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LHS-P Special Collections

This guide highlights some of the Special Collections housed at the Library of the Health Sciences in Peoria.

Dr. William H. Marshall (1928-2021)

photo of Dr. William H. Marshall

Following his time in the Navy, Dr. Marshall spent time training in general surgery with Dr. Warren H. Cole and as his research assistant and an instructor in surgery.   He then went to the University of Louisville as an Assistant Professor of Surgery.  He returned to Peoria in 1964 to join the Peoria Surgical Group.  In the early 1970s he was asked to work on the development and organization of the surgery department for the new Peoria School of Medicine.  He was the first chair of the Department of Surgery and led the department from 1972 to 1982. 

Vesalius, Dr. Cole, and The Classics Collections

photo of Vesalius, Dr. Cole, and The Classics Collections

Dr. William H. Marshall Surgical History Collections

  • The William H. Cole Collection includes a bust of Dr. Cole that was given to Dr. Marshall by Mrs. Cole.  The collection also includes several books by Dr. Cole, one of which was gifted to Dr. Marshall by Dr. Cole and is signed with a personal note.  Dr. Warren H. Cole MD, FACS, FRCS (1898-1990) was a professor and the Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine from 1935 to 1966.  
  • The Vesalius Collection contains reprints of eight woodcuts from Vesalius’ De Humani Corporis  Fabrica (1543), commonly considered to be the foundation of modern anatomy.  This limited edition set is number 50 in a series of 500 reprinted in 1975 by the Friends of the Library of the Health Sciences and presented to Dr. Marshall in recognition of his support.
  • The Classics of Surgery & The Classics of Medicine Collections are leather-bound facsimile reprints published by Gryphon Editions.  Gryphon Editions has selected rare, classic works and created a beautiful facsimile from the original.  The titles given to the Library by Dr. Marshall include volumes originally published from 1597 to 1972.
  • The Medicine in Art Collection includes a reprint of The Doctor.   The well-known oil painting by Sir Luke Fildes has been described as an iconic image of medical ethics.
  • The Medical Book Collection contains a variety of original and reprinted texts from Dr. Marshall’s personal library.  The oldest original in the collection is The Principles and Practice of Surgery by John Ashhurst, which was published in 1871. 

  • The St. Francis Hospital Scrapbook was created by Dr. R.T. Rapp, a resident, during 1954-1955.