Information Educators and Students

NLM historical collections of material related to health and disease are among the richest in the world.  We have precious old books and manuscripts, historical prints and photographs, and historical films and videos. The collection includes an Arabic manuscript on gastrointestinal disease completed in 1094, and handwritten letters from such notable figures as Louis Pasteur and Florence Nightingale. On the Profiles in Science database, view the personal papers of Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Joshua Lederberg, among others.

• Get Ideas
• Exhibitions
• Visit the Library
• Things to do and see at the Library
• Things to do and see at NIH

• Get Ideas

  Explore the NLM History of Medicine web site for topics for term papers, reports, special projects, lessons, field trips, and activities.  The following links are especially rich in ideas.

  • Digital Collections
  • Online Exhibitions and Digital Projects
  • Historic Medical Sites in the Washington, DC Area 

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• Exhibitions

  Our major exhibitions have features designed especially for educators and students.

  • Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health

    Against the Odds, looks at the revolution in global health that is taking place in towns and cities around the world. Communities, in collaboration with scientists, advocates, governments, and international organizations, are taking up the challenge to prevent disease and improve quality of life. People around the world have made a difference—working together, against the odds, for the benefit of all. This online exhibition offers four lesson plans and two online games in the Online Activities & Resources section.

  • Visible Proofs: Forensics Views of the Body

    Visible Proofs explores the history of forensic medicine. This online exhibition presents how physicians, surgeons, and other professionals have struggled to develop scientific methods that translate views of bodies and body parts into "visible proofs" that can persuade judges, juries, and the public. The online exhibition has Education and Resources sections where there are lesson plans, online activities, bibliographies and career information.

  • Changing the Face of Medicine

    Changing the Face of Medicine presents many ways that women have influenced and enhanced the practice of medicine. The individuals featured here provide an intriguing glimpse of the broader community of women doctors who are making a difference. The exhibition provides four online activities in the Activities section, and career information, lesson plans, and suggested reading list in the Resources section.

  • Dream Anatomy

    Dream Anatomy introduces an astonishing range of views of the human body from 1500 to the present. The exhibition's Learning Station section offers links to teaching materials and online activities.

  • The Once and Future Web

    The Once and Future Web shows how telegraph wires webbed the world in the mid-19th century, transforming communication and foretelling today's internet. The exhibition's Learning Station section provides three classroom and three online activities.

    The Exhibition Program: K-12 Resources on the Web brochure lists K-12 educational resources from our previous exhibitions and other relevant K-12 National Library of Medicine resources.

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• Visit the Library

  Visit the Library for a tour of the current exhibition. For an exhibition preview, see Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness. To arrange a group tour, contact the Education Coordinator.

  See also Visit Us.

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• Things to do and see at the Library

  • Visit the current exhibition, Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness.
  • Take a tour of the current exhibition.
  • Take a tour of the History of Medicine Reading Room.
  • See all exhibitions.
  • Take a tour of the Library.
  • "Turn the pages" of Elizabeth Blackwell's A Curious Herbal, a beautifully illustrated 18th century book of medicinal plants, at the History of Medicine Reading Room's Turning the Pages kiosk.
  • Explore Objects of Art in the National Library of Medicine.
  • Visit the interactive computer displays and pick up give-aways at the NLM Visitors Center, open weekdays except Federal holidays, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (EST).

  • Before you come...

    • Read The Story of NLM Historical Collections.
    • See What's Happening on the Homepage.
    • Review visitor information at Visit Us.

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• Things to do and see at NIH

  • NIH Map
  • The DeWitt Stetten, Jr., Museum of Medical Research

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