Dr. Worcester Allen Bryan was born in Alexandria, Tennessee, on September 1, 1873. He received his B.A. and M.A. from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and taught French and German while attending Vanderbilt Medical School. He graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School in 1899 and joined the Eve Clinic. Dr. Bryan was a skilled surgeon and an excellent teacher. He developed a large surgical practice in Nashville and served as a professor of surgery at Vanderbilt throughout his career. Dr. Bryan was also a collector of old medical books and willed his excellent historical library to Vanderbilt.