This collection of arsenic-laden wallpaper samples required special housing. NLM conservators encapsulated the pages in polyester film, welded shut with support from Smithsonian Libraries…
Category: Rare Books & Journals
Pre-1914 books and serials, pre-1871 journals, and pamphlets and dissertations, and early Western and Islamic manuscripts.
Spice of History: A Gingerbread Recipe
Recipe books from the 18th century hold a combination of food recipes, herbal remedies, and other such household creations thought to improve health. Powell’s “ginger bread” recipe includes ingredients easily found in today’s grocery store and provides measures still in use today.
How to Become a Nurse and How to Succeed, ca. 1892
By Gabrielle Barr ~ “Don’t talk too long to patients…. Never lean against the table with one’s hands in one’s apron pockets…. Don’t be too
Scope Magazine (1941–1957)
By R. Roger Remington ~ Originally published in Hidden Treasure: The National Library of Medicine, 2011. Targeted at doctors, pharmacists, and other health professionals, Scope was
Revealing Data: Close Reading and Textual Analysis as Historical Methods
Historical medical journals provide unique perspectives on the development of expert understanding of transmission, morbidity, and impact during an epidemic. Examining the ways that medical
Revealing Data: Measuring Mortality during an Epidemic
Historical medical journals provide unique perspectives on the development of expert understanding of transmission, morbidity, and impact during an epidemic. Examining the ways that medical