The School of Medicine (SOM) Library hosted a dedication on March 5, 2024 of the medical apothecary case donated by Mrs. Judith Reese Nye, a member of the Library Circle of Friends. The apothecary case was given in memory of Dr. O'Neill Barrett, Jr., Chairman Emeritus of the SOM Department of Internal Medicine and in memory of Mrs. Aimee Gibbes Urquhart Reese by her children, Aimee Reese Kornegay (1937-2023), Judith Reese Nye, Jesse Timothy Reese III, and Mary Reese Burnside. Mrs. Aimee Gibbes Urquhart Reese was the great-granddaughter of Dr. Robert Wilson Gibbes, an important figure in South Carolina medical history and the Surgeon General of South Carolina during the Civil War.
This unusually fine tabletop wooden medical apothecary case was most likely used by a close family member of Mrs. Aimee Gibbes Urquhart Reese and has remained in possession of the family since its first use. The case was hand made with a decided Chinese influence. It was crafted as a fine piece of traveling furniture and not simply a "toolbox." Made of imported rosewood and mahogany, it is a “true treasured piece of South Carolina history” (excerpt from fine arts appraisal by Dawn Corley). Remarkably, many of the original items remain in place in the drawers and storage areas. Of note, contents include a pair of scales with silk cording and weights (England, ca. 1850), a hand-blown crystal beaker of European origin, and a collection of glass bottles in varying sizes. Circa 1815 – 1850.
Photos of the dedication may be viewed here and a video of the dedication remarks is available here.
Pictured, left to right: Dean Gerald Harmon, Judith Reese Nye, Ruth Riley, Dr. Charles Bryan
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