By Krista Stracka ~ The National Library of Medicine recently digitized a 1501 edition of what is commonly considered the first printed book on distillation.
Category: Rare Books & Journals
Pre-1914 books and serials, pre-1871 journals, and pamphlets and dissertations, and early Western and Islamic manuscripts.
Fifteenth Century Books: When Doodles Matter
By Laura Hartman ~ It may seem hard to believe that a random scribbling or doodle on an empty page or margin of an old
Closing the Book on “Shadows from the Walls of Death”
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…
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
Revealing Data: Using Term Frequency to Chart Influenza Reporting
Historical medical journals provide unique perspectives on the development of expert understanding of transmission, morbidity, and impact during an epidemic.
Revealing Data: Investigating The Hospital’s file sizes
By Ashley Bowen ~ For researchers interested in the administration of British hospitals in the late 19th and early 20th century, The Hospital is a