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
http://www.library.uthscsa.edu On 21 July, 2007 author J.K. Rowling and her publishers worldwide released the last of
The Friends of the P.I. Nixon
Medical Historical Library was treatise with an intriguing connection to Rowling and her tales. The visitors were
organized to foster the growth,
development and use of a
collection of books, manuscripts, series at NLM, two Web exhibits, the traveling exhibit coming October 11th to the
and other materials relating to
the history of the health sciences. Rowling researched Harry Potter’s world. This is the
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, 2009-2010
President:
Julie K. Brown, Ph.D.
Vice-President/President-Elect:
Robert V. Blystone, Ph.D.
Past-President 2008-2009:
Philip T. Valente, M.D.
Secretary/Treasurer:
Rajia Tobia, A.M.L.S.
Members-at-Large:
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
MEDICAL HISTORICAL LIBRARY
NEWSLETTER
No. 26 Annual Newsletter Fall 2010
Magic and Monsters in the Stacks:
How Harry Potter Came to the National Library of Medicine
her record-breaking novels featuring the young wizard Harry Potter. Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows sold 15 million copies in the first twenty-four hours following its
release. However, three days earlier, a group of middle-school visitors to the History of
Medicine Division at the National Library of Medicine were shown an early 17th century
fascinated, and they wanted more, so the NLM staff began to search its collection for
other Potter-related material. This labor eventually produced an exhibit and lecture
Briscoe Library, and a new appreciation of how carefully
story of how it happened, by someone who was there -
Dr. Stephen J. Greenberg.
Dr. Greenberg received his doctorate in Early Modern
History from Fordham University and earned his library
degree from Columbia University, specializing in Rare
Books. Since 1992, he has worked in the History of
Medicine Division at the National Library of Medicine,
where he is currently Coordinator of Public Services. His
papers and publications span a number of fields, including
the history of printing and publishing, medicine and
surgery in early modern Europe, and the history of medical
librarianship. In 1996, Dr. Greenberg was awarded the
Medical Library Association’s Murray Gottlieb Prize. In
addition to
40TH ANNUAL MEETING his responsibilities at NLM, Dr. Greenberg
Dinner and Presentation is an adjunct professor at the College of
“Magic & Monsters in the Stacks:
How Harry Potter Came to NLM”
Library and Information Studies at the
University of Maryland, where he lectures
Monday, November 1, 2010 on the History of the Book.
Cash bar: 6:30 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 p.m.
Appetizer, entrée, dessert, coffee or tea
We invite the Friends, their guests, and all
Doubletree Hotel those interested in the history of medicine
37 NE Loop 410 at McCullough to a terrific presentation and an enjoyable
evening of good food and conversation.
Cost: $40/person
Please send the enclosed invitation and
($30 for students includes Friends membership)
membership renewal form by October 27
to reserve your place. We look forward to
Advance registration required
Please RSVP by October 27th hearing from you!
 No. 26 Annual Newsletter Fall 2010

HARRY POTTER EVENTS

Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine, the traveling exhibit produced by the National
Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, and coordinated by the American Library
Association, uses materials from the historical collections of the National Library of Medicine to explore Harry Potter’s
world and its roots in Renaissance traditions. The Briscoe Library was one of only a dozen libraries across the country
originally selected to host the traveling exhibit, which will be on view on the 3rd floor of the library
October 11—November 6, 2010.

A companion Harry Potter exhibit, created by Pennie Borchers, Special Collections Librarian, will be on
display in the lecture hall foyer exhibit cases from mid-September to mid-November, 2010.

Opening Reception and Presentation

Monday, October 11, 2010 – 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

C. Mackenzie Brown, Ph.D.

Jennie Farris Railey King Professor in Religion
Department of Religion, Trinity University

"Renaissance Science and the Quest for Immortality:

Lessons from Albus Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, and Isaac Newton"

What do Sir Isaac Newton, Albus Dumbledore, and Professor

Severus Snape have in common? What is the difference between
the Philosopher's Stone, a Horcrux, and a Crucifix? What does J.K.
Rowling share with the gospel writer Matthew? Dr. C. Mackenzie
Brown will answer these questions in exploring the relation of
religion and natural philosophy in the Renaissance and
Enlightenment, and their role
in the development of modern
science.

Friends Lunchtime Presentation

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 – 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.

Charleen M. Moore, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Cellular & Structural Biology
UT Health Science Center

“Potent Potions and Healing Herbs:

Medicinal Practices of the Renaissance”

Would you like to have a recipe for a “good vomit” or learn how to make an
effective theriac? Do you know why Professor Sprout wore earmuffs or how
to diagnose melancholy from a urine sample? You will find the answers to these
questions in the talk by Dr. Charleen Moore on the medicinal practices of the
Renaissance. She will also discuss the humeral basis of disease and describe two
of the oldest medicinal botanical gardens in the world at Padua and Oxford.

