In 1989, with a new Texas Medical Association headquarters set to open in Austin, the newly reformed, board-appointed History of Medicine Committee had a vision. With rare and novel artifacts in TMA’s archive, and a long and storied history of success to tell, the committee planned for a gallery museum to be installed on the building’s first floor.
Nearly 35 years later, the gallery still gives physicians and guests alike a peek into the past to illustrate the role physicians play in their communities.
“[The gallery] gives members of the public as well as members of the legislature perspective on the good that physicians have provided to patients through history,” said Claire Duncan, TMA’s director of Information Services. “Giving members of the public that perspective is important for them to understand and trust what their physicians are trying to do [for the public].”
For example, the gallery has featured such exhibits as Stamping Out Disease, which illustrates the fight against infectious disease through postage stamps collected by the late TMA member Kurt Lekisch, MD; and Smoke and Mirrors, which traces the history of tobacco and medicine. A traveling banner version of Stamping Out Disease was posted in the Gregory Gym on the University of Texas campus when the venue served as a COVID-19 vaccination center.
The gallery also creates space to honor historically underrepresented groups in medicine, having played host to 47 exhibits, including Women in Texas Medicine and Courage and Determination, detailing medical accomplishments by Black people. Like many of the gallery’s exhibits, they were reconfigured into banner form to travel across the state.
Now, at another milestone for TMA, the gallery gears up for a new installation: Greatest Hits from the History of Medicine Gallery & Archives. The association’s headquarters in the Louis J. Goodman building are set to be refurbished, making the pre-2020 decision to highlight the most remarkable of TMA’s artifacts especially prescient.
“The main motivation behind it is, especially with the changes happening within TMA, to be able to reflect back on its history,” said Audrey Griffin, TMA’s archive and museum exhibits assistant. “We're able to give the public a peek into our archive and the highlights of our collection, and also look back on our past exhibits. We also give a little peek into the past buildings of TMA, our past health initiatives. There's a little bit of everything.”
The exhibit is set to be installed and open in time for Austin Museum Day on Sept. 17. TMA’s History of Medicine Gallery is a proud member of the Austin Museum Partnership but had not been able to participate in Austin Museum Day during the pandemic.
While the gallery may be looking back on TMA’s past, Ms. Duncan and Ms. Griffin are looking forward to the future. Curating the Greatest Hits exhibit, along with preparing for refurbishment, has facilitated a level of introspection that’s inspired innovation.
“We're planning to incorporate a lot more technology and perhaps interactive elements into the gallery in the future with this renovation,” Ms. Griffin said.
Visit the gallery at 401 W 15th St., Austin, Texas, or visit texmed.org/history for online exhibits.