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Brain of an alcoholic vagrant
Dr. Myrtelle May Canavan, pathologist with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Diseases and a member of the staff of the Boston Psychopathic Hospital, displayed enlarged photographs of fifty brains of criminals and feeble-minded individuals at the…
What can be done to better the race?
This letter by Gay summarizes the state of eugenics and alludes to the states which have enacted sterilization laws but concedes that an educational program is the most practical means to promote eugenic policy. The article was reprinted as…
An act concerning operations for the prevention of procreation
A bill for the sterilization of inmates of prisons and insane hospitals “by whom procreation would be inadvisable” was introduced into the Connecticut legislature by Representative Wilbur F. Tomlinson in February, 1909. The bill passed…
Eugenical sterilization in the United States
Harry H. Laughlin was director of Eugenics Record Office for thirty years and assisted Charles B. Davenport in first publishing the Eugenics Research Association’s Eugenical news to promote the activities of the Office. In 1922, he compiled and…
Draft of letter to Ernest V. Scribner from George Washington Gay
Former lecturer in surgery at Harvard and senior surgeon at Boston City Hospital, George W. Gay was approached by the Massachusetts Commission for expert advice on vasectomy and enforced sterilization: “The most feasible method of controlling…
Concerning the study of eugenics in Massachusetts
Harvard’s Bullard Professor of Neuropathology, E. E. Southard, presented this report on the desirability of eugenic research in Massachusetts, to the Board of Directors of the Eugenics Record Office, probably at its first meeting on December…
Forgotten Children
This fundraising brochure from the National Mental Health Foundation makes a plea for compassion, better care, and education of the feeble-minded and sharply criticizes the family studies of the eugenics movement: “More than a generation ago…
Oliver Wendell Holmes with his microscope
Holmes was offering practical instruction in the use of the microscope to medical students at Harvard by 1855. In an address to the Boston Microscopical Society in 1877, Holmes said, “My dealing with the instrument has been principally as a…
Oliver Wendell Holmes, circa 1872
The original of this photograph is preserved in an album of the members of the Boston Society for Medical Improvement, compiled in 1872. Holmes was elected to membership in the society in 1836, just after his graduation from Harvard Medical School.
Composite photograph of Oliver Wendell Holmes
A composite photograph of Oliver Wendell Holmes by Harold C. Ernst
Oliver Wendell Holmes and members of the Boston Society for Medical Improvement
This rare photograph depicts physicians (standing, left to right) Charles Eliot Ware, Robert William Hooper, Le Baron Russell, Samuel Parkman, (seated, left to right) George Amory Bethune, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Samuel Cabot, Jonathan Mason Warren,…
Oliver Wendell Holmes, circa 1855
Daguerreotype portrait of Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894), taken around 1855
Boat race on the Charles River
This illustration was printed in the edition of Ballou’s pictorial for June 20th and depicts the finish of a race of club boats on the Charles at Western Avenue a few days earlier. Holmes “who is very partial to this manly exercise”…
Paper knife
Philadelphia's analogue to Holmes was neurologist and novelist S. Weir Mitchell (1829-1914). The two were well-acquainted and corresponded from the 1850s until Holmes' death. Weir Mitchell sent this ivory paper knife to Holmes in 1882 and composed…
Farewell Address of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes
This photograph was taken on the occasion of Holmes’ retirement from teaching anatomy at Harvard and just after the opening of the school's new facility on Boylston Street. Some years later, Thomas Dwight recalled, “The scene was most…
The celebration of Oliver Wendell Holmes's seventieth birthday
The famous "Atlantic Breakfast," given by the publishers of The Atlantic monthly on December 3, to honor Holmes at 70 and his contributions to the success of the magazine, was covered in local newspapers. Guests at the event included literary figures…
Portrait of Oliver Wendell Holmes
Holmes said of this portrait, which was acquired by the Boston Medical Library at the time of his book collection and displayed in the original Holmes Hall, “It is there; the age is there; the wrinkles are there. It is a likeness. It is the…
The autocrat of the breakfast-table
Beyond the sphere of poetry, the literary reputation of Oliver Wendell Holmes rests largely on the loosely connected series of essays, poems, and aphorisms which forms The autocrat of the breakfast-table. The essays were originally printed in issues…
Chambered nautilus shell
The nautilus shell, formerly on display in the Boston Medical Library’s building at 8 The Fenway, was probably originally in Holmes’ study. A second nautilus shell is housed with other Holmes items at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
Watercolor sketch of old Holmes house
Holmes was born and grew up in the “gambrel-roofed house,” facing Cambridge Common, where the Littauer building now stands. In 1870, he and his brother sold the house to Harvard University and in—to use Holmes’…
Cast of the fist of Oliver Wendell Holmes
Made at the request of librarian James Read Chadwick, the bronzed fist of Holmes was displayed in the original Holmes Hall of the Boston Medical Library’s building following the memorial meeting on October 30, 1894. The sculptor, Truman Howe…
Wedgwood medallion of Oliver Wendell Holmes
Medallion of Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) for Richard Briggs Co., Boston around 1895.