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 No. 26 Annual Newsletter Fall 2011

HARRY POTTER EVENTS

Saturday Event for Children Young and Old

Saturday, October 23, 2010 – 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

“A Little Muggle Magic:

The Wisdom of Harry Potter for Families"

Having read the entire Potter series eight times over

and gathered insights from a large brood of grandsons,
Dr. Thompson is eminently qualified to shed light on
the quirkiest features of Harry Potter’s world.
Faculty and staff of the UT Health Science Center
are encouraged to bring their children to this event.

Patricia Thompson, Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer in History
University of Texas at San Antonio

For Students Attending Science Expo

Saturday, November 6, 2010 – 2:00 and 3:00 p.m.

“Living Dangerously:
Doctors Adrift in the Dark Ages”

In the Middle Ages, there were a few good doctors

and lots of bad ones, operating in a context of
ignorance. The practice of medicine was very
dangerous for patients---and even for doctors---
who met various unpleasant ends when their
medicine failed, as it often did. 

Richard F. Ludueña, Ph.D.

Distinguished Teaching Professor
Department of Biochemistry, UTHSC

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 No. 26 Annual Newsletter Fall 2010

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST YEAR

Julie K. Brown Presentation

International expositions in the 19th and early 20thcenturies made
innovations and technological advances in medicine and commerce
suddenly visible to a vast number of people and, with it, came new
awareness of a growing number of health concerns.

In April, Julie K. Brown, PhD, Friends President, gave a library

presentation from her new book Health and Medicine on Display:
International Expositions in the United States, 1876-1904.
Dr. Brown is a faculty associate at the Center for Medical
Humanities & Ethics and research associate at the National Museum
of American History / Department of Medicine, Science and Society
at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Black History Exhibit

An exhibit early in the year during Black History Month honored the contributions of African-American healthcare
professionals. The lecture hall foyer display, originally researched and mounted by Pat Brown, Special Collections Li-
brary Assistant, featured black notables influential in the history of the health sciences. Members of the Student Na-
tional Medical Association contributed to the new, updated exhibit.

The Whimsical Art of José S. Perez: Specialty by Specialty

The exhibit collection of Perez’s colorful illustrations satirizing the various medical specialties featured comic
archetypes of doctors set in incongruous poses. The pathologist, for example, was depicted as the physician accustomed
to having “the last word,” who must now contend with Death, represented by a snake-straddling skeleton. Houston-born
Perez was working as a busboy when Ruth Van Dyke, the director of the Chicago Academy, saw sketches he had made
on the backs of discarded menus. Recognizing his talent, she invited him to study art at the Academy. Perez paintings
are now represented in collections throughout the United States and Europe.

Photos of Haiti
A photographic exhibit, using the Library’s new 3rd floor gallery system,
documented healthcare efforts in the aftermath of the January 2010
earthquake in Haiti. Dr. Ruth Berggren, Director of the Center for Medical
Humanities & Ethics, and her husband, Dr. Tyler Curiel, Professor of
Medicine, travelled to the devastated area as members of a non-profit
volunteer relief organization providing medical services. The stirring
photos, taken by Berggren, Curiel, and Caesar Ricci, III, 4th year medical
student, were on view last spring.

This fall a special photo exhibition, Students and Global Health,

will be featured in celebration of International Education Week.

Stephanie McClain and Amanda Evrard

from the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics,
installing Haiti photos in the library.

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 No. 26 Annual Newsletter Fall 2010

BIHL HAUS ARTS Felicitas V. Luna, Leona Pappas, Adriana

Garcia, Ruth Navarro, and Adela Solis
A wonderful display of art
work was on view June –
August in the library and
lecture hall commons.

Golden Memories,
a magnificent 15-foot mural
created by the artists of the
Bihl Haus Goldens Opportunity
Program, was the centerpiece
of the show.

The ‘Goldens ‘(senior residents

of The Primrose at Monticello
Park on Fredericksburg Road,
San Antonio) painted vivid
images from their memory
bank of special recollections.

Bihl Haus Arts, under the expert direction of Dr. Kellen Kee McIntyre, offers professionally-taught art classes to
senior residents at Primrose. Bihl Haus Arts, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, is the only professional non-profit
contemporary art gallery on the premises of an affordable senior housing community in the United States. It was the
subject of an 18-month research project, Arts and Aging in an Urban Environment, by Adelita Cantu of the UT Health
Science Center School of Nursing and Dr. Jill Fleuriet, Professor of Anthropology at UTSA. In June a reception in
honor of the ‘Goldens’ was held in the Library.

