Medical Information on the Internet

Module 11: Searching for Historical Information

Module Objectives

Know and understand key Websites on the history of medicine
Understand the difference between primary and secondary resources

Summary

When researching modern medicine, question of history and background often arise. Use this section to determine the history of diseases, the history and images of famous people in the history of the health sciences, and of the history of important organizations in the health sciences. Also use it to find the full-text of some important historical documents.

Myths/Common Mistakes

I don't have to "quality filter" history.
The full-text is up there.
That's old stuff—it's not covered by copyright

Factoids/Popular Statistics

The phrase "first do no harm" does NOT appear in the Hippocratic Oath The ancient symbol of the physicians was actually the Staff of Aesculapius. The Caduceus became the symbol of medicine when US Public Health Service began using the Caduceus, symbol of Hermes (the god of commerce) as their insignia.

Staff of Aesculapius Caduceus

When to Hit the Books

You may find the odd quote or two using the Internet, but no quotation dictionary in medicine is available on the Web. When you want to read the books or articles that your search has turned up, a visit to the library is essential. The full-text of most books is not available on the Web. Recent articles may be available, but at a fee.