Bust of Oliver Wendell Holmes
The BPL original was “ordered by the Mayor of Boston, on authority of the City Council, and was paid for by the city,” according to Annual Report of the Trustees and received at that time (January, 1896).
The Boston Medical Library copy…
Sarah H. Furber
In 1848, after millworker Sarah H. Furber died following an abortion, physician John McNab (1783-1878) brought her body to Boston and offered to sell it to Holmes as a subject for dissection at the Medical School. The offer was refused, but Holmes…
Nautilus bookplate
On January 23, 1889, Oliver Wendell Holmes presented his book collection of over 900 volumes to the Boston Medical Library, with holdings ranging over four centuries, from the most current publications back to the beginnings of printing. A copy of…
Friendship cup
On his 80th birthday, Holmes received this silver cup, inscribed with a quotation from “A sentiment,” one of his early poems. The gift was from Annie Fields, Sarah Orne Jewett, and nine other women.
Stereographic view of Old Elm, Boston Common
Around 1861, Holmes devised what would later be known as the “American” type of stereoscope—an inexpensive handheld device with slots to hold the stereographs at different distances and a hooded eyepiece overall, distinct from the…
Harvard Medical School in 1883
During the 1880s, Holmes was involved with the fund-raising appeals for the Medical School’s Boylston Street building. As part of the centennial celebration and dedication of the new building in 1883, he delivered this oration, tracing the…
The health-lift reduced to a science
The Reactionary Lifter was sold by the Health-Lift Company of New York as a muscle exercise and strength-building device, suitable for men and women. A testimonial letter by Holmes appears in this marketing brochure: “My three months’…
Proceedings at the Delmonico's dinner
Following Holmes’ resignation of his professorship at Harvard, the physicians of New York hosted a public dinner in his honor. The dinner was held at Delmonico’s on April 12; the symbol of the event, embossed on the cover of the menu and…
Watercolor autocrat of the breakfast-table
A watercolor illustration that accompanied an 1890 version of Oliver Wendell Holmes' (1809-1894) The autocrat of the breakfast-table
Photographic studies for a bust of Oliver Wendell Holmes
Sculptor Truman Howe Bartlett made these photographs and measurements of Holmes at the age of 75 with the intention of making a bust, but the project was abandoned as “the necessary sittings were irksome to the subject.” After…
The Holmes stereoscope, with the inventions and improvements
added by Joseph L. Bates
Advertisement for the stereoscope designed by Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) and Joseph L. Bates
Oliver Wendell Holmes at Beverly Farms
Photograph of Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) at Beverly Farms, taken by William Henry Rideing (1853-1918) in October 1887
R & J Beck classroom demonstration microscope
A classroom demonstration brass monocular microscope with mirror and oil lamp, used by Oliver Wendell Holmes. It is mounted onto a wooden base with a heavy wooden handle.
