The book collection of the Library of the Warsaw Medical Society in the years 1821-1944

Abstract

The article presents the library of Towarzystwo Lekarskie Warszawskie [the Warsaw Medical Society - WMS], established in 1820. The book collection had been developed mostly thanks to the medical doctors' donations, who offered their research works and private collections. Besides individual donators, the WMS Library had also been supported by national and foreign medical societies and academies. The author underlines that the collection gathered in that way became a high-quality research workshop for the Polish medical doctors - 68 382 volumes, 204 journal titles in 17 languages, 186 manuscripts, as well as anatomical displays, commemorative medals, iconography, and other materials had been gathered until the end of 1938. The WMS Library owed its significance also to its carers: 20 librarians, members of the Society, had cared for its collection during 123 years of its existence. The author presents them briefly in the following part of the text.