About the Health Science Historical Collections

Overview

The UT Health Sciences Historical Collections acquires, catalogs, preserves, and makes available for research materials documenting the history of UT Health Sciences and its founding institutions, as well as materials of historical significance to the health sciences and their practitioners, especially in Memphis, Tennessee and the Mid-South region.

Collections include rare and antiquarian books, artifacts, photographs, oral histories, and biographical information on Tennessee physicians. Campus-specific collections include class composite photos, yearbooks, bulletins, oral histories, and the personal and professional papers of UT Health Sciences faculty and alumni, including Dr. Margaret A. Newman and Dr. Lemuel Diggs.

The HSHC provides support to the UT Health Sciences through the provision of historical information, documents, photographs, and objects. Frequent internal archives users include the Office of Advancement, Communications and Marketing, and various administrative offices. The HSHC also assists scholarly and genealogical researchers on a variety of subjects represented in the collections.

The Health Sciences Historical Collections are located on the fifth floor of the Lamar Alexander Building in a temperature, humidity, and UV-light controlled environment that meets national archival standards.

Many of the materials were collected by former UT Health Sciences Anatomy Professor Dr. Simon R. Bruesch.  A book lover and history enthusiast, Dr. Bruesch collected thousands of books, documents, and objects throughout his lifetime.  After his retirement, he donated his collection to the Health Sciences Library.