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.