Stella musculosa nuchae
Border lines of knowledge, in some provinces of medical science is a published and somewhat expanded version of Holmes’ introductory lecture to the students at Harvard Medical School at the opening of term on November 6, 1861. Although he refers to…
Classified index to specific medical periodicals
As part of his dedicatory address at the Boston Medical Library, Holmes praised, in particular, the development of periodical indexes. “This idea has long been working in the minds of scholars, and all who have had occasion to follow out any…
Tremont Street Medical School Prospectus
Holmes was one of the founders and faculty members of the Tremont Street Medical School; he offered courses in anatomy, physiology, and, as attested by this prospectus for the 1848 course, regular instruction in microscopic anatomy, and was one of…
Letter from Oliver Wendell Holmes to Harold C. Ernst
As this letter attests, Holmes was less than enchanted with his composite photograph: “I thank you for them. They are curious, interesting—and fearfully truthful. I do not think much is gained in this instance by the multiple process. I…
A poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes, M.D., delivered before the Society for
Medical Improvement
This lengthy poem by Holmes—never published during his lifetime—was probably recited at one of the anniversary dinners of the Boston Society for Medical Improvement; Holmes frequently composed and presented his poetic efforts for its…
Matriculating book
During the 19th century, every incoming medical student signed this volume at the beginning of the academic session and so agreed to follow the statutes of Harvard University and the direction of the Faculty of Medicine. On the page on the right can…
Poem at the centennial anniversary dinner
of the Massachusetts Medical Society
Holmes recited this poem at the anniversary celebration of the Society, held on June 8, 1881, and it was subsequently printed in the Boston medical and surgical journal. The poem contrasts the fortunes of priests, lawyers, and physicians but “I…
Poem delivered at Dartmouth College
In 1838, Holmes was offered the professorship of anatomy and physiology at Dartmouth and held that position for two years before joining the faculty of Harvard. He was also asked by the New Hampshire Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa to deliver a poem…
Letter from the Massachusetts Colonization Society to the Medical Faculty of Harvard College
This letter from Holmes’ tenure as dean of Harvard Medical School relates to the education of two African-American students, Daniel Laing, Jr., and Isaac H. Snowden. The Massachusetts Colonization Society promoted the education of Laing and…
Letter from Oliver Wendell Holmes to Charles Brooks
This letter from Holmes’ tenure as dean of Harvard Medical School relates to the education of two African-American students, Daniel Laing, Jr., and Isaac H. Snowden. Here, at Brooks’ appeal, Holmes waives the lecture fees for Laing…
Teaching from the chair and at the bedside
At the opening of the term and the beginnings of debate over educational reform at the Medical School, Holmes gave this address to the students, partly in defense of the summer term of practical instruction over the formal lectures of the winter.…
Clinique de M. Louis
After studying medicine with James Jackson, Holmes continued his medical education in Europe, beginning in the summer of 1833. He studied with some of France’s most famous physicians, including Marjolin, Roux, Velpeau, and Andral; this is…
My hunt after 'The Captain'
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., abandoned his studies at Harvard College to join the Massachusetts Volunteers at the outbreak of the Civil War. He was wounded on October 21, 1861, at the battle of Ball’s Bluff, in Virginia, and attended by a…
The army hymn
This patriotic musical poem was first printed in the June issue of The Atlantic monthly and also as part of a program for a prize-giving ceremony at the Boston Latin School on May 25, 1861, just a few weeks after Confederate forces began firing on…
Memoranda of patients and cases treated
Little is known of Holmes’ private medical practice, but this volume of case notes derives from the period while he was on the Tremont School faculty and immediately following his research into the contagiousness of puerperal fever. The Judge…
Remarks on the case of Dr. Spurzheim
During the early 1830s, Holmes was enrolled at Harvard Medical School, but also sought tuition privately with Dr. James Jackson. Of Holmes, Jackson said to his son, “He can tell you much that is interesting. Do not mind his apparent frivolity and you…
Prescription
This handwritten prescription for a friend, probably to treat bronchitis, was made by Holmes shortly before his death.
The contagiousness of puerperal fever
Following his presentation on puerperal fever to the Boston Society for Medical Improvement, Holmes first published his findings in this journal in April 1843. The article was also reprinted in pamphlet form. The passage displayed here contains…
Puerperal fever, as a private pestilence
There was a great deal of initial resistance and hostility to Holmes’ ideas, particularly from two noted Philadelphia obstetricians, Charles D. Meigs and Hugh Lenox Hodge. In 1855, a reprint of the article appeared as Puerperal fever, as a…
Minute book
During the summer of 1842, the Boston Society for Medical Improvement, a scientific organization of which Holmes and many of his friends from his European sojourn were members, began to consider the question of puerperal fever. Following reports of…
The collegian, no. I
The first published poems of Oliver Wendell Holmes were printed in the six issues of a monthly Harvard undergraduate student magazine, The collegian, from February through July, 1830. Some of his poems then appeared in Illustrations of the…
Poems
In addition to The collegian, some of Oliver Wendell Holmes's (1809-1894) poems then appeared in Illustrations of the Athenæum gallery of paintings (1830) and The harbinger : a may-gift (1833). Holmes’ Poems (1836) represents the first…
Letter by Oliver Wendell Holmes to Alexander Ireland
After the death of transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1882, Holmes was approached to write his biography for the “American Men of Letters” series. After publication, he received this letter from journalist Alexander Ireland…
Homϗpathy, and its kindred delusions
Holmes delivered this critical address on homeopathy to the Boston Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge on February 16, 1842, and then published it with a companion lecture, "Medical delusions of the past," later that spring. Although Holmes…
Notes on anatomy lectures taken by Edward A. Whiston
Edward Andem Whiston (1838-1909) of Framingham received a medical degree from Harvard in 1861, then served as a surgeon with the 1st and 16th regiments of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He was later the port physician of…
Program from Harvard Medical School centennial celebration
During the 1880s, Holmes was involved with the fund-raising appeals for the Medical School’s Boylston Street building. As part of the centennial celebration and dedication of the new building in 1883, he delivered this oration, tracing the history…
An introductory lecture, delivered at the Massachusetts Medical College
Holmes assumed the professorship of anatomy and physiology at Harvard in the fall of 1847 and delivered this introductory lecture to the students on November 3. In an overview of the medical developments of Boston, Holmes alludes here to “the…
Address on medical education
Despite Harvard’s renowned faculty members and array of courses, the students themselves in the mid-19th century were often poorly trained. Few of the matriculants had formal college degrees upon entering the school, the required course of…
Receipts to cure various disorders for my worthy friend, Mr. Winthrop
English physician Edward Stafford compiled this book of basic recipes for medical disorders such as madness, vertigo, and the king’s evil for John Winthrop (1588-1649), the governor of Massachusetts.
