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History of Medicine

  • TMA: Here for You Since 1853

    TMA, the nation’s largest and one of the oldest and most powerful state medical societies, now boasts more than 60,000 physician and medical student members across the state. As part of our commitment to improve the health of all Texans, and in partnership with our 110 county medical societies, we have been helping Texas physicians set high professional and ethical standards since 1853.

    Our Mission, Goals, and Leadership

  • Current Exhibit

    The History of Rural Health Care in Texas

    The physical landscape of Texas, such as its geography and topography, has long presented a challenge to distributing health care resources to reach Texans where they live and work. But nothing plays a larger role than its vast size. At 268,596 square miles, Texas contains 254 counties, 177 of which are identified as rural. Since 2010, 26 rural Texas hospitals have closed – the most in the nation, and as of 2025, at least seven dozen more are vulnerable.

    It was not always this way. Less than one hundred years ago, Texas had a robust network of rural health care providers. But the 1980s ushered in dramatic change. New federal policies and a changing socioeconomic environment caused dozens of hospitals to close. And in the last 40 years, other factors have resulted in even more closures.

    This exhibit traces the history of rural health care in Texas through artifacts, photography, and the experiences of physicians, other health care professionals, and patients. From the late 19th century to present, the struggle for accessible health care is explored, along with the impact of economic and social changes that have further threatened access to care. The future is uncertain, but innovative programs are also presented, which offer the potential for meaningful health care change for Texans residing in wide open spaces.

    Visit the History of Medicine Gallery

  • History of Texas Medicine Videos

    Share a story of Texas Medical History. A generous grant from the TMA Foundation has allowed TMA to reproduce several popular exhibits from the TMA History of Medicine Gallery in Austin. Check out our three new videos. 

    Women in Texas Medicine


    Courage and Determination: A History of African American Physicians


    Stamping Out Disease - A History of Infectious Diseases


  • History of Medicine Traveling Banner Exhibits

    TMA invites physicians, their patients and staff, and public institutions across Texas to travel through medical history. Choose from a collection of educational banners to inspire and engage the community; all available exhibits are listed below. Each colorful, museum-quality banner measures approximately 6 x 3 feet and comes with a retractable stand that makes assembly easy.

    Banner production and shipping costs are possible thanks to a generous grant from the TMA Foundation. Email or call the TMA Knowledge Center at (800) 880-7955 for reservations.

    Email to Reserve a Banner

    View the topics and banners below.

  • Courage and Determination

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    Travel from ancient Egypt through modern Texas history to learn more about the many contributions Black people have made in the field of medicine.

    Courage and Determination: Banner 1

    Courage and Determination: Banner 2 

    Courage and Determination: Banner 3

  • The Art of Observation

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    The Art of Observation is a richly explored history of medical illustration from the Classical Era to present. In addition to lush, colorful images, the banners retrace how artists experimented with new mediums in their quest to gain greater insight into the inner workings of the human body.

    The Art of Observation: Banner 1

    The Art of Observation: Banner 2

    The Art of Observation: Banner 3

  • Deep Roots: From Plants to Prescriptions

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    Deep Roots: From Plants to Prescriptions is a colorful three banner series providing a fascinating history of botanical medicine and its earliest origins to its modern day applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

    Plants as Medicine: A Long and Ancient History: Banner 1

    The Early Modern Era: Banner 2

    The Pharmaceutical Era: Banner 3

  • Disabilities Throughout History

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    This three-banner set recounts major shifts in the perception of disability from ancient beliefs and methods of accommodation to the 20th-century struggle for disability equity. The banners explore changing depictions of disability through a variety of historical images, including stamps from the Clare W. Cozard and Kurt Lekisch, MD, collections in the Texas Medical Association archives.

    Early History: Banner 1

    Middle Ages: Banner 2

    20th Century: Banner 3

  • Additional Traveling Banner Exhibits

    Explore an extended collection of exhibits presented by the TMA History of Medicine Committee and made possible by a generous grant from the TMA Foundation. These educational banners are also available for display. 

    • “Stamping Out Disease” documents the oldest of human struggles, the battle against infectious diseases, up to and beyond the emerging field of microbiology. (three banners) Also available in Spanish! 
    • "Smoke and Mirrors" traces early tobacco advertisements and the rise of anti-smoking campaigns that successfully countered decades of false and misleading claims. (three banners)
    • "Women in Texas Medicine" highlights trailblazing women who laid the foundation for gender representation in the field of medicine. (one banner)
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  • Ask the TMA Knowledge Center

    Got History of Medicine questions? Call the Knowledge Center.

    (800) 880-7955

     

  • Coming Soon

    New Exhibit Opens September 2026

    Taking to the Waters: Medicine and Mineral Water in 20th Century Texas History

  • TMA History of Medicine Gallery

    Location:

    TMA building (first floor)
    401 W. 15th St.
    Austin, TX 78701

    For more information, contact TMA Knowledge Center at (512) 370-1552 or (800) 880-1300, ext. 1552.

    Sponsored by the Texas Medical Association, History of Medicine Committee.

  • Proud member of Austin Museum Partnership

  • Resources for Genealogists and Researchers of Medical History

  • A Tradition of Preservation

    TMA began collecting materials to preserve Texas’ medical heritage more than a century ago, when Frank Paschal, MD, of San Antonio, told the TMA House of Delegates in his 1904 presidential address, “The labors of this Association should always be conserved, and unless steps are taken the past work will be lost forever.” Dr. Paschal then established the Committee on Collection and Preservation of Records.

    This eventually led to a joint project between TMA and The University of Texas (UT): the compilation of information from newspaper files and other sources in 31 bound notebooks titled Transcripts Relating to the Medical History of Texas. One set is in the TMA Archives; the other is part of the UT-Austin Eugene C. Barker Texas History Collection at the Briscoe Center for American History. Beginning in the 1930s, physicians or their family members began donating medical artifacts and collections to TMA as well.

    In 1953, UT Press published A History of the Texas Medical Association 1853-1953 by Pat Ireland Nixon, MD, of San Antonio, who chaired a special TMA Committee to Write a History of the State Medical Association. Several copies of this history and other histories by Dr. Nixon, along with his research notes, are part of the TMA Archives. That same year, TMA established a History of Medicine Committee.

  • A Public Space for Sharing

    When we moved into our current headquarters building in 1991, TMA gained more than 600 square feet of gallery space on the ground floor. Elgin Ware Jr., MD, who chaired the History of Medicine Committee from 1989 to 2001, and also served on the Building Committee, envisioned using the space for historical exhibits that would tell the continuing story of medicine in Texas and the role of physicians in Texas history.

    The first exhibit, “Technology in Medicine: 150 Years of Medical Innovation,” was unveiled July 26, 1991, during dedication ceremonies of the new building. Items from the TMA Archives and Collections, many on display for the first time, included a Civil War surgical kit, bloodletting instruments, and a rare 1555 edition of De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem, the famous anatomy by Andreas Vesalius.