![Garrison](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Garrison.jpg)
Colonel Fielding Hudson Garrison,
MD (November 5, 1870 – April 18, 1935) was an acclaimed
medical historian,
bibliographer
Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliography ...
, and
librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...
of medicine. Garrison's ''
An Introduction to the History of Medicine'' (1913) is a landmark text in this field.
Biography
Garrison was born in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and received his
A.B.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in 1890 from the
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
and his M.D. in 1893 from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
. The son of
U.S. Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...
Comptroller
John Rowzee Garrison and noted Washington, D.C. civic volunteer
Catherine Jane Jennie Davis, he married Clara Augusta Brown in 1910 in Washington, D.C. and they eventually had three daughters. (Garrison was brother-in-law — they married sisters in a double wedding — to
Henry Campbell Black
Henry Campbell Black (October 17, 1860 – March 19, 1927) was the founder of ''Black's Law Dictionary'', the definitive legal dictionary first published in 1891.
Born in Ossining, New York
Ossining may refer to:
*Ossining (town), New York, a tow ...
, author of "
Black's Law Dictionary.)
Garrison joined the staff of the
Army Medical Library as a clerk in 1891. (The AML was to become the
National Library of Medicine
The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...
many years after Garrison's death.) He became Assistant Librarian in 1899 and Principal Assistant Librarian in 1912. He joined the
Officers Reserve Corps
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Since July 2020, ...
as a Major in 1917 (Lieutenant Colonel, 1918 and Colonel, 1920). Garrison was assigned to index medical literature. In this he worked closely with
John Shaw Billings. He helped create and compile the ''
Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office''. His editorial responsibilities also included the ''
Index Medicus
''Index Medicus'' (''IM'') is a curated subset of MEDLINE, which is a bibliographic database of life science and biomedical science information, principally scientific journal articles. From 1879 to 2004, ''Index Medicus'' was a comprehensive ...
'', of which he was Associate Editor (1903–1912) and Editor (1912–1927). He was also Associate Editor of the ''
Quarterly Cumulative Index Medicus
''Index Medicus'' (''IM'') is a curated subset of MEDLINE, which is a bibliographic database of life science and biomedical science information, principally scientific journal articles. From 1879 to 2004, ''Index Medicus'' was a comprehensive ...
'' for 1927–1929. Garrison wrote the first comprehensive treatise on the history of medicine and "gained recognition as the foremost American authority on the subject" (according to the ''
Dictionary of American Biography
The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).
History
The dictionary was first proposed to the Council in 1920 by hi ...
''). He prepared plans and collected material for the history of the
U.S. Army Medical Department during World War I. In all, he served on staff at the AML for almost 40 years.
From 1930, Garrison was lecturer in the history of medicine and librarian of the
Welch Medical Library of the Johns Hopkins University. He was also a much-respected editor and translator, as well as an accomplished classical pianist.
Garrison died April 18, 1935 in Washington, D.C. and is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
, Arlington VA.
Positions, honors and accolades
*Presidency,
American Association for the History of Medicine
*Presidency,
Medical Library Association
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a nonprofit educational organization with more than 3,400 health sciences information professional members and partners worldwide.
History
Founded on May 2, 1898, by four librarians, including Marcia ...
*Directorship, Johns Hopkins
Institute of the History of Medicine (for one year following the retirement of
William H. Welch
William Henry Welch (April 8, 1850 – April 30, 1934) was an American physician, pathologist, bacteriologist, and medical-school administrator. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.[New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health ...]
(1925–30)
*Fellow,
American College of Surgeons
Legacy
*Garrison was a close friend of noted literary critic
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...
, with whom he exchanged 400 letters, some of which have been published in Mencken's collected letters. Mencken was a pallbearer at Garrison's funeral.
*Garrison was the subject of two biographies by
Solomon Kagan, and the April, 1937 issue of ''
The Bulletin of the History of Medicine'' was devoted to essays about Garrison's life and contributions.
*Garrison's book ''Introduction to the History of Medicine'' was the first comprehensive American publication on the history of medicine. For this book he compiled a bibliography of major works in the history of medicine. This listing, later amended by
Leslie Morton, was eventually published as a separate piece. Garrison and Morton's ''A Medical Bibliography'' is still widely regarded as a standard in medical historical bibliography.
*Garrison's portrait hangs in the History of Medicine Division Reading Room of the
United States National Library of Medicine
The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...
,
Bethesda, MD
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which i ...
where most of his papers have been deposited.
Bibliography
Books
*
**2nd Edition, 1917.
**3rd Edition, revised and enlarged; Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co, 1921.
**
*
*
*Garrison, Fielding H. (1933/1943), ''A Medical Bibliography'' (amended by Leslie Morton)
Journals
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
Further reading
*Garrison, F.H. (1932), "A Lucubration on the Caduceus", ''
Mil. Surg.'', 71:129–32.
*"Fielding Hudson Garrison"
bituary(1935), ''
JAMA
''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of biom ...
'', 104:1540.
*Kagan, S.R. (1938), ''Life and Letters of Fielding H. Garrison'',
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
:
Medico-Historical Press.
*Arnold, Jr., H.L. (1943), ''Fielding H. Garrison, the Caduceus and the United States Army Medical Department'', ''
Bull. Hist. Med.'', 13:627-30
ontains a 1935 letter from Garrison to Arnold
External links
*
The Fielding H. Garrison Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrison, Fielding H.
1870 births
1935 deaths
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
American medical historians
Georgetown University School of Medicine alumni
Johns Hopkins University alumni
United States Army Medical Corps officers
American librarians