History and Philosophy of Science, Technology, and Medicine
The library maintains an extensive collection of materials relating to the history of science. In addition to books and journals, we have the personal papers of individual scientists, and important collections of documents on microform. We also have reference tools that can aid you by providing background and contextual information.
Click on the links below to learn more about each resource type.
Guides to Resources in the Discipline (Research Guides and Bibliographies)
Facts, Dates and Terms (Chronologies, Dictionaries, and Encyclopedias)
Locating Books (Library Catalogs)
Locating Journal Articles (Article Indexes and Databases)
Electronic Journals (Full-text online)
Significant Document Collections
Information on Individual Scientists (Personal Papers, Biographies, Autobiographies)
Women and Gender in Science, Technology, and Medicine
Guides to Resources in the Discipline
Reference Books for the Historian of Science: a Handlist. Call # Z7405.H6J4, Life Sciences Reference Collection, 4th Floor Paterno Library.
Reader's Guide to the History of Science. Call # Q125.R335 2000, Arts and Humanities Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Pattee Library. Contains essays highlighting significant works on over 900 topics, including Gender and Science, prominent scientists, and science in specific countries/regions.
Reading the History of Science: A List of Good Places to Start A list of general works that are accessible to those new to the field.
Sources for the History of Science, 1660-1914. Call # Q125.K57, Life Sciences Library, 4th Floor Paterno. There are two copies, one in Life Sciences Reference and one in the stacks
BIBLIOGRAPHIES contain lists of resources, often books, on a topic. Examples include:
ISIS Cumulative Bibligraphy: a Bibliography of the History of Science Formed from ISIS Critical Bibliographies 1-90, 1913-65. Call # Z7405.H6I2, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. Additional bibliographies cover the years from 1965-1995, and are shelved in the same section. After 1975 the bibliography can be searched online as part of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine database.
Medieval Science and Technology: A Selected Annotated Bibliography. Call # Q124.97.K74 1985, Life Sciences Library, 4th Floor Paterno.
Morton's Medical Bibliography: An Annotated Check-list of Texts Illustrating the History of Medicine. Call #R131.M67 1991, Life Sciences Library, 4th Floor Paterno. Latest edition in the Reference Collection.
The Scientific Revolution: An Annotated Bibliography. Call # Q125.J39 1996, Life Sciences Library, 4th Floor Paterno.
MORE BIBLIOGRAPHIES -- To locate a bibliography on your topic try a keyword search in The CAT using your subject term and the word bibliography. It typically works best if you use more general topics, e.g. history of medicine and bibliography, enlightenment and bibliography, etc...
Look for books in the series Bibliographies of the History of Science and Technology
Locating Books
Search THE CAT to look for books owned by the library. The CAT will tell you which books we own and where they are located.
Click here for an online guide to The CAT
LOOKING FOR MORE??? If you can't find what you need on The CAT, try locating it elsewhere.
- CIC University Libraries (Big Ten)(Search all the library catalogs of the Big Ten)
- OCLC WorldCat (40 million + records from library catalogs across the U.S. and selected international libraries. Use the ILL button to request materials be sent to PSU)
- Eighteenth Century Collection Online Full texts and images of nearly 150,000 titles and editions printed in the British Isles and the Americas between 1701 and 1800, including materials in foreign languages as well as in English.
- National Union Catalog, pre 1956 Imprints (Early list of holdings of U.S. Libraries. Contains references to some material not in the online library catalogs) Call # Z881.A1N2, Arts and Humanities Library, Reference Collection, Pattee Level 2
If you still cannot find what you are looking for ask for HELP.
Locating Journal articles
The databases below allow you to search for articles on a topic. Some also include books and dissertations
History of Science, Technology and Medicine -- An index to articles, books, book reviews and dissertations published since 1975. For articles published before 1975 consult the ISIS Cumulative Bibliography, or JSTOR
America: History and Life -- An index to articles pertaining to U.S. and Canadian history
Historical Abstracts -- An index to articles covering the history of the world, largely excluding the United States and Canada
Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance -- An index to books and articles in all fields
Medline -- An index to articles appearing in medical journals
Muse -- Contains the full-text of recent journal articles in various fields
JSTOR -- Contains the full-text including back issues of journal articles in various fields
Royal Society of London: Catalogue of Scientific Papers, 1800-1900. Subject Index. Call # Z7403.R881, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. A subject guide to materials appearing in publications produced by the Society. The index can be viewed online as part of the website: Gallica: la Bibliotheque Numerique. Many of these papers are available full-text on JSTOR.