Medical directions written for Governor Winthrop
English physician Edward Stafford compiled a book of basic recipes for medical disorders such as madness, vertigo, and the king’s evil for John Winthrop (1588-1649), the governor of Massachusetts. At the request of Robert C. Winthrop, president…
Elsie Venner : a romance of destiny
First edition of Holmes' novel, Elsie Venner. This is a presentation copy from Holmes to Henry Jacob Bigelow (1818-1890). After Holmes’ death, his friend and fellow novelist William Dean Howells (1837-1920) said of Holmes' work, “His…
The guardian angel
First edition of Holmes' novel, The Guardian Angel. After Holmes’ death, his friend and fellow novelist William Dean Howells (1837-1920) said of Holmes' work, “His novels all belonged to an order of romance which was as distinctly his own…
A mortal antipathy : first opening of the new portfolio
First edition of Holmes' novel, A mortal antipathy : first opening of the new portfolio. After Holmes’ death, his friend and fellow novelist William Dean Howells (1837-1920) said of Holmes' work, “His novels all belonged to an order of…
Trials of a public benefactor, as illustrated in the discovery of etherization
Commissioned by William T. G. Morton, Trials of a public benefactor attempts to provide support for his claim to precedence in the discovery of ether anesthesia. Here, as part of the story, Oliver Wendell Holmes coins the term in a letter to Morton…
Dedication of the new building and hall of the Boston Medical Library Association
Following the formation of the Boston Medical Library in 1875, Holmes agreed to be the Association’s first president. He delivered the dedicatory address at the opening of the library’s new building at 19 Boylston Place in 1878 and here…
A dissertation on acute pericarditis
This is the manuscript of Holmes' thesis, submitted as part of the degree requirements at Harvard Medical School. Following his return from his sojourn in Europe, he compiled the thesis from lectures of Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis he had attended…
Letter from Oliver Wendell Holmes to John Collins Warren
While Holmes' views on homeopathy are well attested, this letter to Dr. John Collins Warren (1778-1856) indicates he had at least some early interest in the concurrent phrenological movement. Holmes here invites Warren to attend his lecture on the…
1836 Boylston Prize Dissertations
After receiving his medical degree from Harvard, Holmes was granted the Boylston Prize in 1836 for his essay responding to the question “How far are the external means of exploring the condition of internal organs to be considered useful and…
Lectures on anatomy and physiology at Harvard Medical School
After receiving his medical degree from Harvard, Holmes was granted the Boylston Prize in 1836 for his essay responding to the question “How far are the external means of exploring the condition of internal organs to be considered useful and…
Letter from Oliver Wendell Holmes to William Hunt
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., abandoned his studies at Harvard College to join the Massachusetts Volunteers at the outbreak of the Civil War. He was wounded on October 21, 1861, at the battle of Ball’s Bluff, in Virginia, and attended by a…
Letter from Annie Fields to Sarah Orne Jewett
Annie Fields was the wife of James T. Fields, the publisher of The Atlantic monthly, and a close friend of Holmes. Here, in this letter to novelist Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909), she describes a visit with Holmes who speaks of his reverence for the…
To the eleven ladies who presented a loving cup to me
Holmes responded to the gift of the cup with a poem, “To the eleven ladies who presented me with a loving cup.” The poem was first printed privately, in just twelve copies; each was signed by Holmes and copies sent to his eleven admirers.…
Over the teacups
The poem "To the eleven ladies who presented me with a loving cup" was reprinted in Over the teacups (1891), Holmes’ late collection of essays and poems following in the vein of The autocrat of the breakfast-table. This copy of the first…
Letter from Oliver Wendell Holmes to John Samuel Whiting
Holmes’ extensive medical library grew by not only his own purchases but also many gifts from friends, admirers, and colleagues. In this letter to physician John Samuel Whiting (1828-1896), Holmes expresses his thanks for the copy of an early…
Letter by Oliver Wendell Holmes reflecting on his career
In this letter to an unknown correspondent, Holmes reflects on his career and activities: “My mode of life is rather solitary than social, though I have contributed my share of hilarity to scores of festivals and am almost entitled to be called…
Menu and program from Delmonico's dinner
Following Holmes’ resignation of his professorship at Harvard, the physicians of New York hosted a public dinner in his honor. The dinner was held at Delmonico’s on April 12; the symbol of the event, embossed on the cover of the menu and…
Facsimile telegram
Following Holmes’ resignation of his professorship at Harvard, the physicians of New York hosted a public dinner in his honor. Each guest was given a mock telegram from “The American Rabid Telegraph Company,” quoting lines from…
Oliver Wendell Holmes in his study
These two photographs show Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) in his office in 1890. Two of Holmes’ chambered nautilus shells are visible on top of the bookcase.
