Medical libraries in Quebec of the 18th and 19th centuries: the example of tuberculosis

• Published in: Canadian bulletin of medical history = Bulletin canadien d'histoire de la medecine Vol. 23; no. 2; p. 331
• Main Author: Bernier, Jacques
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: Canada 2006
• Subjects: History, 18th Century; History, 19th Century; Humans; Libraries, Medical - history; Quebec; Reference Books, Medical; Textbooks as Topic - history; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - history; Quebec
• ISSN: 0823-2105
• DOI: 10.3138/cbmh.23.2.331

Phthisis (tuberculosis) became so prevalent in Europe in the 18th century that, in 1792, Antoine Portal wrote: "there is no disease more common or dangerous than pulmonary phthisis." Obviously, the doctors were concerned about this problem and made efforts to explain it. Numerous hypotheses were advanced on this subject (Richard Morton, for instance, suggested 12 possible causes in his Phthisiologia), and varied by author and region, but they can be grouped into four main categories: a contagious disease; a hereditary condition; a physiological disorder; and a problem resulting from lifestyle. This research concerns the books on this disease procured by medical practitioners in and around Quebec City in the 18th and 19th centuries, dating from 1700-1868, and contained in 27 medical libraries. Following a brief presentation of methodology and the libraries, this article analyzes the books. There were books on phthisis in Quebec City very early in the 18th century, although the majority appeared in the next century. The 18th-century works associated this disease with physiological disorders--particularly "mechanical problems." After 1815, there was a broader diversity of opinions. The books on phthisis most widely consulted from 1700 to 1868 are almost completely unknown today.