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Matas Library Collections
Rudolph Matas Library of the Health Sciences holds over 165,000 print volumes in basic sciences, clinical medicine, and public health. Alongside other Tulane Libraries, Matas licenses electronic databases, journals, and books for the entire Tulane community.
Print journals are arranged alphabetically across three levels. Most journals were in print until 2005, when online access was acquired post-Hurricane Katrina. The circulating print collection remains available—please use Library Search for journal titles, especially for pre-2005 articles or journals without electronic access.
Books and monographs are located on the Mezzanine Level and arranged using NLM Classification.
A small collection of print reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, directories, statistics) is available for in-library use near the Information Desk. Ask a librarian about electronic versions or related resources.
Reserve Collections
Course Reserves
Textbooks and course materials are kept behind the Information Desk. These items are available for two-hour, in-library checkout during the day and overnight checkout two hours before closing (due back one hour after opening).
Faculty, TAs, or library staff may request additions to this collection for shared course use.
Find Course Reserves via Library Search (click the "Course Reserves" tab).
General Reserves
Frequently used references, like pathology, physiology, and anatomy texts, are kept behind the desk and are also available online through resources like AccessMedicine and ClinicalKey. Older editions may be borrowed from the general stacks.
Collection Development
Matas Library selects content through departmental collaboration, faculty input, and resource analysis. Electronic format is preferred for journals, while books are acquired in either print or digital formats based on user need, availability, and cost.
The collection supports the research, clinical, administrative, and educational needs of the Tulane Health Sciences Campus. It emphasizes medicine, public health, biomedical research, and related disciplines. Though primarily in English, the collection reflects the institution's past and present research priorities. Basic collections in related and interdisciplinary areas are also maintained.
Older materials of medical and historical significance are selectively retained, though the current collection does not focus on contemporary medical history scholarship.
Historic & Rare Collections
The Matas Library Historic Collections include significant historic medical monographs and rare atlases, some recently restored and rebound by William Kitchens. One notable example is the Essai d'anatomie, featuring vivid color mezzotints based on dissections by Monsieur Duverney (Garrison-Morton 398). View the Essai d’anatomie online.
Another highlight is the Faust Collection, a selection of works on parasitology and tropical medicine (1628–1910), donated in 1995 from the library of Ernest Carroll Faust, chair of Tulane’s Department of Parasitology (1928–1946). View the Faust Collection title list.
Accessing Rare Materials
Atlases and rare books are stored in closed stacks and are not generally listed in the online catalog. Use the old card catalog to locate these items. Classification systems include Dewey Decimal and “Reclassed,” an early NLM system developed by Mary Louise Marshall. Please consult Matas Librarians. Access requires a prior appointment.
19th – Early 20th Century Collections
The library holds extensive material on yellow fever and other tropical or infectious diseases, primarily from the late 1800s to before WWI. These items are also accessed through the old card catalog and classified using Dewey and Reclassed systems. They are located on the top level of the stacks.
Books published before 1914 do not circulate without special permission. Fragile items cannot be borrowed or photocopied. Please speak with a Matas Librarian for assistance.
Matas Library Collections in the Tulane University Digital Library
Digitized by the Rudolph Matas Library under a National Library of Medicine grant (Aug 2010–Apr 2011), this project—Early Medical Journalism of Louisiana—preserved 19th-century medical publications. Reports date back to 1842 and include morbidity/mortality data, yellow fever epidemic statistics, venereal disease reports, and physician listings.
Tulane Yearbooks
Scanned & Unarchived Photographs
Matas Library has scanned numerous items by request. These are not yet available online. Contact us to inquire about digital photographs.
Autographs
The Light Collection of Scientific Letters includes correspondence, autographs, and portraits of renowned scientists and physicians, compiled and donated by Dr. David S. Light (Tulane School of Medicine, 1944). Notable autographs include Claude Bernard, Sir William Bowman, Marie Curie, Sigmund Freud, Louis Pasteur, and Wilhelm Roentgen, among others.
