The NLM, as well as being a valued partner in the MHL, has also created a great database of medical images, Images from the History of Medicine.
The database features a variety of images, including postcards, broadsides, posters, public health advertisements, and caricatures among others. Images features almost 70,000 images from the historical collections at NLM. The bulk of the images are from prior to World War II, but later public health images are also included, such as images from public health campaigns against drug abuse and AIDS. The collection is also international, featuring image material from a number of countries in various languages.
The collection also features a heavy bias towards material produced for the purposes of military propaganda, such as anti-venereal disease pamphlets or fliers to be distributed to soldiers or sailors.
The Images database is a great resource for researchers interested in the use of graphic images to portray diseases, the change in public health strategies over time, or the development of military propaganda. The MHL also has a wide variety of materials available for researchers interested in military medicine, personnel, public health, or medical illustrations and, as always, for more from the Medical Heritage Library, please visit our full collection!