The Historical Library

Guide to Basic Reference Materials

The Reference collection is arranged by category and therein by call number using Library of Congress (LC) classification. It contains a full set of the Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's Office, U.S. Army, biographical dictionaries including major national dictionaries, encyclopedias of the history of medicine, and subject bibliographies. While these materials do not circulate, those in good condition can be photocopied and then returned to the Historical Library.

Older reference works, dating before 1871 to early 20th century, are shelved in the locked stacks. These materials are identified by a call number with S REF or A REF. All reference works are on ORBIS, Yale University's online catalog.

• Encyclopedias
• Biographical Dictionaries
• Eponyms
• Bibliographies/Primary Sources
• Bibliographies/Current Literature

Encyclopedias
REF 19

Divided into eight sections, this work focusses not only on history and geography of various diseases worldwide, but also changing concepts of health and disease, disease prevention and measurement of health. Includes bibliographies, tables, figures and maps. Important resource for research on history of disease and specific diseases.

Companion Encyclopedia of History of Medicine. 2 Volumes. W.F. Bynum and Roy Porter, editors. London: Routledge, 1993.
REF 19 R133 .E5 1993

These two volumes give generous historical overviews of broad areas in the history of medicine, i.e., theories of life, health and disease, clinical medicine, and medicine and culture. A sampling of chapters within sections include, ideas of life and death, fevers, nutritional diseases, medicine in different cultures, women and medicine, history of nursing, war and modern medicine. Chapters include definitions, histories, and helpful cross-references. Each chapter ends with a list of resources for further reading. Good resource for paper topic ideas. This Bibliography, updated to the present,is now online under HISTLINE.

Encyclopedia of Medical History by Roderick E. McGrew with Margaret P. McGrew. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1985.
REF 19 R133 .M34 1985

One-volume work designed to provide easy access to history of medicine for students of medical history, as well as the general reader. Contains short essays on major subjects in medicine, medical disciplines, and diseases. Each essay has additional readings; essays are more lengthy if the topic is more recent or controversial.

Women, Health and Medicine in America: A Historical Handbook. Rima D. Apple, editor. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1990.
REF 19 RA564.85 .W63 1992

Important work on history of women and medicine in the U.S. Major sections include: definitions of health and disease; orthodox health care; alternative medical care; social and political dynamics of women's health concerns, and health care providers. Within sections, there are shorter essays on areas such as, childbirth, mental illness, professionalization of obstetrics, and midwifery. Includes a good bibliography section for further research.

Biographical Dictionaries
REF 13

Includes over 1500 brief biographies on deceased and living persons, with an emphasis on pre-World War II scientists. Short entries include listings of any publications or dissertations, membership affiliations and further references. Includes extensive bibliography. Also includes helpful, detailed index by specialty which also indicates first blacks in a field, first black scientist in a particular region, and inventions.

Dictionary of American Biography 22 Volumes, 6 Supplements. Allen Johnson, editor. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1928.
REF 13 E176 D52

Concise biographical sketches of outstanding figures in American life, from colonial times through 1960. Volumes 1-20 and Volume 21, supplement 1 include those persons who died before December 31, 1935. Later supplements (Volume 22, Supplements 2-6) include persons who died after January 1, 1936 up to 1960. Also available is the condensed version, Concise Dictionary of American Biography.

Dictionary of American Medical Biography. 2 Volumes. Martin Kaufman, Stuart Galishoff, Todd L. Savitt, editors. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984.
REF 13 R153 .D53 1984

Primarily short biographies of American physicians and selected figures in the development of American medicine and public health. Covers persons dating back to 17th century up to and including some 20th century persons who died before December 31, 1976. Also includes often overlooked contributions of blacks and women in medicine, as well as alternative practitioners. Helpful appendixes in Volume 2 list by date of birth, place of birth, specialty, state, medical college and include a list of women in medicine and year of birth. Good first resource for researching American doctors in history.

Dictionary of National Biography. 22 Volumes, 8 Supplements. Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee, editors. London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1908.
REF 13 DA28 908D

Detailed biographical entries on noted British figures in history. First twenty-two volumes through Supplement I cover persons who died in periods from "the earliest times" to 1900. Supplements (2-8) carry through to 1970. There is also a condensed version in the Reference Room, The Concise Dictionary of National Biography, Volume I (to 1900) and Volume II (1901-1950).

Dictionary of Scientific Biography. 18 Volumes. Charles Gillispie, editor-in-chief. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970-1990.
REF 13 Q141 +D52 1970

Biographies of prominent scientists noted for their research accomplishments. Covers scientists from antiquity to those who died before 1975. Main areas of science covered include: mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and the earth sciences. Also worth noting is the often, extensive bibliography at end of each article, divided into primary and secondary resources. Volumes 15, 17, 18 are supplemental volumes; Volume 16 is an index volume.

Notable American Women. 4 Volumes. Volumes 1-3, Edward James, editor. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press, 1971. Volume 4, Barbara Sicherman and Carol Hurd Green, editors. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press, 1980.
REF 13 CT3260 .N68 1971

Substantial biographies on important women in history, including physicians and public health figures, like Elizabeth Blackwell and Clara Barton. Helpful notes and reference section. Volumes 1-3 cover the periods from the founding of the American colonies in 1607 to the end of 1950 . The later volume which covers the modern period includes women who died between 1951 and 1975.

Eponyms
REF 13

Biographical sketches of medical practitioners for whom certain genetic or chromosomal syndromes have been named. Section I contains essays with portraits as well as development of nomenclature and references, including obituaries for deceased figures. Part II includes briefer entries without portraits.

