Washington, DC

1837 CE

#13101

An examination of phrenology; in two lectures.

This may be the earliest work incorporating anatomical images that was written in opposition to phrenology. Sewall, a physician from New England, was a founding member of the medical department at Columbian College (n…

1840 CE–1856 CE

#2163.1

Statistical report on the sickness and mortality in the Army of the United States. Vol. 1 (1819-1839), Vol. 2 (1839-1855), Vol. 3 (1855-1860).

UNITED STATES. War Dept. Surgeon General's Office

Vol.1 by Thomas Lawson; Vols 2 & 3 by Richard H. Coolidge. Digital facsimiles from the Internet Archive at this link.

1846 CE

#7310

U. S. Patent No. 4848. The United States of America. To all to whom these Letters Patent shall come.... November 12, 1846.

U.S. Patent No. 4848, issued to Charles T. Jackson and William T. G. Morton on November 12, 1846 for the discovery of sulfuric ether as a surgical anesthetic. This was the first truly significant medical patent ever i…

1857 CE–1859 CE

#10514

Report on the United States and Mexican boundary survey: Made under the direction of the secretary of the Interior

Vol. 1, pt. by W. H. Emory. Vol. 1, pt. 2: Geological reports by C.C. Parry and Arthur Schott, notes by W. H. Emory; Paleontology and geology of the boundary by James Hall; Description of cretaceous and tertiary fossi…

1860 CE

#2104

Researches upon the venom of the rattlesnake.

See No. 2106.

1866 CE

#10375

Catalogue of the surgical section of the United States Army Medical Museum.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1867 CE

#10369

Catalogue of the medical and microscopical sections of the United States Army Medical Museum. Catalogue of the medical section... prepared under the direction of the Surgeon General, U.S. Army by Brevet Lieutenant Colonel J. J. Woodward. Catalogue of the microscopical section...by Brevet Major Edward Curtis.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1870 CE

#13077

Naval hygiene, by Joseph Wilson, Surgeon United States Navy: With an Appendix: Moving wounded men on shipboards by Albert C. Gorgas, Surgeon United States Navy.

Digital facsimile from Google Books at this link.

1870 CE

#10448

Report on barracks and hospitals, with descriptions of military posts.

Describes military posts in all regions of the U.S., including the Western territories, with details of their hospitals, barracks, etc. In a 1928 talk at Mayo Clinic historian Fielding Garrison wrote about this work, …

1870 CE–1888 CE

#2171

The medical and surgical history of the War of the Rebellion, 1861-65. 6 vols.

UNITED STATES. War Dept. Surgeon General

Written by Woodward, Smart, Otis, and Huntington under the direction of Joseph K. Barnes, Surgeon General of the Army. This massive, graphically illustrated set has been called the “first comprehensive American …

1873 CE

#11212

Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, United States Army. 3 vols.

The first formal published catalogue of the ancestor of the US National Library of Medicine, prepared under the supervision of John Shaw Billings. Vols. 1-2 represented an author catalogue A-Z. Vol. 3: Supplement: Ano…

1873 CE

#10796

The medical department of the United States army from 1775 to 1873. Compiled under the direction of the Surgeon General by Harvey E. Brown.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1874 CE

#7479

Statistical atlas of the United States based on the results of the ninth census 1870, with contributions from many eminent men of science and several departments of the government.

This oversized compendium of maps, graphs, statistical tables, and essays was the first comprehensive thematic atlas produced by any nation. It was hailed both at home and abroad for its innovative use of graphic elem…

1874 CE

#6585

Contributions to the annals of medical progress and medical education in the United States before and during the War of Independence.

Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.

1875 CE

#7818

Statistics, medical and anthropological, of the Provost-Marshal-General's Bureau, derived from records of the examination for military service in the armies of the United States during the late War of the Rebellion, of over a million recruits.... 2 vols.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1876 CE

#14060

Explorations of the aboriginal remains of Tennessee.

The first major discussion of human skeletal pathology in American archeological samples. Jones introduced histopathological techniques in analysis of paleopathological material. Digital facsimile from Google Books at…

1876 CE

#13160

International Exhibition of 1876. Medical Department, U.S. Army. Photographs illustrating rare books in the National Medical Library. Philadelphia, 1876. 2 vols.

These two volumes include a series of original photographs of primarily the title pages of rare medical books in the National Medical Library pasted onto specially printed sheets with manuscript entries indicating the…

1876 CE

#11261

Specimen fasciculus of a catalogue of the National Medical Library, under the direction of the Surgeon-General, United States Army at Washington, D. C.

This analystical subject-author catalogue was a 96-page preview of what became known four years later as the Index-Catalogue of the Library of Surgeon General's Office. Reflecting Billings' long term view of the insti…

1877 CE–2021 CE

#12940

Biographical memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences. Personal and scholarly views of America's most distinguished scientists.

http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/ "Published since 1877, Biographical Memoirs provide the life histories and selected bibliographies of deceased National Academy of Sciences members. Colleagu…

1878 CE–1880 CE

#11788

American ornithological bibliography. 4 parts. (Also called "Ornithological bibliography").

This is an exhaustive work up to time of publications, including scientific references to American birds in publications, the titles of which do not indicate any ornithological material. [Pt. 1.] Geological and Geogra…

1880 CE–1961 CE

#6763

Index-catalogue of the library of the Surgeon General’s Office. Vol. 1-16; 2nd ser., vol. 1-21; 3rd ser., vol. 1-10; 4th ser., vol. l-11(A-Mn); 5th ser., vol. 1-3.

In 1836 Surgeon General Joseph Lovell established a small collection of medical books for the use of his staff. This was the origin of the “Surgeon General’s Library.” John Shaw Billings did much to …

1883 CE

#7816

An Alphabetical list of the battles of the War of the Rebellion: with dates, from Ft. Sumter, S.C., April 12 and 13, 1861, to Kirby Smith's surrender, May 26, 1865. Compiled from the official records of the office of the Adjutant-General and the Surgeon-General, U.SA. by J. W. Wells and N. A. Strait, Revised by Newton A. Strait, with the addition of many incidents of the war, giving the number killed, wounded and missing in each of the important battles, Union troops engaged, names of the Generals killed and wounded in both armies; also the total number of enlistments, number discharged, number wounded, number missing, number of deaths, number killed in battle....And a roster of all the regimental surgeons and assistant surgeons of the late war and hospital service.

This was the most complete edition; prior editions were issued in 1875 and 1882. In 1990 Norman Publishing of San Francisco reprinted the 1883 edition with a new index to surgeons and an introduction by Ira M. Rutkow.…

1884 CE

#13063

Memoir upon the formation of a deaf variety of the human race.

Bell determined that deafness was an inheritable trait and that deaf individuals had a tendency to marry other deaf individuals. As a eugenicist Bell considered this a problem because he thought it risked the developm…

1886 CE

#7070

Physical training in American colleges and universities. Circulars of information of the Bureau of Education. No. 5-1885.

Concerns training methods and equipment, primarily for men (3 pages devoted to women) in the United States, with a chapter on training in Germany. Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.

1886 CE

#2106

Researches upon the venoms of poisonous serpents.

Mitchell (see also No. 2104) and Reichert showed that snake venom is protein, and demonstrated the presence of toxic albumins. Mitchell was one of the first to investigate snake venoms.

1891 CE

#9888

Scatologic rites of all nations. A dissertation upon the employment of excrementitious remedial agents in religion, therapeutics, divination, witchcraft, love-philters, etc., in all parts of the globe. Based upon original notes and person observation, and upon compilation from over one thousand authorities. Not for general perusal.

Digital facsimile of the 1891 edition from the Internet Archive at this link. Translated in to German as: Der Unrat in Sitte, Brauch, Glauben und Gewohnheitrecht der Völker, von John Gregory Bourke. Verdeutscht u…

1892 CE–1982 CE

#355

Index-catalogue of medical and veterinary zoology.

An index to the world's literature on parasites and parasitisms of man, of domestic animals, and of wild animals whose parasites may be transmitted to man and domestic animals. It also contains references to fur-beari…

1893 CE

#11425

A select bibliography of chemistry 1492-1892.

Bolton, a chemist, was the earliest American bibliographer of chemistry. His first edition, which atempted to list "the principal books on chemistry published in Europe and America from the rise of the literature to t…

1893 CE

#10717

Catalogue of the exhibits in the Museum of Hygiene. Medical Department of the United States Navy.

1893 CE

#5529

Investigations into the nature, causation and prevention of Texas or Southern cattle fever.

