Good news: Take your History of Medicine Library books home

As of today (16 June), readers with a University Card can borrow from the History of Medicine Library monograph collections in Library Room 1 and 2 unless they are marked as Library Use Only.

The lending policy will follow the Bodleian Libraries policy.

As the HML is staffed part-time and only library staff can issue books on your SOLO patron account, please come Monday-Friday 2-5pm. If you are unable to visit during this time, email historyofmedicine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for help.

Books borrowed will be due back on Tuesday Week 1 MT (14 Oct 2025) at the very newly opened Humanities Library. If you need to return a book borrowed from the History of Medicine Library during the summer vacation, please use the drop box at the Philosophy & Theology Faculties Library, Radcliffe Humanities, Woodstock Road or return the books to the Radcliffe Camera.

Please note, the library will close at 5pm on Friday 4 July. This is needed to prepare the library for the move. Readers are advised to plan ahead. It will not be possible to access items after this date until the new library officially opens late September.

Email historyofmedicine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions or need help.

July – August 2023 opening hours

During July and August, the History Medicine Library will be staffed at the following times:

  • Week 24 July: closed.
  • Week 31 July: closed.
  • Week 7 August: Tuesday & Thursday 2.15-5pm
  • Week 14 August: Tuesday & Thursday 2.15-5pm
  • Week 21 August: Tuesday & Thursday 2.15-5pm
  • Week 28 August: Thursday 2.15-5pm

Any further updates to our opening hours will be advertised on the blog and Twitter. As always, if you would like to visit please contact us to arrange your appointment.

From September onwards, we aim to resume normal opening hours  Monday to Friday 2.15-5pm.

June Opening Hours

The History of Medicine Library will be open Monday-Friday, 2-5pm, with the exception of the 7th, 14th, 27th, 28th, and 29th of June, when the library will be unstaffed.

To make an appointment please email historyofmedicine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

 

May Opening Hours

The History of Medicine Library will be open Monday-Friday, 2-5pm, with the exception of the 1st, 4th, 8th, 17th, 18th, and 29th of May, when the library will be unstaffed.

To make an appointment please email historyofmedicine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

April Opening Hours

The History of Medicine Library will be open Monday-Friday, 2-5pm, with the exception of Friday the 7th and Monday the 10th of April, when the library will be unstaffed.

To make an appointment please email historyofmedicine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

 

March Opening Hours

The History of Medicine Library will be open Monday-Friday, 2-5pm, with the exception of the 13th-17th March inclusive, when the library will be unstaffed.

To make an appointment please email historyofmedicine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

 

 

The Royal College of Physicians – Part I (Wiley Digital Archives)

Royal College of Physicians Archive

Royal College of Physicians Archive

Great news! Wiley is making the The Royal College of Physicians – Part I (Wiley Digital Archives) available to Jisc members in perpetuity as a gesture of thanks for participating in the Wiley transitional agreement in 2022. History of medicine researchers can now benefit from access to this resource.

The Royal College of Physicians – Part I (Wiley Digital Archives) will be of most interest to those studying history of Western medicine covering the 12th century to 1862. The archive is useful for researchers studying the history of anatomy, folk medicine, herbal medicine, healers and domestic medicine, medical law and policy, medical research (disease/treatment), medical and biological Illustration, and health education during the early modern and parts of the modern period.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) was founded so that physicians could be formally licensed to practise and those who were not qualified could be exposed and punished. There are many archive records defining the RCP’s changing role in setting standards in medical practice. RCP members have always collected manuscripts and papers on a wide range of medical and non-medical topics.

The Royal College of Physicians – Part I includes content from the 12th century to 1862, though some papers are dated later. Most of the collections are from British sources. A notable exception is the (Arthur Stanley) Tritton Oriental Manuscripts collection, which contains early Arabic medical manuscripts.

Important papers relate to William Harvey, Edward Jenner, John Latham, Thomas Lawrence, and other physicians. Papers will typically include notebooks containing medical extracts and observations, prescriptions, lecture notes, admissions tickets, diaries, correspondence, treatises, etc. Collections of 17th and 18th century polymaths may also include history of science material (e.g. John Dee on astronomy or mathematics).

The rest of Part I contains papers relating to the founding and running of the RCP itself and throw light on the history of the professionalisation of the medical profession. There are records relating to college officers & staff, education, examination, finance, events, legal status, estates records, trusts & bequests, membership, professional affairs, Regulation of Clinical Practice and Standards, and the college library.

Also of interest:

February Opening Hours

The History of Medicine Library will be open Monday-Friday, 2-5pm with the exception of Friday 3rd and Wednesday 22nd of February when the library will be unstaffed.

To make an appointment please email historyofmedicine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk