Find digitized, full-text historical materials
Medical Heritage Library
View digitized, open access resources in this collaborative library in the history of healthcare and the health sciences
National Library of Medicine Digital Collections
Access online images from the historical collections of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Images include fine art, photographs, engravings, and posters that illustrate the social and historical aspects of medicine dating from the 15th to 21st century.
New York Academy of Medicine Digital Collections
Access NYAM's historical collection on the history of medicine and public health, including rare books, manuscripts, pharmaceutical trade cards, and more.
Wellcome Collections
Find thousands of freely licensed digital books, artworks, photos and images of historical library materials and museum objects from the Wellcome Collection.
Duke History of Medicine Artifacts Digital Repository
View images of medical artifacts such as replicas of Roman surgical tools, manikins used to teach anatomy, and obstetrical tools. Images are in the public domain.
Learn background and context for selected historical topics in health sciences
Search across thousands of collection guides (also known as finding aids) from many institutions at once
Get an engaging, broad overview of selected topics in the history of health sciences
Five Hundred Years of Medicine in Art by
Fry (1892-1955), who was psychiatrist-in-chief at Yale U., developed a wide-ranging collection of art related to the history of medicine, which is now housed in the Historical Library of the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale. This catalog extends access to the collection by doc
Science and Technology in Medicine by
The history and evolution of the fields of science and medicine are symbiotically linked and thus are mutually dependent. Discoveries in one domain have allowed for progress in the other, and it is nearly impossible to study one area in isolation. The influence of science and technologic discoveries on medicine has profoundly impacted the way physicians practice and has resulted in an extended life expectancy and quality of life that our ancestors never dreamed possible. Science and Technology in Medicine is a collection of 99 essays based on landmark publications that have appeared in the medical literature over the past 500 years. Each essay includes a summary of the article or chapter; text and images reproduced directly from the original source; a short biography of the author(s); and a discussion about the significance of the discovery and its subsequent influence on later developments. Original material by the likes of Dürer, Bernoulli, Doppler, Pasteur, Trendelenburg, Curie and Röntgen offers readers a rare glimpse at publications housed in archives around the world, beautifully reproduced in one fascinating volume.
Western Medicine: An Illustrated History (eBook) by
From ancient religious rituals and magical incantations, to Renaissance practices such as purging, bleeding, and trepanning, to modern day miracles such as antibiotics, CAT scans, and organ transplants, the advance of western medicine has been nothing short of astonishing. Now, in this richly illustrated volume--boasting 150 pictures, including 24 pages of color plates--readers have an authoritative and wide-ranging history of Western medicine, charting the great milestones of medical progress, from the birth of rational medicine in the classical world right up to the present day. The history begins in ancient Greece, where medical practice, under the auspices of Hippocrates and others, first looked past supernatural explanations and began to understand disease as a product of natural causes. The book examines the contributions of the great Islamic physicians, such as Rhazes (Al-Razi) and Avicenna (Ibn-Sina), who had a profound impact on the practice of medieval medicine, and it chronicles the slow growth of medical knowledge through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, illuminating the work of figures such as Paracelsus, Vesalius, and William Harvey (who explained how blood circulates through the body). But it has been in the last two centuries that medical practice has made its greatest strides, and Western Medicine provides informative portraits of figures as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch (the fathers of bacteriology), Wilhelm Roentgen (discoverer of x-rays), and Paul Ehrlich (who pioneered the use of chemicals to destroy disease-causing organisms), and many others. And as the contributors highlight the great medical discoveries, they also cover broader medical and social themes, examining for instance the rise of medical training in universities (beginning around 1200 AD), the relationship in the Renaissance between medicine and art, and the tension between the church and an increasingly secularized medical professional class, tension that continues to this day. The book also explores nursing, midwifery, and the rise of the hospital, traces our slow understanding of the patterns of epidemics and the geography of disease (tracking for example the devastating effects of disease brought about through colonization and the slave trade), and charts our changing attitudes towards child birth, mental disease, and the doctor-patient relationship. Authoritative, informative, and beautifully designed, this volume offers a fascinating introduction to medicine in the West. In addition to its generous illustrations, the volume includes a glossary, an extended list of suggested further reading, a chronology, and a full index, making it an indispensable reference for anyone interested in medical history.
A Cultural History of the Nurse's Uniform by
This first and only in-depth analysis of the attire worn by the largest workforce in the health care system explores the role of the nurse's uniform in creating nursing identity for over a hundred years. The introduction of the nurse's uniform in the late nineteenth century was part of a strategy to legitimize North America's first nursing schools. At first varied and experimental in design, by the early 20th century the uniform was drawing on elements of fashionable, scientific, military and ecclesiastical wear, and had standardized into a blue or pink dress worn with stiffly starched white cap, bib, and apron. This remarkable outfit lasted until the 1970s, when educational and societal changes brought about its demise, and practical scrubs became the most common nursing apparel. Seen through the lens of age, gender, class and race, this book shows how the uniform was an active participant in the changing culture of nursing work and thought. Richly illustrated with images of actual garments and over 150 compelling period photographs, cartoons and drawings, the book explore the uniform within the contexts of hospital, community, nursing school, and residence. A Cultural History of the Nurse's Uniform will appeal to nurses, historians and scholars of dress.
Nursing, the Finest Art by
Nursing the Finest Art: An Illustrated History traces the social, political, and economic history of nursing from its origins through contemporary practices - covering all specialties and settings. Few nursing history books include complete coverage from Prehistoric times through present day, making this book a fascinating journey through the profession. Thoroughly updated with almost 95% new artwork! Makes a great gift! Over 400 fine art images encompassing nurses in history through present time and around the globe. Timelines summarizing each era at a glance before each chapter let you know where to find key information about nursing history and facilitate easy review. 4 all-new units focusing on: The Nursing Transformation The Healing Spirit of Nursing A Global View of Nursing and Healthcare An Epilogue, bringing closure to the text Foreword written by renowned historian Joan E. Lynaugh, PhD, RN; Professor Emeritus; University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing New and more images of nursing history throughout the world
