by the UT Health Science Center School of Medicine. Dr. Schwartz has published over
eighty articles in peer-reviewed medical and scientific publications and has had a long-
standing interest in the history of medicine.
39TH ANNUAL MEETING
Dinner and Presentation
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 We invite the Friends, their guests, and all
Cash bar: 6:30 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 p.m. those interested in this fascinating topic to
an enjoyable evening of good food and
Appetizer, entrée, dessert, coffee or tea
conversation. This year the dinner will be
Oak Hills Country Club
held just off campus at the Oak Hills
5403 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio 78229 Country Club, on Fredericksburg Road.
Cost: $40/person
Please send the enclosed invitation and
($30 for students includes Friends membership)
membership renewal form by October 29
Advance registration required to reserve your place. We look forward to
Please RSVP by October 29th hearing from you!
(Reservation form is enclosed)
 No. 25 Annual Newsletter Fall 2009

Exhibits and Lectures

Texas is home to people from around the world. With the influx of migrations,
many different folk traditions have taken root in Texas.

Health Across Cultures in Texas, an exhibit researched and mounted by Linda

Ho Peché and Suzy Seriff of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, was
on view in the lecture hall foyer from mid-January through the end of February.
The display featured early migrations to Texas, the newcomers’ impressions of
their adopted home, and the folk healing practices they brought with them.
Personal stories were gathered from oral histories conducted in Austin and San
Antonio by staff members of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and
by students from the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, under the
direction of Dr. Adelita Cantu of the School of Nursing.

Suzy Seriff, curator of the exhibit “Forgotten

Gateway: Coming to America through Galveston
Island,” was guest speaker at a Friends brownbag
on January 16. Her presentation was part of the
community outreach program for the exhibit,
Health Across Cultures in Texas.

“Forgotten Gateway” was made possible in part

through the generous support of the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the Wachovia
Foundation.

YIN / YANG - THE UNITY OF DUALITY

The Embedding of Yin and Yang:

A Nursing Student’s Perspective

At this January brownbag, Taiwanese nursing student Teck

Tan gave the audience his perspective on the unity of duality,
describing ways in which proper nutrition (the Yin/Yang
culture of eating) can prevent ailments, help us regulate our
“inner environment,” and achieve homeostasis.

2
 No. 25 Annual Newsletter Fall 2009

Exhibits and Lectures

Anomalies of the Circus

October 21, 2009 – January 21, 2010

Individuals with unusual physical characteristics have always fascinated lay public and
medical profession alike. In certain societies, the anomalous body was celebrated in all
its manifold forms; in others, human abnormality was shunned for not conforming to
preconceived notions of propriety.

“Anomalies of the Circus,” an exhibit prepared by Special Collections Librarian Pennie

Borchers, is based on an original display by Dr. Joyce Schwartz, guest speaker at the
2009 Dinner-Presentation. Its focus is on the world of the sideshow, where ‘human
curiosities’ were exhibited for profit. Photographs and memorabilia capture the
atmosphere of the ‘Big Top.’ This display is mounted in conjunction with the
November 3rd Dinner-Presentation.
Jakob Rueff
De conceptu et generatione
hominis, 1587

SAWS Exhibit – “Aqua People”

“Aqua People,” a San Antonio Water System art
installation representing various aspects of water
conservation, was exhibited in the Briscoe Library in
February. We were reminded that there are over 9000 miles
of water pipes underneath San Antonio, which - if laid end
to end - would reach from the Alamo City to Australia!

To further expand our awareness of the importance of clean

water to good health, SAWS designed ten larger-than-life,
free-standing, translucent figures, which were placed at
strategic points in the library. Inscriptions in Spanish and
English at the base of each ‘Aqua Person’ - flamenco
dancer, golfer, gardener, and others - underlined ways in
which our precious natural resource is best conserved.

3
 No. 25 Annual Newsletter Fall 2009

Hospice and Palliative Care

Hospice and Palliative Care is scheduled for display in the lecture hall foyer from
August to late October, 2009. The brief historical overview presents images of
refuges for medieval wayfarers and crusaders en route to religious shrines and gives a
timeline honoring key figures in hospice care: Mary Aikenhead, Rose Hawthorne, and
Cicely Saunders, to name but a few. Medical study of the human body – human
dissection, gross anatomy, and the Willed Body Program – is the focus of another exhibit
panel.