The donation was accepted by W.D. Postell, Jr., Director of the Rudolph Matas Library, in March 1993.
Digitized images are available in the Tulane University Digital Library. Photocopies are filed in a binder. Originals are preserved in the History Collection.
Diplomas & Certificates
The Historical Collection holds a wide array of diplomas, certificates, and awards, especially those of Dr. Rudolph Matas. While Tulane is well represented, the collection also includes documents from across the Americas and Europe. The earliest items are from Isidore Labatut, including a passport (1814) and diplomas (1817–1818). The most recent is the Condecoración de la Orden Nacional de Mérito Carlos J. Finlay, awarded to Matas by Cuba in 1957.
View the Index of Diplomas and Certificates by recipient name.
Elizabeth Bass Collection: Women in Medicine
Donated by Dr. Mary Elizabeth Bass (1876–1956), one of Tulane’s first women faculty in medicine, this collection includes clippings, photographs, glass lantern slides, books, and medical school catalogs related to women in medicine. Dr. Bass began teaching at Tulane in 1911 and was active in many professional medical organizations, holding leadership roles nationally and locally.
The collection spans six filing drawers, eight shelves, and four slide boxes.
- Finding Aid PDF: Guide to the Elizabeth Bass Collection, Cynthia H. Goldstein, 1985
- Search the Book Database (excludes clippings/slides)
- For research access (in-house use only, Mon–Fri, 9–4), contact medref@tulane.edu
Highlights:
Lecture Tickets
In the early days of the Medical College of Louisiana, students purchased matriculation tickets from instructors. Lecture fees ranged from $15 to $20. Most courses met six times per week, with sessions running from December to March.
View the Matriculation Ticket List.
Medals & Awards
The Matas Library holds medals and awards from Dr. Rudolph Matas, a replica of Nobel laureate Louis J. Ignarro’s medal (faculty, 1973–1985), and the B. Bernard Weinstein Medal Collection—medals commemorating individuals, diseases, and institutions.
Browse the Weinstein Medals Collection online.
Note: The Library cannot appraise medals or research their history. Please consult a coin dealer. New acquisitions are not being sought.
Oral Histories: Department of Psychiatry & Neurology
This collection includes oral histories recorded by Wallace Tomlinson and C.B. Scrignar with key faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology (1949–2006). A two-hour composite DVD is narrated by Dr. Scrignar.
Photographs
The Historical Collection includes portraits of Louisiana physicians, primarily from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as Tulane yearbooks (1900–present), medical class composites, and photos of historic medical buildings.
Subjects include Dr. Matas, B. Bernard Weinstein, and Elizabeth Bass.
Access by appointment only. Contact the Matas Library.
Rudolph Matas, M.D.: Artifacts & Memorabilia
Dr. Matas graduated from Tulane’s medical school in 1880 and was a pioneer in vascular surgery, earning international acclaim. His work on aneurysm treatment, intravenous drips, and abdominal procedures revolutionized surgery. He taught at Tulane and served at multiple New Orleans hospitals.
His personal artifacts, portraits, diplomas, and memorabilia are housed at the Matas Library. His papers are in the Tulane Special Collections (Jones Hall). His book and journal collection became part of the Matas Library.
More resources:
- Rudolph Matas: A Biography, Isidore Cohn, M.D. (Doubleday, 1960)
- “The Warriors Against Disease,” Times-Picayune, Dec. 31, 1999
- Bibliography of Rudolph Matas, M.D.
World War II: Tulane Unit 24
The 24th General Hospital, originally activated in WWI, was reactivated in 1942. Led by Dr. Walter C. Royals, the unit included 42 doctors, 110 nurses, and over 500 personnel. They served in Tunisia and Italy, treating Fifth Army casualties until late 1944.
The Matas Library’s collection includes artifacts, photographs, and signs from the unit’s WWII service.