F. Tremaine Billings, Jr. Collection

Biography

F. Tremaine Billings, Jr., was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. in 1933 from Princeton University and, as a Rhodes Scholar, received his B.Sc. in 1936 from Oxford University. Billings attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and received his M.D. in 1938. He interned at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and did residencies at Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1939 to 1942. In 1946, after serving in the U.S. Army, Billings joined the medical faculty at Vanderbilt University. He served as dean of medical students at Vanderbilt from 1960 to 1967 and was on the faculty of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1953 to 1961. From 1967 to 1975, Billings was Associate Dean for Medical Center Programs at Vanderbilt.

Scope and Content

The F. Tremaine Billings, Jr., Collection is divided into two sections, for the early and later periods of his career. The earlier papers (1936-1944) concern Billings’ experiences at Johns Hopkins and as part of the 118th General Hospital in World War II. Included are patient evaluations, writings about Billings’ experiences in the 118th Medical Unit in 1942, and a 133-page diary kept by Billings from 1 January 1943 to 14 July 1944 while he served as an Army captain at the 118th General Hospital in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. Diary entries are primarily concerned with news of fighting at the fronts, medical base camp activities, and Billings’ particular interest in malaria. 132 photographs are pasted in the diary, along with a few clippings and some memorabilia. The later papers (1979-1981) consist of records and correspondence of the Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association.

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