Medical Eponyms: Who Was Coudé? by John Lourie. London: Pitman Books Unlimited, 1982.
REF 13 R121 .L68 1982

Eponyms organized alphabetically by physician. Includes very brief entries describing syndrome and minimal description of physician.

Bibliographies/Primary Sources
REF 2

Basic index for scientific papers published from 1800-1900. Organized alphabetically by author and chronologically within author heading. The First Series (Vol. I-VI) catalogues literature of 1800-1863. The Second Series (Vol. VII-VIII) covers literature of 1864-1873. The Third Series (Vol. IX-XI) deals with 1874-1883. Volume XII is supplementary to the previous volumes, and the Fourth Series (Vol XIII-XIX) includes literature from 1884-1900.
Good reference source for primary works in the sciences, but not in medicine.

Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's Office, National Library of Medicine. 5 Series. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Public Health Service. Washington, DC: G.P.O., 1880-1961.
REF 2 ZR100 U6

Bibliography for books and articles arranged alphabetically by medical subject headings and by authors. Published in five series, a total of 61 volumes: Series I (vol. 1-16, 1880-1895); Series II (vol. 1-21, 1896-1916); Series III (vol. 1-10, 1918-1932); Series IV (vol. 1-11, 1936-55); Series V (vol. 1-3; 1959-1961). For medical literature before 1966, see also Index Medicus in the Information Room (Ref2 ZR100 C38 begins in 1879). Good references for primary sources in medicine and related sciences.

Morton's Medical Bibliography: An Annotated Check-list of Texts Illustrating the History of Medicine (Garrison and Morton) by Morton T. Leslie. 5th edition edited by Jeremy M. Norman. Cambridge: University Press, 1991.
REF 2 ZR131 .M72

Provides a chronological bibliography of the most important contributions to the world literature on medicine and related sciences. Includes annotations that explain significance of particular works in the development of medical sciences, and comprehensive subject index. Important source for key primary references in the history of medicine and science. Also includes list of current serials in history of medicine.

Bibliographies/Current Historical Literature
REF 2 and Historical Periodicals (hist per)

Major bibliographic source on the history of medicine and its related sciences, professions, and institutions. Includes historical material from MEDLINE and CATLINE as well as articles from journals now indexed by MEDLINE. Appeared annually with a cumulative volume every five years. Divided into three main parts, it contains biographies, subjects and authors sections. Major subject sections are organized by time period and country.

The contents of these volumes and new records since 1993 are on HISTLINE, a free database created by the National Library of Medicine. It is one of NLM's databases available through Internet Grateful Med. From the home page, click on HISTLINE.

Blacks in American Medicine: A Bibliography of Secondary Sources, 1970-1987 by Peter Hirtle and Diane Rothenberg. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, 1988.
REF 2 ZE185 +H57 1988

Bibliography that includes articles, books, and dissertations that appeared on HISTLINE between 1970 and 1987. Issued in conjunction with a National Library of Medicine exhibit, "Blacks in Medicine: The Institutional Setting". Organized alphabetically by author and includes author/subject index at the end.

Current Work in the History of Medicine. London: The Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1954 -.
Ref 2 ZR131 .C8

Current periodical literature indexed according to Medical Subject Headings (National Library of Medicine). Issues contain list of journals indexed and list of new books received. Less comprehensive, but more current than Bibliography of the History of Medicine. Issued four times per year.

The History of Women and Science, Health, and Technology: A Bibliographic Guide to the Professions and the Disciplines. Second Edition. Phyllis Holman Weisbard, editor. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin System Women's Studies Librarian, 1993.
Ref 2 ZQ130 +H58 1993

This bibliography expands and updates the 1988 version, a collaboration of the Women's Caucus of the History of Science Society. Designed to make the history of women more accessible to those in science, medicine and technology. A bibliography in six parts: Overviews (teaching tools and reference tools); Women in the Scientific Professions; Health and Biology; Home Economics/Domestic Science; Technology; Children and Young Adult Literature.

Isis. "Current Bibliography in the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences." 1913 -. Appears annually as the fifth issue of Isis, the official journal of the History of Science Society.
Historical Periodicals Stacks under Isis

Comprehensive index to books, articles, and reviews in the history of science that have appeared in a given year. Included are sections on new reference materials, disciplines, time periods, and book reviews. This bibliography for the years since 1975 is available online as part of the database HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (HST) (Yale IP address required).

Science Across Cultures: An Annotated Bibliography of Books on Non-Western Science, Technology, and Medicine by Helaine Selin. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1992.
Ref 2 Z7405 .S6 .S4 1992

Bibliography on history of medicine in non-Western cultures. Primarily books from late 20th century, all in English, are arranged by geographic area and therein alphabetically by author. Chapters cover Africa, the Americas, Asia, China, Japan, India, Islamic Science, the Middle East, and the Pacific. Each section is preceded by a brief essay.

Women in Medicine: A Bibliography of the Literature on Women Physicians. Sandra Chaff, Ruth Haimbach, Carol Fenichel, Nina Woodside, editors. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1977.
Ref 2 ZR692 .W65 1977

Comprehensive coverage of books, articles and theses, mainly in English, about women in medicine worldwide. The literature ranges from the 18th century through December 1975 and focusses on American material, yet devotes a substantial portion of the bibliography to international published works. Helpful sections on history of women in medicine, biographies, missionary activity, wartime activity. There are three indexes by author, subject and personal name. Published by the Medical College of Pennsylvania, known for its education of women in medicine.

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