John Shaw Billings
1838–1913 (age 75)
Physician
Biography
Dr. John Shaw Billings combined a surgeon's skill with a librarian's discipline, shaping the Army Medical Library and the Index Catalogue into resources that would serve generations of physicians. His work laid the foundations for modern medical information systems and helped professionalize public health in the United States.
Billings spent much of his life bridging practical medicine with organized knowledge, and his efforts were widely honored by peers in both the medical and academic worlds. He rests at Arlington National Cemetery, where his grave joins others in quiet tribute to his service.