History of Medicine

The Handbook of Texas Medicine - 01/05/2021

As a Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) special project, the Handbook of Texas Medicine will add 400 new entries featuring a broad array of topics, as well as revise several hundred existing entries. New Handbook entries will promote a greater understanding of the past while providing valuable context for present-day issues and crises. Upon completion, the Handbook of Texas Medicine will become the first state-based online medical encyclopedia in the U.S. TSHA is honored to collaborate in this endeavor with two venerable institutions: the Texas Medical Association and The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

Desegregating Medicine: Edith Irby Jones, MD, Broke Barriers in All-White Medical Schools in the South - 03/31/2020

 Houston internist Edith Irby Jones, MD, broke barriers in all-white medical schools in the South and in her hometown of Houston. She died at age 91.

Iron Lung Among Items Added To TMA’s Archives - 11/20/2019

In the fall of this year, Seton Family of Hospitals, of which Dell Children’s is a member, donated their materials to the Robert G. Mickey History of Medicine Gallery at the Texas Medical Association Louis J. Goodman Building in Austin. Some of the more notable standouts include a cadaver skeleton, nurse and vintage candy striper uniforms, and an iron lung.

New Exhibit Highlights Evolution of Doctors’ Roles in Popular Culture - 09/19/2019

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) debuts its newest History of Medicine exhibit, “Playing Doctor: Portrayals of Medicine in Popular Culture,” on Austin Museum Day. Austin Museum Day is a city-wide event for the public to enjoy free access to exhibits and activities at Austin-area museums.

One Giant Step for Physicians: A Texas Physician’s Role in Space-Race Medicine - 08/02/2019

This summer marks the 50th anniversary of America’s Apollo 11 Lunar Mission – the first time humans set foot on the moon. Across the world, the event was heralded as a milestone of scientific achievement, and its three-man crew – Neil Armstrong, Col. Buzz Aldrin, and Lt. Col. Michael Collins – became American heroes. Laboring behind the scenes were swarms of unsung individuals whose expertise made the enterprise possible, including Texas cardiologist Lawrence E. Lamb, MD. His 2006 memoir Inside the Space Race: A Space Surgeon’s Diary remains a vivid account of the essential role physicians played in the race to reach the moon.  

TMA Archives Photoshoot: A Look Back in Time(lapse) - 06/18/2019

Go behind the scenes as photographer Matt Lemke shoots some of the most interesting medical memorabilia in the Texas Medical Association archives and History of Medicine collection – everything from 15th century anatomical illustrations to Civil War postmortem dissection kits.

The Long Lost Speech: Letter Offers Glimpse Into 19th Century Surgery - 02/04/2019

The fifth floor of the Texas Medical Association building in Austin houses an archival collection of thousands of books, photographs, and artifacts documenting the rich history of Texas medicine. And there’s always room for more. That’s what unexpectedly happened in October, when TMA staff found an 1892 hand-written letter tucked away in the pages of an old medical journal. The speech gives modern-day physicians a look at the tools and techniques surgeons used more than 100 years ago.

TMA Exhibit Explores Disasters That Helped Shape Texas Medicine - 10/22/2018

The Texas Medical Association is highlighting some of the state’s most notorious disasters, and the medical responses to them, in its newest exhibit, “When Disaster Strikes…Six Catastrophes That Changed Texas Medicine.” The exhibit is on display until September 2019 in the Robert G. Mickey History of Medicine Gallery at the TMA headquarters in Austin.

Fighting on Two Fronts - 09/06/2018

The only female Texas physician to serve in World War I broke barriers in more ways than one.

Imploded Austin Building’s Namesake Stood Tall for Texas Medicine - 03/28/2018

On March 25, Ashbel Smith Hall in Austin was imploded to make way for a new downtown development. This was not a case of yet another capital city landmark falling by the wayside, as the nine-story concrete building was, by all accounts, bland and architecturally dull. The building’s namesake, however, is a different story.

Famed Texas Pathologist's Records Released - 04/06/2017

Fort Worth pathologist May Owen, MD, blazed many a trail during her long career in medicine. Now, digital versions of the papers and records that document her path are available in the Portal to Texas History.

HOM Kiosk Videos - 01/05/2017

HOM Kiosk Videos

TMA Presents “Cutting Edge: A History of Surgery” - 06/17/2016

TMA’s “Cutting Edge: A History of Surgery” honors the centennial of the Texas Surgical Society in 2015 by exploring improvements that allowed surgery to become essential to medicine. The exhibit features stories of the primitive and precarious nature of early Texas surgery from the time of the Spanish explorers to the Alamo to advances in anesthesia and safer surgery around the turn of century.

Traveling Exhibit Request Form - 05/13/2016

Thank you for submitting the traveling exhibit request form. If you have questions please call the TMA Knowledge Center at (800) 880-1300, (512) 370-1300 or via email at knowledge@texmed.org.01_name02_affiliation03_address04_city06_zip07_phone_number08_email_address09_exhibit_to_reserve10_reserve_1st_choice_month10_reserve_1st_choice_year10_reserve_2nd_choice_month10_reserve_2nd_choice_day10_reserve_3rd_choice_month10_reserve_3rd_choice_day11_special_event_registration_info12_version_language13_commentsSmoke and MirrorsFaces of ChangeStamping Out Disease (3 banners)Early Texas Women in MedicineHistory of Texas Medical SchoolsHistory of Texas Hospitals150 years of the Texas Medical Association (4 banners)  function ektLocalizeDate(date, id) { setTimeout(function() { if (document.getElementById && 10 == date.length) { var oTempDate = new Date(date.substr(0,4), parseInt(date.substr(5,2),10)-1, date.substr(8,2)); document.getElementById(id).innerHTML=(oTempDate.toLocaleDateSt...

Stamping Out Disease - 05/13/2016

Stamping Out Disease

Sites for Genealogists and Medical Historians - 05/13/2016

Sites for Genealogists and Medical Historians

History of Medicine Exhibits - 05/13/2016

Learn More About TMA's History of Medicine Exhibits

Antismoking Traveling Exhibit Available - 05/13/2016

The TMA History of Medicine Committee is proud to introduce a beautiful, three-banner display that traces the history of tobacco advertising and rise of antitobacco advocacy. The "Smoke and Mirrors" exhibit includes banners that contain striking images of advertisements and antitobacco posters.