Images from the History of Medicine (IHM)

Browse this collection

Images from the History of Medicine (IHM) is a collection of historical portraits, photographs, fine prints, caricatures, posters, and other graphic art that illustrates the social and historical aspects of medicine from the Middle Ages to the present.

The collection covers subjects such as:

  • • Medieval medical practice
  • • 19th century slum conditions
  • • World War I hospitals
  • • The international fight against drug abuse and AIDS

If you prefer to target your search to specific genres, selections include:

The rose without thorns: [four angels]
The rose without thorns: [four angels] (between 1890 and 1925?)

The collection also includes all of the images from the freely-available book Hidden Treasure: The National Library of Medicine, which showcases the NLM and its remarkable historical collections.

All images can be downloaded directly from the resource page by clicking on the “Download” button beneath the image. You can select from a high-resolution TIFF or a standard JPG file.

[Eighteenth century scientist using microscope]
[Eighteenth century scientist using microscope] (between 1721 and 1779)
[Microscopic view of the human immunodeficiency virus]
[Microscopic view of the human immunodeficiency virus] (unknown date)
Ambulance of the American Hospital--Lycée Pasteur--Neuilly-Paris: 5, La visite du Mèdecin = The morning rounds
Ambulance of the American Hospital--Lycée Pasteur--Neuilly-Paris: 5, La visite du Mèdecin = The morning rounds (between 1914 and 1917)