Electronic Journals (Note: Full-text may only be available for selected years)
Annals of Science ("An international review of the history of science and technology since the renaissance") 
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
The British Journal for the History of Science
The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
Bulletin of the History of Medicine
Centaurus (International magazine of the history of mathematics, science and technology)
Early Science and Medicine
Historia mathematica (International journal of the history of mathematics)
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
ISIS (History of Science Society)
Journal of the History of Ideas
Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
Kew Bulletin
Perspectives on Science : Historical, Philosophical, Social
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 1887--1990. Preceded by Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 1776-1886, and Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775) 1665-1775
Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 1896-1997. Preceded by Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. A 1887-1895, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 1776-1886, Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775) 1683-1775, Philosophical Transactions (1665-1678) 1665-1678
Philosophy of Science
Proceedings: Biological Sciences 1990-1997. Preceded by: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 1905-1990, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 1854-1905, Abstracts of the Papers Communicated to the Royal Society of London 1843-1854, Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 1800-1843
Proceedings: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 1996-1997. Preceded by: Proceedings: Mathematical and Physical Sciences 1905-1995, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 1854-1905, Abstracts of the Papers Communicated to the Royal Society of London 1843-1854, Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 1800-1843
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1915-1999
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association
Science 1880-1996. Recent issues of science are in Proquest
Science & Education
Science News
Scientific Monthly 1915-1957
Social Studies of Science
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
Technology & Culture
Collections of Documents
The library has acquired a number of collections containing texts of significant works in the history of science, technology, and medicine. Some of these are not searchable in The CAT and require the use of printed guides to determine what is available. Ask for HELP locating materials in these collections. All are located in the News and Microforms Library, Basement, West Pattee. Consult Microfinder for a larger listing of our major collections in microfilm and microfiche.
Landmarks of Science: I. Call # Microprint .L35. Guide: Z7401.L3 A collection of thousands of important works in the history of science. Contains first editions of significant works in all fields, from the beginning of printing up to the early 20th Century. To identify titles consult the print guide, or search The CAT for the series Landmarks of Science
Landmarks of Science: II Call # MICRO 4 LNDM. Expands on Landmarks of Science I, adding titles overlooked in the first series. To browse what is in the collection search The CAT for the series Landmarks II: Monographs
Early American Imprints, 1639-1800. Call # A microcard collection with the texts of works published on all topics in the United States from 1639-1800. A CD-ROM index can be searched in the Arts and Humanities Library, 2nd Floor Pattee.
Early English Books Online -- Contains digital versions of texts printed in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere in English during the years 1400-1700.
Eighteenth Century Collection Online Full texts and images of nearly 150,000 titles and editions printed in the British Isles and the Americas between 1701 and 1800, including materials in foreign languages as well as in English.
Franklin Institute and the Making of Industrial America. Call Micro 4 FRANK. Guide: T1.F82F724 1987. Contains microfiche reproductions of a sampling of documents and photographs from the Franklin Institute relating to the organization's role in industrial America.
Internet History of Science Sourcebook Provides links to source documents in the history of science.
JSTOR provides full-text of many historical publications issued by prominent scientific organizations. See the section on e-journals for a partial list of titles, or browse the list at the JSTOR site.
Manuscripta: Microfilms of rare and out-of-print books : List 81: History of science, 16th to 19th century, no. 1-137. Call # Microfilm D67. Microfilm of originals in the library of the Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.
Manuscripta: Microfilms of rare and out-of-print books : List 76: History of science and mathematics, no. 1-27. Call # Microfilm D61. Microfilm of originals in the library at Les Fontaines, Chantilly, France.
Manuscripta: Microfilms of rare and out-of-print books : List 55: History of mathematics, no. 1-52. Call # Microfilm D53. Microfilm of originals in the Vatican Library.
Records of the Committee on Arts and Sciences of the Franklin Institute, 1824-1900. Call # Microfilm A112, Guide: T1.F825M23.
Locating Information about Individual Scientists
Personal Papers and Other Primary Source Materials
The library has acquired reproductions in paper and on microfilm materials for prominent scientists including Robert Boyle, Joseph Priestley, and Sir Hans Sloane. To determine if the library has sources for the scientist you are interested in try a keyword search in The CAT using the name of the scientist combined with one of the following terms: Letters, Papers, Sources, Correspondence, Diary/Diaries, Archives.
Many papers and other primary sources have not been published and can only be accessed at the library or archive holding the original documents. To identify libraries that may have items of interest consult the following:
American National Biography Online -- Offers portraits of more than 17,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation.
