Images from the History of Medicine

January 7, 2010 7:41 PM

Images from the History of Medicine (IHM) provides access to nearly 70,000 images in the collections of the History of Medicine Division (HMD) of the U.S National Library of Medicine (NLM). Their collection includes thousands of really fascinating images from warnings about winter driving to instructions about how to keep your privy clean.

There's also the timeless reminder about covering your damn mouth when you sneeze or cough and the always important (but NSFW) reminder to use a condom when you're young and queer.

I was especially tickled by this moral thermometer.

But really, the site has some pretty great historical medical images and a good search feature. I spent a few hours looking at the US yellow fever epidemic, WWI and WWII Red Cross posters and pamphlets, and a lot of those public health posters that you don't see around much anymore.

posted by misanthropicsarah (11 comments total)

[this is very very very good]
posted by Rumple at 8:05 PM on January 7, 2010

flagged as faaaaaaantastic.
posted by piratebowling at 8:07 PM on January 7, 2010

though it would be nice if one could download the pictures easily.....
posted by Rumple at 8:14 PM on January 7, 2010

yeah, i thought so too, but how awesomely awesome can something free be?
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:35 PM on January 7, 2010

Excellent, thank you very much.
posted by faineant at 8:43 PM on January 7, 2010

oh, actually, in the upper rightish, when you're looking at a picture in detail there's an "export" link with a wee picture of a floppy disc. it exports in a zip file. the first time i tried it the zip file was empty, but then i zoomed in on the photo all the way and tried again and it worked. so....
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:43 PM on January 7, 2010

Can you hear me now?
posted by squalor at 9:51 PM on January 7, 2010

I remember Condoman from the Health classroom at high school. "Don't be shame! Be game!" was quite the catchphrase at our school for a while.

Thanks for a great post.
posted by girlgenius at 1:49 AM on January 8, 2010

Oh Tony, how well you know...
posted by Katemonkey at 4:54 AM on January 8, 2010

Awesome resource, thanks!
posted by mareli at 8:25 AM on January 8, 2010

I'd say I vacillate between Cool and Sullen most days. And sadly, the best you get out of me is probably Flurried.

But I'm seriously Flurried for you all here on MeFi. Seriously.
posted by greekphilosophy at 9:21 AM on January 8, 2010