Dr. Sandra Sanchez-Reilly, assistant professor of geriatrics and palliative care, asked
students from her Medical Ethics class to share specific stories about their experiences
with the dying. A number of these personal impressions - often concerning members of
their immediate family - are included in the exhibit.

The University of Texas Health Science Center’s 2009 “One Community/One Book”
selection, Final Exam, by liver transplant surgeon Pauline Chen, MD, takes center stage
in the last exhibit section. Dr. Chen has travelled the country extensively, speaking about
end-of-life issues to medical and general audiences. On September 25 from 12:00 noon
to1:00 p.m. in the Health Science Center Auditorium she will give a special presentation:
“Our Best Selves: One Surgeon’s Reflections on Compassionate Care.” Excerpts from
her writing reveal the shifts in perception toward the dying which she has experienced in
the course of her career as a physician.
Death of the Virgin

Hans Multscher -1437 – Berlin

Students Visit the Nixon Library

Two groups from the ¡VIVA! Peer Tutor Project of the South Texas ISD in
Mercedes, Texas, visited the Briscoe Library in August. Twelve high
school students and three chaperones explored health careers here on
campus and in San Antonio. In addition to viewing a special display of rare
books in the Nixon Library, their schedule included a visit to the dental
clinic, an opportunity to observe a medical illustrator at work, a trip to the
Spurs sports medicine facility and a meeting with the veterinarian at the
San Antonio Zoo.

4
 No. 25 Annual Newsletter Fall 2009

Briscoe Library is Selected

by the National Library of Medicine to receive Harry Potter Exhibit

Exciting news arrived recently from the American Library Association:

the announcement that the Briscoe Library was one of twelve libraries in the
country selected to participate in the upcoming tour
Harry Potter’s World:
Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine

This NLM traveling exhibition was curated by Elizabeth J. Bland with

assistance from History of Medicine consultant Mark A. Waddell, Ph.D.
Coordination of the exhibition tour (from September 2009 to November 2010)
is being handled by the American Library Association Public Programs Office.

The Harry Potter exhibit will be on view in the Briscoe Library October 6 – November 8, 2010.

Past Presidents of the Friends, Dr. Charleen Moore, Dr. Ron Philo, and Dr. Richard Luduena have generously offered
their support.

While the exhibit is on campus, Charleen Moore, Ph.D., Professor of Cellular and Structural Biology will give a
presentation on Renaissance medicine and alchemy, in which she plans to feature Ambroise Pare’s innovations in
surgery, Bischoff and Porta’s books on alchemy, and Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy. Dr. Moore will also cover
early folk medicine with examples of herbals from our Special Collections.

Ron Philo, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in Anatomy at the Health Science Center and expert on Leonardo da Vinci, will
discuss the historical transition from Galenism into the era of Renaissance medicine. He will describe Vesalius’
revolutionary, hands-on dissections, da Vinci’s emphasis on first-hand observation of the human body, and Dürer’s
classic canon of proportion. Dr. Philo’s scholarly research on Leonardo’s anatomical drawings at Windsor
Castle led to his appointment as exhibit cataloger on this great Renaissance artist for the
Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

Richard Luduena, Ph.D., Distinguished Teaching Fellow and Professor of Biochemistry,

will gear his lecture to younger audiences with tales of barber-surgeons, blood-letters,
and quacks. He will also describe the historical breakthrough in understanding the
human circulatory system made by William Harvey.

Finally, we look forward to a presentation by C. Mackenzie Brown, Ph.D., Jennie Farris

Railey King Professor in Religion, Department of Religion, Trinity University, who has
kindly consented to give us his insights on Paracelsus and Isaac Newton, the roots of
science in alchemy, and the ways science, religion and magic were once interwoven.

Special thanks to our local partners and supporters:

The Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics – Director Ruth Berggren, M.D.;
Philip T. Valente, M.D., Professor of Pathology, President of the Friends of the P.I.
Nixon Medical Historical Library; Bexar County Medical Society President Roberto San
Martin MD, M.S., F.A.C.S.; and Irene Chapa, Ph.D., director of the Office of Recruitment and Science Outreach
at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Announcements of all the forthcoming ‘Harry Potter’ events will be sent to Friends members next summer.