ArchivesUSA -- A subject guide to special collections in archives across the country. Contains entries from the National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC). You can also search detailed finding aids contained in the National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS), Call # MICRO 4 NIDS, News and Microforms Library, Basement West Pattee.
RLIN Union Catalogue -- Contains holdings of large research libraries. To locate papers and other primary source documents, limit your search to the material type, "Archival and Mixed Collections".
You can find documents (primarily published texts) for some scientists online. For example,
- Albert Einstein Online Include a link to the Albert Einstein Papers Project (Boston Univ.)
- Thomas Edison Papers (Rutgers University)
- Galileo Project (Rice University)
- Ava Helen & Linus Pauling Papers (Oregon State University). Linus Pauling is also part of the National Library of Medicine's "Profiles in Science"
- Margaret Sanger Papers Project (New York University)
- John Snow and the History of Epidemiology (UCLA School of Public Health)
- Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (Université Paris)
- Complete Works of Charles Darwin (British Library)
Texts and other documents are available for many other individuals, from the prominent to the obscure. Try an Internet Search Engine (e.g. Google.com, AltaVista.com), or ask for Help.
Biographies of Scientists
The easiest way to locate a biography of a scientist is to do a Browse Subject search in The CAT. Enter the name of the scientist as the subject. For autobiographies do an Author search.
Unfortunately the above approach only works if the entire book is about the one individual. Many people are not famous enough to have entire books devoted to them (or you may not want to read an entire book!) In these cases your best bet is to consult a biographical dictionary or encyclopedia. Typically these sources provide a brief essay (a paragraph to a few pages) summarizing the individual's major accomplishments. The library has hundreds, if not thousands, of these sources. The ones below will get you started.
Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Call # Q141.D43, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. The standard reference work now over 16 volumes.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index An online index to biographies published in biographical encyclopedias and dictionaries on all topics/regions/disciplines.
Catalogue of the Scientific Community in the 16th and 17th Century A searchable database with information on over 600 members of the scientific community during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Faces of Science: African-Americans in the Sciences Profiles of African-Americans who have contributed to the advancement of science and technology.
A Historical Catalogue of Scientists and Scientific Books: From the Earliest Times to the Close of the 19th Century. Call # Q141.G38 1984, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. Lists over 14,000 scientists and where biographical information has been published on each.
Prominent Scientists: An Index to Collective Biographies. Call # Q141.P398 1994, Life Science Library Reference, 4th Floor Paterno.
Facts, Dates, and Terms
Dictionary of Concepts in the Philosophy of Science.
UP Call # Q174.7.D87 1988, Life Sciences, 4th Floor Paterno Library.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms.
UP Call # Q123.M34 1994, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. Q123.M15 2003, Engineering Library, 325 Hammond Building.
Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in non-western Cultures.
UP Call # Q124.8.E53 1997, Physical Sciences Library, 230 Davey Laboratory.
The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition : an Encyclopedia.
UP
Call # BL 245.H57 2000, Arts & Humanities Ready Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library.
Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery
Timetables of Science a Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in the History of Science.
UP Call # Q125.H557 1988, Life Sciences, 4th Floor Paterno Library. Also, Physical Sciences Library, 230 Davey Lab
Useful Web Sites
Many of the sections above contain useful web resources. The links below are for general sites that provide starting points for research.
Penn State Program in Science, Medicine, and Technology in Culture
Penn State's Science, Technology, and Society Program
H-Sci-Med-Tech A discussion list for those in the field. The web site also contains a list of links to Internet sites.
History of Science on the World Wide Web (Univ. of Oklahoma)
ECHO Gateway for the History of Science, Technology, and Industry. A portal to thousands of websites.
History of Science Medicine and Technology
Internet History of Science Sourcebook Provides links to source documents in the history of science.
Society for the History of Technology (SHOT)
U.S. Graduate Programs in the History of Science. See als Academic Programs in the History of Science around the World
National Library of Medicine. History of Medicine Division
Help
Can't Find what you are looking for here?
Help is Available.
In-person: Arts and Humanities Reference Desk, 2nd Floor Pattee.
Telephone: History Librarian, Eric Novotny, 814-865-1014
E-mail: History Librarian, Eric Novotny, ecn1@psu.edu.
IM: HistoryLibrarian
You might also consider posting a question to the H-net discussion list, H-Sci-Med-Tech. the list's web page contains an archive of previously posted questions and answers.