Otto Billig Papers

Collection

Identifier: EBL-0005

Staff Only

Collection Scope and Content Summary

These personal papers of Vanderbilt psychiatrist and faculty member Otto Billig include biographical material, photographs taken by Dr. Billig, correspondence, clippings, and reprints. Biographical material starts with his birth certificate, and also includes grade school report cards, diplomas, letters of recommendation from his medical school, and his resume. Letters from the Vienna police and his naturalization papers document the time period when he moved to the United States. Collection includes photographs and articles by Dr. Billig, photographs and articles about Dr. Billig, and also an advertisement for the Dr. Billig's book the Painted Message.

Dates

1910 - 1989

Creator

Billig, Otto (Person)

Notes about Access to this Collection

All collections are subject to applicable Vanderbilt University privacy and confidentiality policies. Collection specific restrictions: No Restrictions.

Reproduction Rights

Copyright is retained by History of Medicine Collections, Eskind Biomedical Library, Vanderbilt University or is retained by the authors of specific published items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Historical or Biographical Note

Professor Otto Billig (1910-1989) was a psychiatrist, author, and teacher. His research interests included schizophrenia, art and psychosis, and cross-culture psychiatry. He published several articles and books. He specialized in the art of schizophrenics and created many new art exhibits of this art. He also compared the art of patients in the US with art from more primitive cultures, noting similarities in the art of the mentally disturbed.

He received his M.D. from Federal Realschule (Vienna) in 1937. Dr. Billig served as the Clinical Director of the Department of Neuro-Psychiatry at the Highland Hospital in Asheville, NC from 1939-1946. Then he joined Duke University's clinical faculty from 1946-1948. After his time at Duke, he became a member of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's clinical faculty from 1948-1989. He also served as the Acting Chair for the Department of Psychiatry at the Meharry Medical College from 1952-1961, and he was a member of the Metro Board of Health (Nashville) from 1963-1973. He died in Nashville on January 17, 1989.

Extent

0.37 Cubic Feet (1 Hollinger Box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

These personal papers of Vanderbilt psychiatrist and faculty member Otto Billig include biographical material, photographs taken by Dr. Billig, correspondence, clippings, and reprints.