Archives, Collections & Resources

We recommend these resources on the history of medicine.

Twin Cities Archives and Collections

  • Owen H. Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine at the University of Minnesota contains monographs, manuscripts, and artifacts in the history of medicine from the 15th century.
  • University of Minnesota Academic Health Center Oral History Project. This website includes approximately 100 oral history interviews with faculty, staff, and administrators who have worked in the health sciences at the University of Minnesota since World War II.
  • Social Welfare History Archives at the University of Minnesota contains archival material related to the history of social service and social reform in late 19th and 20th century America.
  • Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota includes archives documenting immigrant and refugee experiences, especially in the U.S.
  • Charles H. Babbage Institute-Center for the History of Information at the University of Minnesota is an archives and research center dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and promoting and conducting research in the field.
  • University of Minnesota Archives is the official institutional and historical archive of the Academic Health Center, its six schools and colleges of medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and veterinary medicine; its interdisciplinary centers at the University; and home to the personal and professional papers of health sciences faculty and administrators. 
  • Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul is home to the Minnesota State Archives.
  • Bakken Library and Museum of Electricity in Life in Minneapolis has an instrument collection that comprises approximately 2,500 artifacts from the 18th century to the present and a collection of about 11,000 books, journals, and manuscripts on the history of electricity and magnetism that focus on their roles in the life sciences and medicine.

General Archives and Collections

  • History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine collects, preserves, makes available, and interprets for diverse audiences a rich collection of historical material related to human health and disease. You can access information about their collections, online exhibits, and an online repository of imagine from the history of medicine, and much more from the website.
  • The Wellcome Library is a major resource for the study of medical history. The website includes information on accessing the library’s huge collection of physical and online collections, and online exhibits.
  • Islamic Medical Manuscripts at the National Library of Medicine. This website provides information about Islamic medicine and science during the Middle Ages and a catalogue of about 300 Persian or Arabic manuscripts, most of which deal with medieval medicine and science.
  • The Yellow Fever Collection at the University of Virginia. This extensive online archive comprises correspondence, notes, reports, printed materials, photographs, negatives, and artifacts related to the history of yellow fever.
  • Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. The Bates Center has one of the largest collections of documents and images focusing specifically on the historical development of nursing. The website provides finding aids to the Bates Center’s archival and manuscript collections.

Bibliographies in the History of Medicine

Bulletin Boards

  • H-Sci-Med-Tech is a network and online bulletin board for scholars in the history of science, medicine, or technology that includes discussion posts, call for papers, queries, and other relevant contributions.

Journals

Professional Organizations