The National Library of Medicine
/ 
   8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland  20014
Telephone 301 656-4000
TWX 710-824-9616
HOURS   Reading Room
Monday-Friday
Saturday
Sunday
8:30a.m.-9 p.m.
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
closed
Summer Hours
Monday-Saturday
Sunday
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
closed
History of Medicine Collection         Monday-Saturday

                    The Library is closed on national holidays.
8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
TOURS     Monday-Friday              3:00 p.m.
           Call 301 496-1030 or write to the Public
           Information Office for  advance  regis-
           tration or special arrangements.
EXHIBITS     Rare books, manuscripts, prints on the
             history  of  medicine, and  displays of
             medical subjects are regularly exhibited
             in the lobby. Visitors are welcome.
FILMS    Films  on  the  Library  and  Medlars
         may be  viewed  by appointment  and
         are available on  loan from the National
         Medical  Audiovisual  Center  (Annex),
         Station K, Atlanta, Georgia 30324. 
The National  Library of Medicine
   8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20014
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
               Public Health Service
            National Institutes of Health
           DHEW Publication No. (NIH) 72-261 
 
          INTRODUCTION

  The National Library of Medicine, in Bethesda,
Maryland, the world's  largest library in  a  single
scientific field,  is more than just a collection of
materials: it is an institution dedicated to serving
the information  needs of health professionals.  It
is also committed to the development of a bio-
medical  communications  network  to   enhance
health care, education, and research. The estab-
lishment and  support  of 11 Regional  Medical
Libraries is an important aspect in the  develop-
ment of the network.
  This brochure is an introduction to the  Library's
history, programs, and ways to use its  services.
More specific information may be  obtained from
the Office of Public Information, National Library
of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Mary-
land 20014.
Public Card Catalog Room 
HISTORY
              The Library  was originally established  in 1836
            as the  Library of the Surgeon  General's Office.
            Its basic  role was to serve the  needs of  military
            medical officers  and, with small funds, the col-
            lection was mostly limited to material on clinical
            medicine and public health.
              With  the  arrival  in 1865 of Dr.  John  Shaw
            Billings, the  Library's mission was expanded and
            organized. Medical publications were made  avail-
            able  to physicians generally. The appearance  in
            January 1879 of the first issue of Index Medicus,
            and,  in 1880, of Volume I of the Index-Catalogue
            of the  Library of the Surgeon  General's Office,
            United States Army, marked the inception of a
            publications  program which has continued with
            few interruptions to the present  day. The Library's
            collections were enlarged from  the 1,800 volumes
            of 1865, as reported  by Billings,  to 50,000 volumes
            and 60,000 pamphlets in 1880. His energetic pro-
            gram of acquisitions,  by purchase,  by exchange,
            and by gift—as at NLM today—steadily expanded
            both  size and  scope of the collection.

2
Dr. John Shaw Billings.
  Following  Billings' tradition,  the Library  has
continued to pioneer in  the  rapid dissemination
of information. Such revolutionary library tech-
nology as photoduplication for interlibrary loans
and  computerized  information  storage and  re-
trieval were first introduced  by  NLM.  Currently,
the National  Library of Medicine is planning for
and developing biomedical communications net-
works which  may eventually employ space satel-
lites. 
COLLECTION
  The  Library collects materials exhaustively in
some 40 biomedical areas and, to a lesser degree,
in  such related subjects  as  general  chemistry,
physics, zoology, botany, psychology, and instru-
mentation. The holdings include nearly  one and
a half million books,  journals, technical reports,
documents, theses, pamphlets, microfilms,  and
pictorial and  audiovisual materials.  Housed in the
Library  is   one of  the Nation's  largest  medical
history collections, with contents dating  from the
11th to the  mid-19th century.  The  History of
Medicine  collection may be  consulted  Monday-
Saturday,  8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Other  collections
may be consulted  Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-9:00
p.m., and  Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (These
hours are  modified during the summer  months.)
Top to  Bottom: Book Stacks,  Readi
Room, Videotape Viewing Area.
			
