Written By Laura Juliano, Processing Archivist
The Medical Historical Library is pleased to announce the Gary C. Burget M.D. papers are now open for research. Gary C. Burget, M.D. (1941-2017), was a plastic surgeon specializing in facial and nasal reconstruction, working in both Miami, Florida and Chicago, Illinois for over 40 years of medical practice. Burget attended Yale University as an undergraduate and went on to graduate from Yale School of Medicine in 1967. The processed collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, publications, patient records, illustrations, photographs, slides, and other materials created or acquired by Burget in the course of running his plastic surgery medical practice, teaching, writing, and publishing.
The collection, donated by Burget shortly before his death in 2017, provides the opportunity to study historical trends over time regarding surgical techniques and methods in the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st. With a large collection of slides, photographs, and patient charts, methods and diagnosis can be analyzed in the aggregate. As researchers identify techniques and procedures in the visual materials, library staff can update the description of the materials, providing greater levels of detail to future users of the collection. While the majority of the collection consists of patient files, there is a series dedicated to the writing and publishing of Burget which includes notes, drafts, illustrations, and correspondence concerning medical procedures, techniques, and expertise throughout his medical career. Of particular note, the illustrations and artwork created for publications and teaching afford insight into the ways in which Burget sought to advance plastic surgery techniques and how he continually pushed the field into the future. Included are two publications by his brother, Dean E. Burget, M.D., from the time when they were both at Yale University.
The collection contains patient information that will be restricted for 50 years past the end date of the collection. Unrestricted materials in the collection include Burget’s writings and publishing files, personal papers, travels abroad for international volunteerism and teaching, and art and illustrations. A list of materials in the Gary C. Burget M.D. papers may be viewed in Archives at Yale.
The Burget papers are a welcome addition to the Yale Archives of Plastic Surgery, which includes the M. Felix Freshwater papers. The Historical Library gratefully acknowledges a generous gift supporting processing of the collection from Dean E. Burget, M.D. and Gabriella M. Burget, honoring the memory of Gary Burget. At 267 linear feet, with 259 boxes of patient files, personal papers, photographs, slides, and artwork, the Burget collection offers insight into the world of plastic surgery that will provide research value for many years to come.
