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Frozen sections of a child
Thomas Dwight, Instructor in Topographical Anatomy and Histology, made these sections of a three-year-old child for use in his lectures at the Medical School in 1880-1881 and were some of the first frozen sections in use in this country. The plates…
Anatomy : descriptive and surgical
With dissections by Henry Gray, lecturer on anatomy, and H. V. Carter, demonstrator of anatomy at Saint George's Hospital, London, Gray's Anatomy quickly became a standard text for medical students. It first appeared in the U.S. in 1859 and became…
Practical dissections
Richard M. Hodges held the position of Demonstrator of Anatomy under Oliver Wendell Holmes from 1853 to 1861. He published this manual on human dissection for the student in 1858, then revised it thoroughly and reprinted it, as here, in 1867.
This…
A hebdomadal reminiscence of diurnal events
James Arthur Emmerton (HMS 1858) of Salem used this diary every Sunday to record his experiences a student at Harvard Medical School from 1855 through 1857. He then returned to it to document life in the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteers during the…
Teased nerve fixed in osmic acid, magnified twenty times
Microscope slide of a human nerve, teased out and fixed in osmic acid. Nerve image is magnified twenty times
Section of human incisor, magnified by two times
Microscope slide of a cross section of a human incisor
Small intestine of a lizard, magnified four times
Microscope slide of the small intestine of a lizard. Small intestine composed of a thick section of tissue encased in clear resin. Tissue image is magnified four times.
Muscle sarcolemma of a frog, magnified four times
Microscope slide of the muscle sarcolemma of a frog, stained and mounted by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Tissue is magnified four times.
Transverse section of muscle tissue, magnified ten times
Microscope slide exhibiting a transverse section of human muscle tissue, stained and mounted by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Tissue is magnified ten times.
Sweat glands, magnified ten times
Microscope slide of human sweat glands stained and mounted by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Tissue is magnified ten times.
Catalog entry for Oliver Wendell Holmes denture
This version of the Museum's catalog was in use from the 1890s through 1907.
Here among the entries for items of mechanical dentistry are specimens 1562 and 1565
Here among the entries for items of mechanical dentistry are specimens 1562 and 1565
Mounted preparation showing first intercostal arteries
Dried and injected anatomical preparation mounted onto black wooden base. Coated with unknown preservative.
Back of wooden base has red diagram showing origin and distribution of intercostal arteries.
Back of wooden base has red diagram showing origin and distribution of intercostal arteries.
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…
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Prescription
This handwritten prescription for a friend, probably to treat bronchitis, was made by Holmes shortly before his death.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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
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
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…
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
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…
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’…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
Wedgwood medallion of Oliver Wendell Holmes
Medallion of Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) for Richard Briggs Co., Boston around 1895.
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…
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’…
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.
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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”…
Oliver Wendell Holmes, circa 1855
Daguerreotype portrait of Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894), taken around 1855
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,…
Composite photograph of Oliver Wendell Holmes
A composite photograph of Oliver Wendell Holmes by Harold C. Ernst
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.
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…
Eagle skeleton [WAM 00161] prepared by Oliver Wendell Holmes
Photograph of eagle skeleton [WAM 00151] prepared by and donated by Oliver Wendell Holmes to the Warren Anatomical Museum in 1851. Eagle skeleton is being photographed on the Harvard Medical School quad by artists from the Art Institute of Boston in…
Cast of the fist of Oliver Wendell Holmes
Made at the request of librarian James Read Chadwick, the bronzed fist of Oliver Wendell 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,…