The Historical Collection is the departmental library of the Institute of the History of Medicine. We are a resource center for the Hopkins history of medicine community, the broader Hopkins ecosystem, and scholars from across the globe. We provide reference services, research assistance, exhibitions, and more.
Our collection covers all aspects of the history of medicine, public health, and allied sciences. The collection is unique in that it pairs a robust circulating collection of secondary sources with a rich and deep collection of rare materials. While we are a rare book collection at heart, we also have a small number of prints, artifacts, manuscripts, photographs, archives, and artifacts.
The collection was jump-started by the gift of thousands of books from William Welch and Henry Barton Jacobs. Since then, our collection has grown mostly through donations, and through concentrated and thoughtful acquisition. Our collection’s strengths lie in anatomy, vaccination, tuberculosis, German medicine, and obstetrics. If you are interested in giving to the Historical Collection please visit the Support Us page.
We are open M-F 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM for visits and research appointments. Please visit the Using Our Collections page to learn more about planning your visit.