!	J* an _«• ill)		lis-
		i<e	^n
ng ■			m

3 
WW MWMMT'RmM fl	ilfKJ
	
	
PanJtctj 
Modern Equipment  Is Used  for Film
Maintenance at  the National Medical
Audiovisual Center.
Interior of Library.  Engraved  illustration
from:   Florinus,  Franciscus  Philippus,
pseud.  Oeconomus Prudens  et  Legalis
.  . .,  Nuremberg,  1722.
From the History of  Medicine  Picture
Collection,
HOW  TO  USE THE
     COLLECTION
  Most of the literature in the collection is avail-
able on  loan through  any  library:  Interlibrary
loan requests should  be submitted  through  a
local medical library, where the staff will fill out
the prescribed forms, giving a complete biblio-
graphic citation  for each request. Requests may
be  submitted either by mail or  by  TWX. The
Library's TWX number is 710-824-9616.
  Motion pictures will  be loaned to health pro-
fessionals on  request  to  the National  Medical
Audiovisual  Center (Annex), Station  K, Atlanta,
Georgia 30324.  (A brochure titled The National
Medical Audiovisual Center, available on  request
from the address above, provides  further infor-
mation on the Center's  programs.) 
MEDLARS
  The  Library's computer-based  Medical  Litera-
ture Analysis and Retrieval System (Medlars) was
established to achieve rapid bibliographic access
to NLM's vast store of biomedical information. It
became operational  in January  1964 with  the
publication of the first computer-produced issue
of Index  Medicus,  a comprehensive, subject-
author index to articles from approximately 2,200
of the  world's biomedical journals. The principal
objective of  Medlars  is to provide references to
the biomedical literature  for  research scientists,
clinicians, and other health professionals.  This is
accomplished through:
6
(1) preparation of citations for publication
   in Index Medicus and the NLM Current
   Catalog,

(2) compilation  of other  recurring bibli-
   ographies  on  specialized subjects of
   wide interest,

(3) production  of retrospective,  one-time
   bibliographies (demand searches), in re-
   sponse to requests submitted  by health
   professionals, and

(4) publication and distribution of selected
   "Literature Searches" on  a wide basis.
   A complete  list of  bibliographies  is
   available on  request from  NLM.
Computer Room, NLM. 
jC. VB&«Jw		
9jjE Bm W		
J ^EW*	12	
 
Exhibit on Medicine of the American  Indians—Entrance Foyer
\*mmiim
Xerox Copyflo
Incunabula 
Medlars Computer Console
Reading Room  in History of Medicine  Division
Mobile Camera
 
MEDLARS/NETWORK
           To provide more rapid dissemination of bio-
          medical information, the Library has been  de-
          veloping a network arrangement through which
          Medlars  and interlibrary loan services  can  be
          shared more efficiently  by  medical  libraries. In
          the  United  States, the  network  consists of  11
          Medlars  stations  and 11 Regional   Medical  Li-
          braries. Although the National Library of Med-
          icine remains  the heart of the  network, more
          and  more  services are  being provided directly
          by regional  libraries.  Users may  request  demand
          searches through a local library. Write for the
          Guide to  Medlars Services,  available from  NLM
          at no charge (see inside back cover).

10
Chemical Apparatus.  Engraved Illustration from J.
Parkinson. Chemical  Pocket  Book, Philadelphia,
1802.
From  the History of  Medicine Picture  Collection.
           TOXICOLOGY