COMING UP . . .

ONE COMMUNITY / ONE BOOK 2010

On October 15, 2010 at 12:30 p.m. Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal
Life of Henrietta Lacks, will be guest speaker at the Center for Medical
Humanities & Ethics’ Frank Bryant, Jr., M.D. Memorial Lecture.

In the weeks leading up to the Bryant lecture, the library and ACET
(the Academic Center for Excellence in Teaching) are co-sponsoring the
third annual community read on the UT Health Science Center campus.

There will be two library screenings - in September and October - of the

BBC documentary Cancer Cell Research: The Way of all Flesh, which is
mentioned in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

For information on Skloot’s presentation, book discussion groups or the

film, visit the project Web site:
http://www.library.uthscsa.edu/events/onebook.cfm

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 No. 26 Annual Newsletter Fall 2010

FROM INCOMING PRESIDENT ROBERT V. BLYSTONE, PhD

It will be my honor and duty to serve as the President of the Friends of the P.I. Nixon
Medical Historical Library, beginning in November of this year. I have worked alongside
Tom Nixon, the son of P.I. Nixon, Jr., for many years at Trinity. Nixon memorabilia is
housed in the Rare Books section of Trinity University’s Coates Library. Some of my
lectures at Trinity were greatly influenced by access to the histology collection found in the
P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library.

It has been my impression that the Nixon Library is a treasure that needs to be spaded by
the larger educational community in the San Antonio area. Several educational touch-points should be identified from
the various college campuses in the area. The Special Collections could prosper by bringing a select group of college
instructors to the library so that they can realize how these wonderful materials can support their teaching and learning
efforts. A second opportunity to pursue is to inform the older members of the medical community that historical medical
books they may own might find their way to the Nixon collection. I would appreciate your help in forwarding these
objectives. Please contact me should you have suggestions as to how we might build on the strengths of the collection
and use of the facility. I hope that during my tenure as President, The Friends can add to the legacy begun by P.I. Nixon,
Sr. Thank you – Robert V. Blystone, Ph.D. - rblyston@trinity.edu, (210) 999-7243

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.

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.

J. Bradley Aust, MD, past president and beloved member of the Friends,
passed away this year at the age of eighty-four. Dr. Aust was born
September 8, 1926 in Buffalo, New York. After serving in the Navy, he
attended Union College and the University of Buffalo Medical School, where
he received his MD. Dr. Aust completed his internship and residency in
Minneapolis, earned his MS in physiology and PhD in surgery, and became
Professor of Surgery at the University there. In 1965 he was recruited to San
Antonio to become the first chairman of the Department of Surgery at the new
University of Texas Medical School. After thirty years, by the time of his
retirement, he had trained hundreds of surgeons. Dr. Aust held numerous
honorary positions – as president of the Texas Surgical Association, the
Western Surgical Association, and the Southern Surgical Society – to name
but a few. He had many hobbies and skills: hunting, skiing, cycling, music,
photography, and more. He is survived by his dear wife Connie, their six
children, twelve grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Dr. Aust will be greatly missed!

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 No. 26 Annual Newsletter Fall 2010

VICTOR OLIVEROS—AN ORAL HISTORY

In November 2009 Pennie Borchers, Special Collections Librarian, conducted an

oral history interview in Laredo, Texas, with Mr. Victor Oliveros. Mr. Oliveros
was Chief of Environmental Health Services with the City of Laredo Health
Department and is now a presenter with the South Texas Environmental
Education and Research Program. He was a founder of the U.S.-Mexico Health
Commission and member of the EPA Citizens Advisory Committee.

In a career spanning 45 years in public health, Mr. Oliveros’ vital role in

mosquito vector control, food hygiene training programs and efforts to avert
serious environmental pollution on the U.S.-Mexico border have earned him
an important place in South Texas history.

To hear his interesting stories, please access our Library Internet Archive:
http://www.archive.org/details/UTHSC003

DR. PHILO ON LEONARDO, VESALIUS AND NETTER, CAPTURED IN A NEW VIDEOTAPE

FOR THE LIBRARY’S DIGITAL ARCHIVE

Dr. Ron Philo, President of the Anatomical Board of the State of Texas
and Director of the Willed Body Program, was Senior Lecturer in the
UT Health Science Center Department of Cellular & Structural Biology
in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences until his retirement in
August, 2010. Over the course of the years Dr. Philo taught anatomy to
bioscience students through the art of dissection, the very activity that
Leonardo employed to discover the inner structure of man.

