22 September 2026
By Paul A Sanders, Retired Consultant Rheumatologist and Hon. Heberden Librarian
I have had the privilege of being the Honorary Heberden Librarian to the BSR since June 2022. The Society’s collection includes more than 1500 ancient and modern books, as well as journals, pamphlets and photographs and a number of miscellaneous artefacts. The older works are kept at the RCP in London with more modern ones at the BSR offices. There is an electronic index.
In this role I feel that I have been standing on the shoulders of giants including Sir William Copeman (1900-1970) and Sir Eric Bywaters (1910-2003), the first and second in this role after Copeman set up this historic collection. Between them they served in this role for 41 years. My former boss, the late Professor Malcolm Jayson (1937-2023) was also a distinguished successor to these pioneers, and I recently was given the honour of helping his family to sort through his personal collection of historic medical and rheumatological books, 57 of which were subsequently donated to our library.
During my time in office so far I have also increased the collection by accepting a donation of 60 books from the rheumatology department at Rotorua, New Zealand, and by spending a day selecting potential titles to be donated by the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis library at Manchester University Medical School which was due to close. This was followed by personally delivering these 225 books to the RCP in London in my small hatchback car in which they occupied all available space apart from the driver’s seat! I have also completed 9 extended interviews of famous rheumatologists for a sound archive which I have called “Voices of Rheumatology”. These include past presidents of the society, a knight and a dame, and many who have been research icons or have been instrumental in changing clinical practice including for example, a pioneering rheumatology nurse specialist.
I have been asked to choose my favourite 5 titles from the collection for this blog. This is not an easy task, given the large number of historic and important works in our library, but I have picked out the following either because of their historical importance and because they have also had some relevance to my own career as a rheumatologist.
- William Heberden (the Elder’s) (1710–1801) most famous historic medical book in English translation, Commentaries on the 'History and Cure of Diseases',1806. Also known as Commentarii de morborum historia et curatione (published in 1802). This includes a lifetime of bedside notes and observations made by the English physician William Heberden, was written near the end of his life and was published posthumously in Latin by his son, William Heberden the Younger in 1802, who also translated it into English for this 1806 edition. The book is best known by rheumatologists for the description of Heberden’s nodes in osteoarthritis , but also includes a description of angina pectoris and differentiates chickenpox from smallpox.
- Robert Adams (1791-1785), 'Illustrations of the effects of rheumatic gout of chronic rheumatic arthritis, on all the articulations with descriptive and explanatory statements' (London: John Churchill and Sons, 1873). Second edition. It is comparatively rare to find illustrated books in the Heberden Library, certainly compared to book collections in some other fields, such as dermatology. This book is an exception to this rule. It includes 11 leaves of plates. The illustrations of joint damage due to chronic rheumatoid arthritis were drawn by artist I. Connolly based on specimens preserved in pathology museums. They were printed by leading lithographer Charles Hullmandel in grey ink, with some carefully coloured by hand after printing. This atlas of illustrations accompanied Adams’ book A treatise on rheumatic gout : or chronic rheumatic arthritis of all the joints, first published in 1857. In the preface to his Treatise, Adams expressed the wish that his illustrations would make it easier for physicians to diagnose what he called ‘rheumatic arthritis’ and distinguish it from gout and ‘rheumatism’, thus avoiding unnecessary treatments. He acknowledges that there was no satisfactory medical treatment at the time, and asserts that proper treatment can only be developed once diagnostic criteria are secure. This book was previously owned by Eric Bywaters, second honorary Heberden Librarian. Before that it was in the library of Charing Cross Hospital College of Medicine, having been given by surgeon Edwin Canton FRCS (1817-1885).
- Verna Wright (1928-98) & John MH Moll (1939-2017). 'Seronegative Polyarthritis', 1976. A comprehensive clinical descriptive text suggesting that the seronegative polyarthritides are closely interrelated with clinical features and genetic risk factors in common. A review of this book by Professor Derek Brewerton in 1977 stated: “For over 20 years, while others have been attracted by more glamorous topics in rheumatology, Verna Wright has patiently studied psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter’s disease (as reactive arthritis was then called), peripheral arthritis and spondylitis with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and Whipple's and Behcet’s diseases. One by one he has observed them, defined them, investigated overlap between them, and then conducted painstaking family studies to illustrate their patterns of inheritance. John Moll has been an invaluable colleague whose published work relates mostly to clinical and family studies of psoriatic arthritis…..It should be read by all clinicians with an interest in these disorders. Recently I heard a rheumatologist say that he cannot afford to buy it. He is wrong: he cannot afford not to buy it. Its importance to rheumatology is such that he must then read and reread it.” This copy was presented by the authors to the Heberden Society in 1977, with an accompanying letter to Professor Bywaters.
- John Lawrence (1908-96) 'Rheumatism in populations',1977 summarised his lifelong contribution to the study of arthritis. In 1956 Lawrence was appointed to the post of director of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council field unit at Manchester University, a post he held until 1968. Together with J H Kellgren, the first professor of rheumatology in the UK, he surveyed local populations in Leigh and Wensleydale, showing for the first time just how common osteoarthritis was. Finding there was a wide variation in the interpretation of X-rays, Kellgren and Lawrence sought to rationalize the grading of osteoarthritis, producing a standard which remains the only internationally agreed system in common use. Lawrence went on to establish a link between obesity and arthritis and to study the role of genetics in determining the occurrence of the disease.
- Barbara Ansell (1923-2001). 'Rheumatic disorders in childhood', 1980. Written by a world famous pioneer of paediatric rheumatology. Barbara Ansell was appointed as registrar to Dr Eric Bywaters (former Heberden librarian) at the Special Unit for Juvenile Rheumatism at the Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, Taplow, and continued links with this unit. She became consultant physician in rheumatology at that same hospital with half her sessions in the Medical Research Council Rheumatism Unit until she was appointed to head the Division of Rheumatology at the Clinical Research Centre at Northwick Park Hospital. She was also known for a remarkable ability to remember details of children and their families, by the very practical nature of advice given, and by a gift for instantly making friends with children.
By attending specialist paediatric rheumatology clinics across the country she was able to pass her experience on to others. In this book, juvenile chronic arthritis (now juvenile idiopathic arthritis) is classified according to the recommendations of the European League Against Rheumatism at the time and the extensive differential diagnosis is fully described. Contemporary management of the disease is discussed in detail, with early references to the importance of emotional support for the child and the family. There is a lengthy section on the numerous drugs available at the time many years before the biologic era, stressing both the benefits and complications of drug therapy, and helpful advice is given on prognosis although it is stressed that more prospective studies using the modern classification were required. The book has many historic illustrations and is based on the author’s 30 year clinical experience. It was originally kept in the library of the Devonshire Royal Hospital Buxton, and moved to Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester after the closure of this historic spa hospital.
Accessing the Heberden Library collection
Search the online catalogue of over 1,500 items and contact bsr@rheumatology.org.uk to book a research appointment to explore the Heberden Library collection in person.