 INFORMATION  PROGRAM

  This program was begun in 1967  to provide a
national focal point of access to  information in
toxicology.   A  quarterly  Toxicity  Bibliography
began publication in January 1968 (see publica-
tions list).  Other  program  objectives  include
organizing a standardized  toxicology vocabulary,
maintaining a roster of expert advisers in toxicol-
ogy,  identifying and characterizing files of infor-
mation  on  toxicology, and  establishing a com-
puter-based system incorporating  all information
from those centers and other information sources. 
The Chymist (Detail). Interior of
a Laboratory,  Engraved  After  a
Painting  by David  Teniers the
Younger  (1610-1690).
From the History of Medicine Pic-
ture Collection.
* Construction grants are administered
by the Division of Educational and Re-
search Facilities,  Bureau  of Health Pro-
fessions Education and Manpower Train-
ing, National Institutes  of Health, 9000
Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20014.
GRANTS
  The grant programs of the National Library of
Medicine  were  originally  authorized  by  the
Medical  Library  Assistance Act  of 1965  (Public
Law 89-291)  to  provide better  health informa-
tion services through support of:  improved health
library resources, increased trained  manpower,
and development of modern health communica-
tions tools and techniques. The Act, continued by
a three-year  Extension  Act in  1970  (Public  Law
91-212), offers grant support in seven categories:
       •  Resources
       •  Training
       •  Research
       •  Special  Scientific Projects
       •  Publications
       •  Regional Medical Libraries
       •  Construction
  These  programs  are  introduced  in  a booklet
titled  The National Library of  Medicine Grant
Programs, which  is available by writing: Associate
Director  for   Extramural  Programs, National  Li-
brary  of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20014.
11 
 
       LISTER HILL
 NATIONAL  CENTER
            FOR
      BIOMEDICAL
COMMUNICATIONS
  The Library moved into the space age when the
90th Congress passed a joint resolution authoriz-
ing  the establishment  of the Lister Hill  National
Center for Biomedical  Communications, named
in honor of the former Senator from Alabama. It
serves as the focal point within the Department
of Health, Education, and  Welfare for communi-
cations systems and network projects.
  The Center  has  the  responsibility, within the
Library, for applying computer and other  com-
munications technologies to improve health care
delivery, and  aid medical education  and bio-
medical research. Current projects include (1)  an
experimental, on-line remote access bibliographic
service called AIM-TWX; (2) tests in using a NASA
satellite for voice  and  data communications be-
tween the  Center, the University of Alaska, and
designated clinical centers, to improve health care
services in Alaska; and (3) the use of  television
technology to extend  the resources of a New
England university medical center to health pro-
fessionals  isolated  from major medical  resources. 
PUBLICATIONS
             NLM's bibliographies, catalogs, and other guides  to med-
             ical literature may be purchased from the Superintendent
             of Documents, U.S.  Government  Printing Office, Wash-
             ington,  D.  C.  20402.  (Please do  not  send orders to  the
             National Library of Medicine.) Remittance should accom-
             pany orders, and foreign orders should  include an addi-
             tional 25% of the domestic price to cover mailing.  The
             prices quoted  below are those in  effect  for 1971; an  up-
             dated list is available from the Office of Public Informa-
             tion, NLM.

             Index Medicus
               Index Medicus is published  monthly as a bibliographic
             listing  of  references to current  articles  from  approxi-
             mately  2,200 of  the world's  biomedical  journals.  Each
             issue  contains a  subject and  name  section and  a sepa-
             rate  Bibliography  of Medical Reviews.  Medical  Subject
             Headings is included as  Part 2 of the January  issue.  An-
             nual  subscription  price: $63.00  ($78.75  foreign); single
             issues $5.00.

             Cumulated Index Medicus
               Volume 11 (1970)  is a  cumulation in  eight volumes of
             the approximately 210,000  citations to articles  appearing
             in Index Medicus in  1970. Also included  are Medical Sub-
             ject Headings, List of journals Indexed in Index Medicus,
             and Bibliography of Medical Reviews.  Price:  $84.CO ($92.25
             foreign). [Volume 10 (1969): $90.50 ($100.00 foreign)]

             List of journals Indexed in  Index Medicus
               The 1971 List of journals Indexed contains four listings

14
of the 2,200 journals indexed  in Index Medicus:  title, ab-
breviation, subject, and  geographical. Price  $1.25.

Abridged Index Medicus
  A  monthly  bibliography, based  on  articles  from  100
English-language  journals,  designed  for the  needs  of the
individual practitioner  and libraries of small  hospitals and
clinics. Annual subscription price: $12.00  ($15.00  foreign);
$1X0  for individual  issues.  Annual cumulation  (1970):
$10.00 ($12.50  foreign).

