A photograph of pages from 'Two monographs on malaria and the parasites of malarial fevers' including colour plate illustrations of blood samples.

Malaria & Microscopes (Historical Collection)

As shown in the recent report on LSHTM’s colonial history, the financial burden of malaria on the British colonial project was one of the driving forces behind the LSTM’s foundation. It’s therefore unsurprising to find that many books on malaria are in the Historical Collection. Many…

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Book display : Twenty years of the Centre for History in Public Health

The Library is celebrating twenty years of the Centre for History in Public Health with a book display, highlighting a number of items in the library collection which focus on subjects around health history and public health history.

The Centre was formed in 2003, but has its origins in late…

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2023 Emtree term changes

After writing about the changes to MeSH terms, the Emtree terms have also been updated. The full list of new/edited terms for 2023 and changes made in previous years, can be found in the Embase Support Centre.

Emtree terms work in the same way as MeSH terms but are…

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The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin: Historical Collection

The work is divided into two parts. Part One marshals behavioral and morphological evidence to argue that humans evolved from other animals. Darwin shows that human mental and emotional capacities, far from making human beings unique, are evidence of an animal origin and evolutionary development. Part Two is an extended…

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The Elements of Vital Statistics by A. Newsholme: Historical Collection

First published in 1889, this book provides a guide to vital statistics applied to the life-history of communities and nations in relation to medical problems. Chapters cover a wide variety of categories including population, births and deaths, sickness, occupation and mortality, and mortality from special diseases.

Newsholme lived through…

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Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition: carried on by order of the British government during the years 1835, 1836 and 1837 by Captain Francis Rawdon Chesney: Historical Collection

‘Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition’, is a very detailed account of the navigation of the Euphrates by steamship, from Birecik to the Persian Gulf, a total distance of 1400 kilometres. In charge of the expedition was Captain Francis Rawdon Chesney whose goal was to establish a shorter, more direct…

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World Leprosy Day 2023

World Leprosy Day aims to raise awareness of a disease, and those affected by it, that is often forgotten about. Nearly 600 people are diagnosed with and start treatment for leprosy every day. It is estimated millions more go undiagnosed. In 2020, 127,558 new leprosy cases were detected globally…

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Decolonising the Archive: colonial language in our archival catalogue

As part of our commitment to decolonisation at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, we’ve been reviewing the language used in our archival catalogue. We found many examples of outdated language, such as colonial place names. Archival documentation is an interpretive act which takes place within a…

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A reproduced doctor's advertisement, headline reading "Men, Come to Us and avoid dangerous or uncertain treatment."

Pamphlet Collection: Defeating The Nostrum Evil

It’s often very peaceful up in the gallery of the main Reading Room. There isn’t any space for desks, just a narrow walkway allowing you to browse the shelves. That means you can pass by a lot of shelving on your way to find a volume, giving ample…

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Portrait of Octavia Hill

Octavia Hill and the Royal Commission on the Poor Law and the Unemployed (1905-09).  LSHTM Rare Books Blog Series No. 6. January 2023

The Royal Commission on the Poor Law and the Unemployed was set up in 1905 to review the system of poor relief provision and consider alternative ways to tackle unemployment. Twenty people were appointed to the Commission including Octavia Hill (1838-1912) and Beatrice Webb (1858-1943). However, after four…

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