Research Guides: History of Medicine: Online Resources

NLM History of Medicine Division

Find extensive resources on the history of medicine at the National Library of Medicine

American Association for the History of Medicine

The American Association for the History of Medicine acts as the foremost organization in the United States devoted to the history of medicine.

Medical Library Association History of Health Sciences Section Web Links

The Medical Library Association provides links to organizations, collections, disease histories, and much more on their History of Health Sciences Web Links page.

Internet Archive

Excellent source for historical and rare manuscripts uploaded by the WVU Libraries, including The Pylon; the WVU School of Medicine yearbook.

Image Collections

Images from the History of Medicine - National Library of Medicine
Images from the History of Medicine (IHM) provides access to nearly 70,000 images in the collections of the History of Medicine Division (HMD) of the U.S National Library of Medicine (NLM). The collection includes portraits, photographs, caricatures, genre scenes, posters, and graphic art illustrating the social and historical aspects of medicine dated from the 15th to 21st century.
MacKinney Collection of Medieval Medical Illustrations - UNC Chapel Hill
Over 1000 images collected by noted medieval medical history scholar, Loren C. MacKinney. Digitized from slides prepared by Dr. MacKinney, the collection includes illustrations anatomy, bloodletting, dentistry, animal doctors, ethics, nudes, pestles, tranquilizers, and many more.
William Osler Photo Collection - McGill University
By the time of his death, Sir William Osler (1849-1919) was the most famous physician and teacher in the English-speaking world. The William Osler Photo Collection chronicles Sir William's life from his childhood in the Canadian wilderness to his medical education at McGill University, his innovative days as a doctor and teacher in Canada and the United States, and the final years of his life in Oxford, England.

Libraries, Archives, and Museums

NLM Directory of History of Medicine Collections
The collections described in this Directory database provide research, reference, and interlibrary loan services to scholars interested in the history of the health sciences. Some of the subjects include: dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, military medicine, and pharmacy. While the Directory is by no means exhaustive, it serves to draw attention to the depth and variety of history of medicine collections available to researchers.
Office of History, National Institutes of Health
The Office of History, National Institutes of Health exists to advance historical understanding of biomedical research within the NIH and the world. Through preserving records of significant NIH achievements, innovative exhibits, educational programs, and training researchers from multiple disciplines, the Office of History explores the past to enhance present understanding of the health sciences and the NIH.
National Museum of Dentistry
Smile-inspiring exhibitions and innovative programs make a national impact to educate the public about the importance of good oral health to a healthy life.
Coit Museum of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Home of one of the world's leading pharmacy collections, the Coit Museum connects people to pharmacy and health sciences by collecting, preserving, and interpreting their histories for the discovery by and enrichment of present and future generations.
National Museum of Civil War Medicine
The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is the premier center for the preservation and research of the legacy of Civil War medical innovation.
Museum of Nursing History
Nurses meet the different and emerging health care needs of the population in a wide range of settings and have varied experiences. The Museum of Nursing History, Inc. (Museum) endeavors to recognize the many efforts and achievements of nurses through the preservation and display of nursing artifacts, texts, and correspondence over the years.

Organizations

American Association for the History of Medicine
The preeminent history of medicine organization in the United State. AAHM strives to promote, stimulate, and encourage research, study, interest, and writing in the history of medicine, including the history of public health, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and allied arts, sciences, and professions.
American Academy of the History of Dentistry
The American Academy of the History of Dentistry, a distinguished group of enthusiastic individuals representing nearly every state and many foreign countries, is a unique organization founded in 1951 to stimulate interest, study and research in the little known record of the dental profession.
American Association for the History of Nursing
The American Association for the History of Nursing (AAHN) is a professional organization open to everyone interested in the history of nursing. Originally founded in 1978 as a historical methodology group, the association was briefly named the International History of Nursing Society. The purpose of the Association shall be to foster the importance of history as relevant to understanding the past, defining the present, and influencing the future of nursing.
American Institute of the History of Pharmacy
The documentation and preservation of pharmacy's heritage is the primary aim of the Institute. We do this by making available a wide variety of materials related to scholarly, professional, and popular history of pharmacy. We provide financial support for research designed to illuminate the history of the profession, the history of drug research and manufacturing, and the history of the uses of medicines in society.
Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine
The Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine (FHWIM) was founded with the belief that knowing the historical past is a powerful force in shaping the future. FHWIM takes pride in “preserving our past to influence the future”, and focuses on its mission: to promote and to preserve the history of women in medicine and the medical sciences.
History of Science Society
The History of Science Society is the world's largest society dedicated to understanding science, technology, medicine, and their interactions with society in historical context. Over 3,000 individual and institutional members across the world support the Society's mission to foster interest in the history of science and its social and cultural relations.
International Society for the History of Medicine
The International Society for the History of Medicine (ISHM) was founded in Paris in 1921. The purpose of the Society is to assist and support the historical study of all questions relating to the medical and biomedical sciences and, more generally, to all branches of the healing arts.

Other Useful Resources on the Web

History of Diseases
Alphabetical list of links to sites which chronicle the history of diseases. Compiled by the Medical Library Association History of Health Sciences Section.
History of Vaccines
A project of the College Physicians of Philadelphia, the History of Vaccines explores the role of immunization in the human experience and examines its continuing contributions to public health.
Medicine: Science Museum, London
'Medicine', is a website provided by the Science Museum, London. It offers access to images of thousands of fascinating objects from the Museum’s great medical collections. The site also incorporates detailed descriptions, introductions to major themes in the history of medicine and engaging multimedia.
History of Health Sciences Supercourse
The Supercourse is a project designed to deliver the scientific lectures on History of Health Sciences to physicians, public health specialists and the scientists across the world.
Relief of Pain and Suffering Exhibit
Thorough online exhibit prepared in conjunction with the symposium," Pain and Suffering in History: Narratives of Science, Medicine, and Culture," which took place in March 1998.

Only A Selection

The resources on this page are only a selection of what is available online.

Make sure to evaluate web resources before using it as a source. For help assessing the quality of web pages, and to get started in online search strategies, check out our Web Research Libguide.