Medical Subject  Headings
  Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)  is published  as Part 2
of the January issue of Index Medicus. The approximately
7,600  subject  headings in the 1971  MeSH  are  arranged
alphabetically, with cross-references, and in categorized
lists.  (Included with subscription to Index Medicus; also
available separately for $3.00.)

Monthly  Bibliography of  Medical Reviews
  The Monthly BMR is  a  series designed  to provide quick
guidance  to the  latest  reviews in  the  journal  literature
of biomedicine.  Each  monthly  issue duplicates  the  ma-
terial  appearing  in the Bibliography  of Medical  Reviews
section  of the  corresponding  monthly  issue  of  Index
Medicus.  Price   for   one  year's  subscription  (twelve
monthly  issues):  $4.50  ($5.75  foreign).

NLM  Current Catalog
  Bibliographic listing  of  citations to publications cata-
loged by  the  Library.  Issued in three forms:  (a)  monthly
(name section only), (b) quarterly (non-cumulating,  sub-
ject  and  name   sections),  and  (c)  annual  cumulation
(subject and name sections). Prices:  (a) 12 monthly issues
—$7.50  ($9.50  foreign);  (b)  4 quarterly issues—$13.00
($16.25 foreign);  and (c) annual cumulation (1970)—$16.25 
($20.35  foreign).  Annual  cumulation  for  1969—$14.25
($17.85 foreign). (Eight-volume cumulation covering 1965-
1970: in press,  price to be announced.)
Toxicity Bibliography
  The quarterly Toxicity  Bibliography covers  the  adverse
and  toxic effects of drugs and chemicals  reported in  the
approximately  2,200 journals indexed for Index Medicus.
Price: $14.00 per year ($17.50 foreign); single  issues $3.50.
Selected References on Environmental Quality
as It Relates to Health
  This  monthly  bibliography  provides  a  subject and
author index to  journal  articles covering aspects  of  en-
vironmental pollution  that  concern health.  Annual sub-
scription  price: $4.00 ($5.00 foreign); single issues  $0.40.
A Catalogue of Sixteenth Century Printed Books
in the National Library of Medicine
  Over 4,800 rare sixteenth century printed volumes from
NLM's History  of Medicine  Division collection are  listed.
Some  1,500 printers  and  publishers  and  188  different
printing  centers  in  fourteen European  countries are in-
dexed in  detail. Casebound. 1967.  698 pages.  Price: $5.25.

Bibliography of the  History of Medicine
  Number 4, 1968,  is the  fourth  of  an  annual series of
bibliographies  on  the history  of  medicine  and  related
sciences,  professions, and institutions. Prices:  Number 2,
1966 (Public Health  Service  Publication  No. 1540-2)  $1.25;
Number  3,  1967  (PHS Pub. No. 1540-3)  $2.75; Number 4,
1968  (PHS Pub. No. 1540-4)  $2.75. (Number  5,  covering
1965-1970: in press,  price to be announced.)

International Bibliography of Medicolegal
Serials 7736-7967
  An annotated listing of serials published on legal med-
icine  and related  fields.  Includes  six indexes (title, edi-
tors, publishers  and sponsors,  subject, geographical, and
chronological). 1969. Price: $1.25.

The Principles of Medlars
  A  77-page illustrated  booklet,  designed  for  the user
of Medlars  publications  and search services, describing
the intellectual processes and interactions involved  in the
provision  of Medlars  bibliographies. 1970.  Price:  $0.75.

Medlars: 7963-67
  Comprehensive description of NLM's computer system,
Medlars  (Medical  Literature Analysis and Retrieval Sys-
tem). 76 pages  with illustrations.  Public Health Service
Publication  No. 1823. 1968. Price:  $0.75.

National Medical Audiovisual Center Catalog

  The 1970  NMAC Catalog lists audiovisual, available  on
short-term  free  loan to  health professionals, from  NLM's
Atlanta-based  National Medical Audiovisual Center.  Price:
$1.25.

