The Pharmaceutical Collection housed in The Moody Medical Library consists of assorted medicine chests and cases (19th century) and non- prescription drugs from the first part of the 20th century. The mahogany chests with brass handles, intricate compartments, and hand- blown medicine bottles represent high craftsmanship and provide a glimpse of 19th century therapeutics. The non-prescription drug collection includes items manufactured by 368 different pharmaceutical companies or entrepreneurs in 35 different states, drugs varying from analgesics and laxatives to cough syrups and ointments for skin.

BACKGROUND:
The non-prescription drug collection was donated to The Moody Medical Library in 1980 by Stanley E. Thawley, M.D., a 1967 graduate of The University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Thawley's activities as a collector extended over a period of 4-5 years, beginning in 1967. He visited numerous small town drugstores throughout Texas, and acquired old and dated medicines, many of which had been left in back rooms for decades. Although most of the collection came from Texas, only 15 percent of the drugs were manufactured in the Lone Star State.

RESEARCH VALUE:
The Pharmaceutical Collection is open to researchers interested in the history of medicine, pharmacy, and technology. The computer database for the non-prescription drugs can be queried to find different types of information about therapeutics and the drug industry during the first part of the 20th century. Nearly 40 percent of the drugs in the collection have accompanying prospectuses, which form a unique source of ephemeral literature.

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We invite inquiries about the Pharmaceutical Collection. For further information about the 19th-century medicine chests and cases, and the non-prescription drugs, please contact:

The Blocker History of Medicine Collections
The Moody Medical Library
The University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX 77555-1035

Phone: (409) 772-2397 FAX: (409) 765-9852
E-mail: ref@utmb.edu