U.S. Bureau of Animal Industry, Bulletin No. 1. Discovery of the parasite of Texas cattle fever, Pyrosoma bigeminum, and proof that its transmission is due to the cattle tick, Boöphilus bovis. This was the first …

1897 CE

#10296

A catalogue of scientific and technical periodicals, 1665-1895. Together with chronological tables and a library checklist. 2nd edition.

Includes one of the most comprehensive listings of scientific periodicals, including medical, up to the time of publication. The chronological tables show the runs of the various journals within a time frame. There ar…

1898 CE

#648

A digest of metabolism experiments in which the balance of income and outgo was determined.

1898 CE

#7058

The Red Cross in peace and war.

Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881. Although Henry Dunant had suggested in 1864 that Red Cross societies provide disaster relief as well as wartime services, Barton became the strongest advocate for the dev…

1900 CE

#2687.2

The use of the Röntgen ray by the Medical Department of the United States Army in the war with Spain (1898).

The Spanish-American War was the first war in which X rays were used for diagnostic purposes. This is the first report on the application of X rays in military medicine. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at …

1904 CE

#2459

Researches in helminthology and parasitology. With a bibliography of his contributions to science.

In vol. 46 of Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. Leidy was called the greatest descriptive naturalist in mid-19th century America.

1905 CE–1914 CE

#2518

Bacteria in relation to plant diseases. 3 vols.

One of the most careful investigations of the bacterial diseases in plants was made by Smith, who conclusively demonstrated the existence of such diseases and proposed a scheme of classification for the bacteria conce…

1906 CE

#2595

A study of the cause of sudden death following the injection of horse serum.

Forms Bulletin No. 29 of the Hygienic Laboratory, U. S. Marine Hospital Service. Rosenau and Anderson drew attention to the fact that animals receiving an injection of a foreign protein became sensitive to a second do…

1906 CE

#9220

Earthquake in California April 18, 1906. Special report of Maj. Gen. Adolphus W. Greely, U.S.A. on the relief operations conducted by the military authorities of the United States at San Francisco and other points, with accompanying documents.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1906 CE

#1637

Investigation on the purification of Boston sewage, with a history of the sewage-disposal problem.

1907 CE

#1027

The influence of inanition on metabolism.

1908 CE

#6455.1

Physiological and medical observations among the Indians of Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1909 CE

#2114

Snake venoms.

1909 CE

#6845

The differentiation and specificity of corresponding proteins and other vital substances in relation to biological classification and organic evolution: The crystallography of hemoglobins.

This massive work with 100 plates including 600 images, was the first large-scale investigation of species differences at the molecular level. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1910 CE

#739

The oxidases and other oxygen-catalysts concerned in biological oxidations.

Hygienic Laboratory.- Bulletin No. 59. December, 1909. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1911 CE

#9373

Yellow fever: A compilation of various publications. Results of the work of Maj. Walter Reed, Medical Corps, United States Army, and the Yellow Fever Commission. Presented by Mr. Owen.

A convenient compilation of the work of Reed and his associates, including the work of James Carroll published after the death of Walter Reed. Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1912 CE

#4670.4

Experimental and pathological investigation. In: Investigations on epidemic infantile paralysis, report from the State Medical Institute of Sweden to the XVth International Congress on Hygiene and Demography.

Kling, A. Pettersson, and W. Wernstedt recovered the poliomyelitis virus from the intestinal wall and contents, disproving the contention of Flexner that it was exclusively neurotropic.

1912 CE

#8407

On mortality and the causes of death according to occupations. IN: Transactions of the 15th International Congress on Hygiene Demography, pp. 336-339.

Bertillon, brother of Alphonse Bertillon, was Chief of Statistical Services for the city of Paris. His classification of diseases was based on the principle, adopted by Farr, of distinguishing between general diseases…

1912 CE

#11252

Texts illustrating the history of medicine in the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, U.S. Army. Arranged in chronological order. Reprint from volume xvii, second series, Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office.

In 1912 Garrison was Assistant Librarian of the Surgeon General's Office, U.S. Army. At the suggestion of Sir William Osler, Garrison prepared this classified listing of medical classics across the full range of the h…

1913 CE

#6659

ISIS. 1-

Official publication of the History of Science Society. The latest issue may be viewed at www.ljournals.uchicago.edu/toc/isis/current.

1913 CE

#657

Muscular work. A metabolic study.