BILLINGS, John Shaw, American sur geon and librarian: b. Switzerland County, Ind., 12 April 1839; d. 1913. He was graduated at Miami University in 1857, and at the Ohio Medical College, 1860; was demonstrator of anatomy in the last institution, 1860-61; entered the Union army as an assistant surgeon, 1861; was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and depu surgeon-general, 6 June 1894; and was retire 1 Oct. 1895. Dr. Billings became curator o the Army Medical Museum and Library and made the latter the third and one of the most valuable medical libraries in the world. The 'Index Catalogue) of the library in 16 quarto volumes, which he prepared, is among the foremost of its kind. He was professor of hygiene in the University of Pennsylvania, 1893-96; and in the last year was appointed director of the New York Public Library (Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations). After
the close of the war Dr. Billings reorganized the United States Marine Hospital Service; was vice-president of the National Board of Health, 1879-82; and had charge of the com pilation of vital and social statistics in the I lth Census. He was a member of a • large number of American and foreign scientific so cieties, and his numerous publications include 'Principles of Ventilation and Heating) (1884); 'Index Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's Office, United States Army) ' • 'National Medical Dictionary' (2 vols., 1889) ; 'Description of the Johns Hop kins Hospital' (1890); 'Social Statistics of Cities' (6 vols., for the llth Census) ; 'Some Library Problems of Tomorrow> (1902) ; 'Physiological Aspects of the Liquor Prob lem' (1903).