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Tools for History of Medicine ResearchSearching for History of medicine information? The PubMed database <www.pubmed.gov> allows you to easily access journal citations, while online catalogs, including PITTCat for the Health Sciences <pittcat.hsls.pitt.edu> and LOCATORplus <locatorplus.gov> provide citations for books, selected book chapters, conference transactions, and similar items. A useful subset of PubMed includes more than 30,000 journal citations on the history of medicine and related fields published since 1964. This History of Medicine subset provides access to journal literature about the history of health–related professions, life sciences, specialties, individuals, institutions, drugs, and diseases in all parts of the world and all historic periods. To retrieve citations, choose the History of Medicine subset from the pull-down menu on the PubMed limits screen. HSLS history of medicine book resources are readily accessible through PITTCat for the Health Sciences. Simply select the History of Medicine search limit. For history of medicine resources outside the Health Sciences Library System, try searching the National Library of Medicine’s online catalog, LOCATORplus, to find manuscripts, oral histories, books, and audiovisuals. Use the HMD Collection (History of Medicine Division) limit to narrow your search results. Several print catalogs, available at the Falk and WPIC Libraries, can be used to locate historical primary source materials that are not yet searchable online. The Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General’s Office, U.S. Army (61 volumes in 5 series, 1880-1961) provides access to pamphlets, dissertations, and journal articles from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Index Medicus, the print version of MEDLINE, provides subject and author access to articles in the medical journal literature back to 1879. Contact Dr. Jonathon Erlen (412-648-8927; erlen@pitt.edu) for history of medicine reference and database searching assistance. --Rebecca Abromitis |
