A collection of rare medical books worth an estimated $3.4 million owned by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is back where it belongs in the UNMC McGoogan Library of Medicine following months of extensive renovations to the library’s two rare book rooms. There are nearly 4,250 volumes in the collection that’s considered one of the best in the nation.
“Our collection isn’t the largest but it’s unique because it includes works from nearly all of the ‘fathers’ of modern medical science,” said Nancy Woelfl, Ph.D., director of the UNMC McGoogan Library of Medicine.
Dr. Woelfl describes the collection as a treasure trove of knowledge and discoveries which helped form the earliest, and some of the most important, principles of science and medicine.
“Many of these volumes have beautiful illustrations in vivid colors. When you move from one century to the next, you can almost see the evolution of medical science.”
Her favorite in the collection is a small, thin volume from the year 1513, affectionately known as “Der Rosengarten” or “The Rose Garden.” The actual title: Der Schwangern Frauen und Hebamen Rosengarten, loosely translated, means “The rose garden for pregnant women and midwives.”
Written by Eucharius Rosslin, the book contains some of the earliest illustrations of a human fetus in utero. The fetus appears to be standing up, eyes open, peering inquisitively out from the pages, and the figure is encapsulated in a shape representing the uterus, but resembling something more like a light bulb with the filament removed.
The illustrations show the baby in a variety of breech positions. One picture even shows consanguineous twins. It’s no surprise “Der Rosengarten” is said to have had a profound influence on the practice of midwifery for nearly two centuries.
Like many books from this period, the cover of “Der Rosengarten” was made of wood (a genuine ‘hard-back’), and the pages were made out of anvariety of plant fibers such as hemp and cotton.
“Books made hundreds of years ago are remarkably durable and flexible, and will last much longer than those printed today,” said John Schleicher, head of special collections at the McGoogan Library.
Schleicher’s favorite in the collection is a volume from 1798 by Edward Jenner, about Jenner’s experience vaccinating humans against the cow pox.
The oldest volume is from the 1300’s–a handwritten manuscript written by Albertus Magnus (1193-1280), the naturalist, scholar, and king of England who was later known as Albert the Great. About 50 copies of the manuscript were produced in the 1300’s, and more than 600 years later, UNMC owns one of them.
Carefully controlling the environment is critical to protecting the durability of rare books. Some of the renovations to the rare book rooms included: installing a waterless fire suppression system; rerouting wet pipes and drains away from the rooms; installing new temperature controls, humidifiers, and ventilation systems; redesigning ceilings and indirect lighting; and adding security equipment.
The majority of books were donated by three former physicians affiliated with UNMC: LeRoy Crummer, M.D., surgeon; Robert Moes, M.D., surgeon and Leon S. McGoogan, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist.
Books in this collection cannot be checked out, but the library does host rare book room tours by appointment.
A ribbon-cutting was held to celebrate completion of renovations in the rare book rooms. Stephen Greenberg, Ph.D., coordinator of public services, History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine, delivered a campus presentation titled, “Real Books: What They Are and Why We Still Need Them.”