Film Reference  Guide for Medicine  and  Allied Sciences

  Published annually for  the Federal  Advisory Council  on
Medical  Training Aids. The  1970  edition contains  infor-
mation  on  approximately 2,0C0 films. Public  Health Serv-
ice Publication  No.  487,  revised 1970.  Price: $2.75.

NLM Classification

  The  National  Library  of Medicine  Classification:  A
Scheme for the Shelf Arrangement of  Books in  the Field
of Medicine and Its Related Sciences. 3rd  Edition, 1964,
with Supplementary Pages  (1969). Public Health Service
Publication  No. 1108, reprinted 1969. Price: $2.75.
     \ 
                           RECURRING

                       BIBLIOGRAPHIES


            The National Library of Medicine, through its computer-
            based Medlars (Medical Literature Analysis and  Retrieval
            System), periodically produces lists of citations to journal
            articles  in  specialized biomedical fields.  Most  of  these
            lists, termed  "Recurring Bibliographies," are  printed and
            distributed by nonprofit professional  organizations and
            other government  agencies with whom  the Library  coop-
            erates.
              (1) The Bibliography on  Medical Education  is published
            monthly in the journal of  Medical  Education ($15.00 per
            year). Cumulations for 1964-65, 1966, and 1967 are  avail-
            able from  the Association  of  American Medical Colleges,
            2530  Ridge Avenue,  Evanston,  Illinois,  60201  for  $2.00
            each.
              (2)  The  quarterly Cerebrovascular Bibliography is pre-
            pared under  the auspices of the Joint  Council  Subcom-
            mittee on  Cerebrovascular Disease,  National  Heart Insti-
            tute,  National Institutes of  Health, Bethesda,  Maryland
            20014. Distribution is  limited.  For  information  write  to
            the Executive Secretary, Joint Council Subcommittee on
            Cerebrovascular  Disease.
              (3)  The  monthly  bibliography, Fibrinolysis,  Thromboly-
            sis, and Blood Clotting,  is distributed by the  National
            Heart Institute.  For information  write  to  Dr. James M.
            Stengle, National  Heart  Institute, National Institutes  of
            Health,  Bethesda,  Maryland 20014.
              (4)  The   monthly Index  of  Rheumatology  is  available