5
 No. 25 Annual Newsletter Fall 2009

Art and Anatomy Workshop

Spring, 2009

Hand by Derek Koller

Iris Cahill Mira Hudson

The Art and Anatomy Workshop, a pilot project launched last spring, was developed by Charleen M. Moore, PhD,
from the UTHSC Department of Cellular and Structural Biology; Constance Lowe, MFA, and Jayne Lawrence, MFA,
from the Department of Art and Art History at UTSA; and Penelope Borchers, MLS, from the Briscoe Library. The
goal of this three-part workshop was an interaction between UT Health Science Center medical students and UTSA art
students for the purpose of developing new ways of “seeing” the body.

Session One presented an introduction to basic drawing techniques (contour, gesture drawing, and shading) for accurate
illustration of the structure of bones and attachments of muscles. This session met at the School of Medicine and used
plastinated specimens from the anatomical collection in the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology.

Session Two was an introduction to perspective and proportion of the human face. This session took place in the studios
of the UTSA Department of Art and Art History, where the students drew portraits of one another. Art materials for the
workshop were kindly provided by the department.

Session Three offered the students an introduction to important anatomists/artists from the Renaissance to present times.
This session met in the P.I. Nixon Library Reading Room, where the students examined many of the most famous
anatomical atlases and discussed an image presentation of contemporary artists.

It was generally agreed that this was not only an excellent learning experience but a wonderful opportunity for students
to interact with their peers from another discipline.

6
 No. 25 Annual Newsletter Fall 2009

Digital Repository
The Library’s Digital Repository is a collection of historical and instructional materials, including medical
illustrations, photographs and manuscripts documenting the history of healthcare in South Texas, digitized copies of
selected texts from the Nixon Library, theses and dissertations, and records and media highlighting the development
of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The Digital Repository can be accessed on the
Library’s web page under Services to the University or by using the direct link:
http://learningobjects.library.uthscsa.edu/. Recent additions include:

Essays on the Anatomy of Expression in Painting by Charles Bell http://learningobjects.library.uthscsa.edu/

cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/hom&CISOPTR=4546&REC=1
The Doctors Herff, a memoir written by San Antonio physician Ferdinand Peter Herff http://
learningobjects.library.uthscsa.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/hom&CISOPTR=6018&REC=1
The Casebooks of George Cupples, believed to be the first physician in Texas to use anesthesia. His notes cover
the period from 1853 to 1867 and include amputation of the hip joint of a 9-year-old child following a pistol
wound, traumatic tetanus and other diseases occurring among the pioneer residents of Texas.
http://learningobjects.library.uthscsa.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/
hom&CISOPTR=5359&REC=2
Tourniquets and Amputation Instruments, a catalog published in 1804 with pictures of instruments used during
the Civil War.
http://learningobjects.library.uthscsa.edu/cdm4/results.php?
CISOOP1=any&CISOBOX1=tourniquets&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=all

Photograph taken at the Friends 38th Annual Dinner

Meeting on November 10, 2008

Dr. P.I. Nixon, Jr., Special Collections Librarian Pennie

Borchers, Friends President Philip T. Valente, M.D.;
Friends Past President Kirsten Gardner, Ph.D., and guest
speaker, Beatrix Hoffman, Ph.D.

Guidelines for Gifts

The Briscoe Library and the P. I. Nixon Medical Historical Library appreciate gifts of books that enhance the
collections. Items donated to the library are accepted with the understanding that, upon receipt, these materials become
library property. Cataloging treatment and the right to determine retention, use, or disposition of the rare books will be
at the library’s discretion. The donor will receive an acknowledgement letter specifying number and type of items, but
IRS regulations prohibit library staff from assigning a value to gifts.

The library is especially interested in building a strong collection on the history of healthcare in South Texas and
would be grateful for donations of materials such as casebooks, memoirs, photographs and oral histories. You may
also wish to make a monetary gift to the library for the purchase of a book as a memorial or in honor of someone.
The book will bear a label, identifying it as a gift in memory of the deceased. Although library staff will make the
final book selection, donors may specify the choice of subject related to the health sciences. A fitting tribute to a
health care professional is a book in his or her specialty. Arrangements for donations are made through the library at
(210) 567-2469.

