The fonds contains Norman Bethune's letter correspondences, including numerous letters between him and his former wife Frances Penney. The majority of the fonds consists of material about Bethune: newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, slides and negatives, an original play about his life, a documentary script, various memorabilia (e.g. commemorative stamps, brochures, pamphlets, buttons and pins, posters, fliers), and writings about Bethune's work in Canada, Spain, and China.
The collection shows Dr. Casey Wood's interest for ophthalmology, especially in the history of ophthalmology but also for medicine in the countries he visited, among them Ceylon. The collection contains rough copies of published articles or planned papers on these subjects. Ayurvedic medicine is a major interest. The collection also contains three versions of the "Descriptive catalogue of the Casey A. Wood Collection of Sinhalese Materia Medica for the Museum of McGill University".
The collection consists of 3 scrapbooks assembled by Richard L. MacDonnell, and 1 McGill Dissection Room Record Book created and kept by MacDonnell from April 1883-1891. The scrapbooks contain notes, patient prescription information, reprints of various publications by MacDonnell, and lots of news clippings concerning various topics such as the history of Montreal, McGill University, the McGill faculty, Montreal General Hospital, and obituary notices. A second volume of dissection records (1896-1908) was compiled after MacDonnell's death, and can be found in the library catalogue.
The collection contains correspondence, curriculum vitae, a poem written by his wife, Elizabeth Turnor, a record of medical examinations for the Coroner's Court of Montreal, 1894 and lectures notes. The greater part of the notes consists of embryology notes made at the Anatomisches Institut, Munich, around 1900.
The collection contains private records and papers relating to the medical and teaching career of Maude Abbott. It consists in large part of correspondence, 1894-1920, including family correspondence with, among others, her sister Alice Abbott, 1904-1919, and her brother Rev. Harry M. Babin, 1916-1920. Also included are manuscripts and drafts of articles and addresses; case reports; post-mortem records; glass slides and drawings; exhibit panels largely pertaining to her research on congenital heart disease; programmes of medical meetings, 1902-1937; reprints and papers relating to the history of medicine in Montreal and Quebec, as well as to the history of McGill, 1829-1936. In addition, there are photographs, some poems, an autobiographical sketch and a printed copy of her Classified and Annotated Bibliography of Sir William Osler's Publications, 1939, with corrections and annotations by W. W. Francis. Fonds also includes a draft of Abbott's letter to the Dean of Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, regarding admission (1889).
Collection shows Dr. J.C. Simpson's interest in Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882). His collection of Darwiniana contains newspaper clippings, dinner programs and menus, programs of commemoration of the Darwin Centenary in England, correspondence and photographs.
The Sir William Osler Collection, distinct from the Bibliotheca, is an extensive archival holding of Osler's correspondence (including eighteen hundred original letters), daybooks, accounts, engagement books, legal documents, book invoices, membership certificates, notebooks, lectures, addresses, newspaper clippings, photographs, books with manuscript additions, and miscellaneous loose items formerly inserted into individual books in his library. The collection also contains various family papers, including correspondence of Lady Grace Revere Osler and Edward Revere Osler.
Collection includes a scrapbook and a file of memorabilia of Dr. Anderson and his family, 1894-1952. It contains letters, menus, programmes, certificates, a manuscript of a poem, a contract to purchase, ferrotypes, and many newspaper clippings.