Historical sources
Explore the history of medicine
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Discover historical collections and exhibitions about health, science and the people who shaped medical practice.
Explore historical collections
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History & pillars of care
Find your place in a longer story
Connect your science classes to the discoveries, teamwork and ethical responsibilities that shaped medicine.
Your next three steps
- 01
Connect a discovery to the biology or chemistry you are learning.
- 02
Ask whose contributions and experiences are missing from familiar histories.
- 03
Consider how evidence, consent and equitable access shape today’s practice.
A chain of discovery
c. 5th–4th century BCE
Observation & ethical traditions
Texts associated with the Hippocratic tradition helped shape clinical observation and professional ethics. They are part of a much wider history of healing across cultures.
Historical sourcec. 1025
Organizing medical knowledge
Ibn Sina (Avicenna) compiled The Canon of Medicine, synthesizing medical knowledge that influenced teaching across regions for centuries.
Historical source1847
Prevention through hand hygiene
Ignaz Semmelweis introduced hand disinfection in a maternity clinic and documented a reduction in maternal mortality—a lesson in evidence and prevention.
Historical source1928 → 1940s
From discovery to treatment
Alexander Fleming observed penicillin’s antibacterial effect in 1928. Later work by Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and many others helped make it a usable treatment.
Historical sourceToday
Evidence, consent & equitable care
Modern practice connects scientific evidence with patient autonomy, confidentiality, teamwork and equitable access. Technology does not remove these responsibilities.
Historical source
Prevent harm
Balance potential benefits and harms using evidence and careful judgment.
Respect autonomy
Listen, explain options and support informed decisions and confidentiality.
Care with fairness
Recognize barriers to care and work with others toward equitable access.
“First, do no harm” is a familiar ethical maxim, not a literal quotation from the ancient Hippocratic Oath. Modern pledges and professional codes evolve.
Professional responsibility
Modern medical ethics
World Medical Association
Read the Declaration of Geneva and International Code of Medical Ethics for modern professional commitments to patients and society.
Read ethical principles