16
from  the  American  Rheumatism Association Section of
The Arthritis Foundation, 1212 Avenue of the Americas,
New York, New York 10036. Price: $6.00 per year ($7.00
foreign); $3.50 to members  of the American Rheumatism
Association.
  (5)  The  quarterly  Index  to  Dental Literature  is  sold
by the  American  Dental Association, 211  East  Chicago
Avenue,  Chicago,  Illinois  60611.  Price:  $20.00 for  four
cumulative issues  (including annual  cumulation);  $10.CO
for annual cumulation alone.
  (6) The  quarterly International Nursing Index is sold by
the American Journal of Nursing Company, 10 Columbus
Circle, New York, New  York 10019. Price: $25.00 for  four
cumulative  issues  (including  cumulation);  $20.00   for
annual cumulation alone.
  (7) The  quarterly Artificial Kidney Bibliography  is pub-
lished by the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic
Diseases.  For  information  write  to the  Scientific Com-
munications Officer,  National  Institute  of  Arthritis  and
Metabolic  Diseases,  National  Institutes of  Health, Beth-
esda,  Maryland 20014. The  bibliography  is  sold  by the
Superintendent of  Documents,  U.S. Government Printing
Office,  Washington,  D.C.  20402.  Price:  $1.00  per  year
($1.25 foreign); single issues, $0.30.
  (8) The  bimonthly  Endocrinology Index is published by
the  National Institute of  Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda,  Maryland  20014. 
The bibliography is sold by the Superintendent of Docu-
ments,  U.S.  Government Printing  Office,  Washington,
D.C. 20402. Price: $16.00  per  year  ($20.00 foreign); single
issues, $2.75.
  (9) The Bibliography of Surgery of  the Hand, an annual,
is published  and distributed  by the American Society for
Surgery  of the  Hand. For information  write to  John  P.
Adams, M.D., Chairman, American Society for Surgery of
the  Hand,  2150 Pennsylvania Ave.,  N.W.,  Washington,
D.C. 20037.
  (10)  The Anesthesiology Bibliography,  a  quarterly,  is
published  and  distributed by the American Society of
Anesthesiologists. For information write:  Wood  Library,
Museum of  Anesthesiology,  American  Society of  Anes-
thesiologists,  515  Busse   Highway,  Park  Ridge,  Illinois
60068.
  (11)  The quarterly Toxicity  Bibliography is published by
the National Libiary  of Medicine  and distributed  by the
Superintendent  of  Documents, U.S.  Government  Printing
Office, Washington,  D.C. 20402.  Price:  $14.00  per  year
($17.50 foreign); single issues, $3.50.
  (12)  The  monthly Current Bibliography of Epidemiology
(CuBE)  is published by the American Public Health Asso-
ciation.  Annual  subscription  price,  including  annual
cumulation:  $35.00.  Write:  Subscription  Office,  CuBE,
American  Public Health  Asociation,  1740  Broadway,  New
York, New York 10032.
  (13)  The Neurosurgical Biblio-lndex  is  published an-
nually by the American  Association  of  Neurological Sur-
geons.  For information  write to  the Subscription  Man-
ager,   journal  of  Neurosurgery,  Suite   1230, 251   East
Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
  (14)   The  Cranio-Facial—Cleft  Palate  Bibliography  is
published quarterly by the American  Cleft  Palate Associa-
tion.  For  information write to the Chairman,  Nomencla-
ture Committee, Box  3098,  Division  of  Plastic, Maxillo-
facial and Oral Surgery,  Duke  University Medical Center,
Durham,  North Carolina 27706.
  (15)  The Index of Investigative Dermatopathology  and
Dermatology  is published  monthly  by  the  Universities
Associated for Research  and Education in Pathology,  Inc.
For information write to the UAREP, 9650 Rockville Pike,
Bethesda, Maryland 20014.
  (16)  The  Recurring Bibliography  of  Hypertension  is
published bimonthly by  the American Heart Association
Inc.  For subscription  information write: The  American
Heart  Association,  Inc.,  44 East 23rd Street, New York,
New York 10010.
  (17)  Requests for the annual Recurring Bibliography on
Education in  the   Allied Health  Professions  should be
addressed to:  Dr.   Kathryn  Schoen,  Assistant  Director,
School  of Allied   Medical  Professions,  the  Ohio State
University,  410 West  10th  Avenue,  Columbus,  Ohio
43210.  Price: $1.00 per copy.
  (18)  Parkinson's  Disease  and Related  Disorders, Cita-
tions  from  the  Literature,  is published  monthly  by  the
National Institute  of Neurological Diseases and  Stroke.
For  information  write:   NINDS,  National  Institutes  of
Health, Bethesda, Maryland  20014.
  (19)  Selected References on Environmental Quality as  It
Relates to Health is a monthly bibliography  published by
the National Library of Medicine and distributed,  begin-
ning January 1971,  by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
Price:  $4.00  ($5.00  foreign); $0.40 for individual  issues.
  (20)  An annual  Index of Tissue  Culture is  published by
the Tissue Culture  Association,  Inc., W. Alton  Jones Cell
Science Center, P.O.  Box  631,  Lake Placid,  New York
12946.  A  quadrennial  index was published for 1966-69.
['. S. GOVERNMENT  PRINTING OFFICE : 1971 O - 447-287 
 
Name
Address___________________________________

City & State_______________________________
                                  Zip Code

Please send me the following:

□ Publications lists

□ Guide to Medlars Services

□ Further  information on library programs
   (specify):
Enclose in envelope and mail to:

   National Library of Medicine
   8600 Rockville Pike
   Bethesda, Maryland 20014 
         DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH. EDUCATION. AND WELFARE
       PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
   NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
    NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
         B600 ROCKVILLE PIKE
     BETHESDA. MARYLAND 20014
 POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF H.E.W.
      OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300
U.S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH, EDUCATION,  AND WELFARE
                     Public  Health Service
                 National Institutes of Health
                DHEW Publication No. (NIH) 72-261