Medical Library

* Cecelia Rasmussen wrote an interesting article about Dr. Walter Jarvis Barlow, his sanitarium and his library (Oct. 25). I offer a correction and an addition. The Barlow Medical Library building was built in 1906 and housed a collection of about 5,000 medical books and journals. By 1932 the collection numbered around 18,000 volumes and was used by the medical community of Southern California. In 1934 the Barlow medical library collection was donated to the Los Angeles County Medical Assn.

When the county medical association closed its library in 1991, almost the entire Barlow library collection was transferred to the history and special collections division of the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library at UCLA. Barlow’s working library and the rare books acquired before 1934 all came to UCLA. The rare books acquired after 1934 went to the Huntington. Now the collection is being used by historians of medicine and science from around the country.

KATHARINE E.S. DONAHUE

Head, History & Special

Collections, Louise M. Darling

Biomedical Library, UCLA