Homeopathic physician's catalogue
1880 physician's catalogue and price current of homœopathic medicines and books, surgical instruments, and other articles pertaining to a physician's outfit for sale by Boericke & Tafel
Report of a Committee of the Massachusetts Medical Society on Homœopathy
After the petition to resign of one of its homeopathic members, Isaac Colby of Salem, the Massachusetts Medical Society appointed a committee, including Oliver Wendell Holmes, to consider the question of homeopathy and whether its practitioners…
Domestic homœopathy
This popular homeopathic text for use in the home went through five editions in both London and Boston, where it was printed by Otis Clapp. Inside, there is information on obtaining medicine from "James Epps, Homœopathic Chemist," almost…
Organon der rationellen Heilkunde
The Organon is Samuel Hahnemann's statement of the theory behind homeopathy and a fundamental text of the new movement. It went through five different editions during Hahnemann's lifetime and was widely translated; new editions and translations…
Organon of the art of healing
The fifth edition of Hahnemann's Organon was translated into English by Conrad Wesselhoeft of Boston. It is clear from his introduction, however, that while still critical of allopathic practice, Wesselhoeft was not a homeopathic fundamentalist:…
Directory of Homeopathic Physicians
As the directory entries for homeopaths in Boston testify, the number of practitioners was on the decline by the mid-1920s, with only 126 listed. Roughly one in every five of these physicians was female. This is just a small fraction of the over…
Catalogue of fellows of the Massachusetts Medical Society
Printed as part of the published proceedings of the Society, this list of fellows from 1872 is the last to include homeopathic members such as Israel Tisdale Talbot, David Thayer, and Herman L. H. Hoffendahl, prior to their expulsion in June 1873.…
Ballot to dissolve the Massachusetts Homeopathic Medical Society
On April 15, 1964, at the 124th annual meeting, the members of the Massachusetts Homeopathic Medical Society voted 10-5 to dissolve their organization.
Signatures of the new members of the Massachusetts Homeopathic Medical Society
Following the reorganization of the Medical Fraternity as the Medical Society, the members used this volume to record changes in the by-laws. New members added their signatures upon admission to the society through 1881.
Minute Book of the Massachusetts Homeopathic Fraternity
Formed by Samuel Gregg and a handful of other pioneer practitioners, the Massachusetts Homeopathic Fraternity met monthly at the homes of its members to discuss cases and exchange information. It came to have over eighty members and eventually…
Homœopathy : with particular reference to a lecture by O. W. Holmes, M.D.
Pamphlet printed in reaction to the Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) lecture on homeopathy.
An answer to the homœopathic delusions, of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes
This is one of the pamphlets printed in reaction to the Holmes lecture on homeopathy. In responding to Holmes' criticism of the use of infinitesimal doses, Charles Neidhard states, "We, with many Homœopathic physicians, have never believed in…
A lecture on homœopathy before the members
of the Boylston Medical Society
In contrast to the bitter controversies of the previous decade, the 1880s saw the distinct medical factions in Boston making tentative overtures to one another. In April 1886, Dr. Vincent Y. Bowditch, president of Harvard's Boylston Medical Society,…
Cases treated according to homœopathic principles
The second homeopathic practitioner in Massachusetts and the first to practice in Boston, Dr. Josiah Foster Flagg became convinced of the efficacy of homeopathy after obtaining relief from chronic dyspepsia. This case book, listing patients treated…