7
 No. 25
Membership Roster for 2008 – 2009
Honorary Members
Drs. Charles & Virginia Bowden
Mrs. A. G. Grum
Mrs. Robert S. Sparkman
Life Members
Mrs. Maxine E. Bernreuter
Dr. Louise A. Box-Hutchinson
Dr. & Mrs. John E. Carter
Dr. & Mrs. Alfonso Chiscano
Mrs. Helen Groves
Mrs. Reagan Houston
Dr. John P. Howe, III
Dr. Milton S. Jacobs
Dr. & Mrs. Robert B. Krause
Mrs. Brooks B. McGimsey
Dr. David D. Madorsky
Mrs. Catherine Meaney
Dr. Janice A. Mendelson
Dr. & Mrs. P. I. Nixon, Jr.
Dr. Joel E. Pessa
Dr. James E. Pridgen
Mrs. Vernie A. Stembridge
Mrs. Albert Steves, III
Mr. & Mrs. Marshall Steves
Dr. Edwin M. Sykes, Jr.
Mrs. Zula Vizard
Dr. Janet F. Williams
Dr. & Mrs. Harry Wilmer
Mr. & Mrs. A. Jerome York
Patron Members
Dr. & Mrs. Bradley Aust
Drs. Phyllis & Neil Bowie
Dr. C. Mackenzie Brown
Drs. Julie K. and John P. Brown
Dr. & Mrs. Robert V. Blystone
Dr. & Mrs. Alan D. Cox
John L. Matthews, M.D.
P. I. Nixon, Jr., M.D.
Robert B. Krause, M.D.
Milton S. Jacobs, M.D.
J. W. Winter, M.D.
A. O. Severance, M.D.
David McCullough, M.D.
James E. Pridgen, M.D.
S. Perry Post, M.D.
Edwin M. Sykes, Jr., M.D.
J. Bradley Aust, M.D.
Perry W. Nadig, M.D.
8
Annual Newsletter Fall 2009
Dr. & Mrs. David P. Cappelli Ms. Katie Prentice
Dr. Robert A. Clark Dr. Waid Rogers
Mr. Jerry Crockett Dr. Charles W. Sargent
Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Forland Dr. Stacey Smith
Mrs. August F. Herff Dr. John H. J. Sykes
Dr. & Mrs. O. Roger Hollan Mr. Fred W. Todd
Mr. Danny Jones Dr. Kristine Vogel
Dr. & Mrs. Frank Kiel Dr. James W. Yancy
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Leon
Dr. & Mrs. Arthur S. McFee Student Members
Dr. & Mrs. Thomas C. Mayes Ms. Jennifer Bliss
Dr. Charlene M. Moore Ms. Helen Bowman
Mr. & Mrs. John B. Nixon Mr. Alan Brown
Dr. & Mrs. Ron Philo Ms. Jehee Choi
Dr. & Mrs. Basil A. Pruitt, Jr. Ms. Mariann Craddock
Dr. Rajam Ramamurthy Mr. John Craig
Dr. & Mrs. John D. Rugh Ms. Stephanie Gardner
Dr. & Mrs. Wayne H. Schwesinger Mr. Christopher Gibson
Dr. & Mrs. John C. Sparks Ms. Summer Gibson
Ms. Rajia Tobia Mr. Oscar Hernandez
Dr. & Mrs. Lorenz Trick Mr. Travis Holloway
Dr. & Mrs. Ronald Williams Mr. Neal Jackson
Dr. & Mrs. Vick Williams Mr. James Murphree
Dr. & Mrs. Philip T. Valente Ms. Sarah Murphree
Ms. Catherine Reppa
Ms. Katie Wiggins-Dohlvik
Regular Members
Dr. Alvi Azad
Ms. Pennie Borchers
Dr. Cheryl Burns
Dr. Diana Deister
Ms. Monica du Bois
Dr. Kirsten Gardner
Dr. Martin B. Giffen
Dr. Joseph Kobos
Ms. Connie Lowe
Dr. Milka Montiel
Mr. Patrick I. Nixon, III
Past Presidents
William B. Brendel, M.D. Janice A. Mendelson, M.D.
David McMahon, M.D. Daniel Rosenthal, M.D.
Mrs. Lila Cockrell Arthur S. McFee, M.D.
William V. Healey, M.D. Daniel H. Jones, M.L.S.
Mrs. Charles W. Finley Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., M.D.
Maurice S. Albin, M.D. Erle K. Adrian, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
Charles A. Hulse, M.D. Emilio F. Romero, M.D.
Joyce G. Schwartz, M.D. Charleen M. Moore, Ph.D.
Mrs. Zula Vizard Ron Philo, Ph.D.
Harlan D. Root, M.D., Ph.D. Richard F. Luduena, Ph.D.
Herman S. Wigodsky, M.D., Ph.D. Kirsten Gardner, Ph.D.
John M. Smith, Jr. M.D. Philip T. Valente, M.D.
August F. Herff. M.D.
9