Harvey Cushing achieved an international reputation as a neurological surgeon, medical historian, and bibliophile. He received honorary degrees from nine American and thirteen European universities as well as the Distinguished Service Medal; was made a Companion of the Bath and an Officier de la Légion d'Honneur; and belonged to the Order of El Sol del Peru. He, Dr. Arnold Carl Klebs of Switzerland, and the Yale physiologist Dr. John Farquhar Fulton donated their personal collections of rare medical books to form the Historical Library as a wing of the new Yale University Medical Library in 1941.

The sixth son and the youngest of ten children, Harvey Williams Cushing was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 9 April 1869 to Henry Kirke Cushing and Betsey Maria Williams Cushing. His father was professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Western Reserve University; his paternal grandfather and great-grandfather had also been physicians. Book collecting...