Dr. Philo’s latest book on Leonardo debuted this year in conjunction

with the exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man” at
the Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, where the entire suite of
Manuscript A - the artist’s finest anatomical drawings - were on view for
the first time in history. This remarkable catalog of the Royal Collection,
co-authored by Martin Clayton, deputy curator of the Print Room at
Windsor Castle, England, is the second collaboration for Dr. Philo, who
annotated the 1992 volume, “Leonardo da Vinci: The Anatomy of Man,”
for the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

TEXAS HISTORY DIGITIZED

The library has received a “Rescuing Texas History” mini-project grant for the digitization of thirteen historical books
from the P. I. Nixon Medical Historical Library. The books will be digitized by the University of North Texas Libraries
Digital Project Unit and included in The Portal to Texas History, an Internet gateway to Texas history, created and
maintained by the University of North Texas Libraries. The Portal features unique materials from Texas libraries,
museums, archives, historical societies, genealogical societies, and private collections. Among the books sent to the
Portal from the Nixon Library are Queer Quaint Old San Antonio: Its Climate in Throat and Lung Diseases, published in
1895 by C. E. Fisher, and An Account of the Early History of Surgery in Texas, the Presidential address presented by
A. Singleton to the Texas Surgical Society in October 1932.

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 No. 26
Membership Roster for 2009 – 2010
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
Dr. & Mrs. John D. Rugh
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
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
Patron Members
Dr. C. Mackenzie Brown
Drs. Julie K. & John P. Brown
Dr. & Mrs. Robert V. Blystone
Dr. & Mrs. David P. Cappelli
Mr. Jerry Crockett
LTC Daryl Cunningham
Dr. Sue C. Cunningham
Miriam & Leslie Ellison
Carl & Barbara Nixon Ernst
Dr. & Mrs. Marc Feldman
Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Forland
Mrs. August F. Herff
Dr. & Mrs. O. Roger Hollan
Dr. & Mrs. Frank Kiel
Dr. & Mrs. Joseph C. Kobos
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Leon
Dr. & Mrs. Arthur S. McFee
Dr. Milka M. Montiel
Dr. Charleen M. Moore
Mr. & Mrs. John B. Nixon
Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm Orr
Dr. & Mrs. Basil A. Pruitt, Jr.
Dr. Rajam Ramamurthy
Dr. & Mrs. Waid Rogers
Dr. & Mrs. J. Marvin Smith, III
Dr. & Mrs. Lorence W. Trick
Dr. & Mrs. Philip T. Valente
Dr. & Mrs. Vick Williams
Regular Members
Ms. Pennie Borchers
Dr. Patricia A. Brewer
Ms. Patricia L. Brown
Dr. Cheryl Burns
Dr. Susan Jarvis
Ms. Constance Lowe
Past Presidents
William B. Brendel, M.D.
David McMahon, M.D.
Mrs. Lila Cockrell
William V. Healey, M.D.
Mrs. Charles W. Finley
Maurice S. Albin, M.D.
Charles A. Hulse, M.D.
Joyce G. Schwartz, M.D.
Mrs. Zula Vizard
Harlan D. Root, M.D., Ph.D.
Herman S. Wigodsky, M.D., Ph.D.
John M. Smith, Jr. M.D.
August F. Herff. M.D.
Fall 2010
Dr. Richard F. Ludueña
Mr. Patrick I. Nixon, III
Ms. Katie Prentice
Dr. H. David Root
Mr. Luke Rosenberger
Dr. Albert E. Sanders
Dr. Charles W. Sargent
Dr. Wayne H. Schwesinger
Dr. David E. Snyder
Dr. Brenda J. Talley
Ms. Rajia Tobia
Mr. Fred W. Todd
Dr. James W. Yancy
Student Members
Mr. Oleg Balter
Ms. Melissa Beally
Ms. Juliette Comeaux
Ms. Lauren Day
Mr. Assaf Fesseha
Ms. Sheridan Fielding
Ms. Stephanie Garrett
Mr. Paulino Gonzales
Ms. Kristin Hemard
Mr. Derek Koller
Ms. Jessica Koller
Mr. David Metter
Ms. Sarah Murphree
Mr. Matt Mulane
Ms. Toral Parikh
Ms. Catherine Reppa
Ms. Ashley Rodriguez
Mr. Rehman Sheikh
Mr. Matthew Wendahl
Janice A. Mendelson, M.D.
Daniel Rosenthal, M.D.
Arthur S. McFee, M.D.
Daniel H. Jones, M.L.S.
Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., M.D.
Erle K. Adrian, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
Emilio F. Romero, M.D.
Charleen M. Moore, Ph.D.
Ron Philo, Ph.D.
Richard F. Luduena, Ph.D.
Kirsten Gardner, Ph.D.
Philip T. Valente, M.D.
Julie K. Brown, Ph.D.
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