[Acquisition of a large collection of medical theses defended in Paris from 1798 to 1860]

The Library of the Institute and Museum of the History of Science of Florence has recently enriched its special Collections with the acquisition of a set of medical theses, theses presented and defended in Paris between 1798 and 1860. This extraordinary collection, some 10,000 items, documents the development of the medical sciences in nineteenth century France and Europe.

[Sources for the history of health sciences in Brazil (1808-1930)]

The article presents a panorama of documented sources and of the most representative archives, libraries, and documentation centers pertinent to the history of health sciences in Brazil (1808-1930). Historians, especially those investigating the biomedical sciences, will find here a broad and diversified set of sources. It is precisely from such a convergence of different witnesses that historical investigation is viable.

The archives of the Pioneer Health Centre, Peckham, in the Wellcome Library

This article gives a brief description of this important British experiment in health and community (1926-50) and the historiography relating to it. The archives, which are now in the Wellcome Library, are described. While mention is made of the gaps in the record (and the possible reasons for them), the strengths of the collection are indicated.

Prostitutes in the archives: problems and possibilities in documenting the history of sexuality

In the past decade, the study of sexuality has proven to be one of the most dynamic academic enterprises. Among the most popular topics has been the history of prostitution. Archivists have been invaluable but largely unsung allies in the explosive growth of a new revisionist literature. Through the preservation of long-ignored and often-discarded records and manuscripts, archivists provided the means enabling historians to answer many new questions, not only about prostitution but about the history of sexuality. Yet some of these sources raise provocative and controversial problems for historians and archivists documenting the history of sexuality. The author acknowledges and thanks Loyola University of Chicago, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Newberry Library in Chicago for providing financial support to complete this article. His appreciation also extends to Mary Rose Alexander, Kenneth Cobb, Phillip Costello, and the anonymous referees of The American Archivist for their criticism and helpful comments on earlier drafts.

American Medical Association's Historical Health Fraud and Alternative Medicine Collection: an integrated approach to automated collection description

From 1913 to 1975, the American Medical Association's Department of Investigation assembled more than 300 cubic feet of files on health fraud, quackery, "patent" medicines, and alternative medicine. In 1988, the AMA obtained a grant from the National Library of Medicine to process and catalog these materials, now known as the Historical Health Fraud and Alternative Medicine Collection. Using Minaret software (a stand-alone USMARC AMC cataloging system) in combination with WordPerfect word-processing software, the project staff developed procedures that allowed it to generate textual and index entries for the printed guide to the collection as well as upload USMARC AMC records directly to the OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) union catalog.