  An Interview With An Authority Hello, Henry Schuman. Hello, James Madison. Since moving from Detroit to 730 Fifth Avenue, New York, are you continuing to make a specialty of medical rarities? Yes indeed, in fact more so than ever. What class of collectors go in for medical books? Mostly members of the medical profession, but also general collectors along scientific lines of which medicine is an integral part. Do collectors of medical literature aim to cover the entire field? Not in most instances. They usually specialize in branches that encompass their special interests, such for example as physiognomy, transfusion of blood, heart disorders, venereal ailments, etc. Has a well-selected medical library that was already assembled at say the turn of the century, increased or diminished in value? Increased I should say, or, from a very conservative estimate, at least held its own. This is due, no doubt, to the permanent interest such a medical library holds. On the other hand, authors of literary classics, especially from the beginning of the 19th century on, are subject to increasing or waning interest due to a change of popular favor and appreciation. In the case of modern authors such as Hemingway, Faulkner, etc., this is even more noticeable. The “white-headed” literary lion of today may be on tomorrow’s bargain shelf, and vice versa. Is the number of collectors of medical literature increasing? Somewhat, I should say. In the late twenties, Dr. Henry E. Sigerist became head of the Institute of Medicine at John Hopkins University where his outstanding accomplishments, combined also with his splendid achievement in promoting the Bulletin of the History of Medicine, did much to stimulate new interest, especially among the younger men. Which is the best medical bibliography? Probably the best, and certainly the most concise is Garrison’s “History of Medicine”, first published in 1914 by W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia. The fourth edition was issued in 1929 and is revised and comparatively up to date. It sells for $14. How can one get posted on the prices of medical literature? The Sanders Price List of Medica Incunabula gives some prices of early medicine. The cost is $10. As far as more modern medical books and miscellany are concerned, I believe the best guide is dealers’ lists who specialize in this sort of thing. I myself get out occasional catalogues of medical rarities, my latest one being issued to honor the seventieth birthday of Dr. Harvey Cushing, who is since deceased. How do you procure the medical material that you resell? There is no royal path that a dealer can pursue. One source is medical libraries privately owned, and which on the decease of the owner, have come into the possession of heirs who have no special interest therein, and who therefore are not adverse to turning them into ready cash. Europe, which may be termed the cradle of old medicine, holds most of the rarities, especially those of ancient vintage, and my correspondents on the other side are constantly on the watch for me. How highly are medical periodicals regarded by collectors? They play, as a rule, ‘second fiddle’ to books and pamphlets. They are quite bulky, and in harmony with the modern scheme of architectural contraction, collectors are not inclined to grant them shelf room. The best modern outlet for medical periodicals appears to be colleges and universities, although in many instances, the seller pro tem is apt to be met with the rubber-stamp response of “Insufficient funds.” Have many facsimile reproductions been made of rare medical books and pamphlets? Only a negligible number thus far and which have sold rather indifferently. However, with the increasing interest displayed in the collecting of medical literature, facsimiles will come more and more into their own. Are many medical works sold at book auctions? Hardly any, I should say. Medical books at best interest but a modest pro rata of collectors. Therefore, except in occasional instances, it has not been found profitable to include them in auction catalogues. Who are the modern American trail blazers as far as stimulating interest in the collecting of medical literature is concerned? In my opinion, Drs. Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Osler, and Harvey Cushing. |
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