Where to Start?
Health & Medical Resources in the Circulating Collection
Health Newsletters
Health & Medical Periodicals
Physician Information Database
Health Reference Database
Health & Medical Resources in the Audio-Visual Collection
Community Information File
Health & Medicine on the Internet
Medical Libraries
Women's Health

Where to Start?

The Patient’s Desk Reference (1993) - 610/FR
Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment (1999) - 616.075/CU (at reference desk)
Merck Manual of Medical Information (1997) - 610.3/ME

Medical Directories

The Best Doctors in America, Northeast Edition (1996-97) - 610.974/BE
Directory of Birthing Resources (1999) - 618.221/DI
Folio’s Medical Directory, Massachusetts (1998) - 610/FO
Folio’s Medical Directory of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (1997) - 610/FO
The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists (1999) - 610/OF

History of Medicine

The Cambridge World History of Human Disease(1993) - 610.9/CA
Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine (1994) - 610.9/CO
The Oxford Companion to Medicine (1986) includes biographies - 610.321/OX
Western Medicine: an illustrated history (1997) - 610.9/WE

Encyclopedias

The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons: Complete Home Medical Guide (1995) - 613/CO
Encyclopedia of Family Health (1998) - 610.3/EN
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book (1996) - 613/MA
Encyclopedia of Infectious Diseases (1998) - 616.9/TU

Dictionaries

Mosby’s Pocket Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health (1994) - 610.3/MO
Stedman’s Medical Dictionary(1995) - 610.3/ST

Diccionario en Español

Diccionario de Ciencias Médicas (1993) - 610.3/ST

Alternative Health

Alternative Health and Medicine Encyclopedia (1995) - 615.53/MA
Back to Eden (1994) “The classic guide to herbal medicine, natural foods and home remedies since 1934.”  - 615.537/KL
The Complete Book of Natural and Medicinal Cures (1994) - 615.5/CO
The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments (1996) - 610.3/ME

Anatomy

The Body Atlas (1993) - 611/PA
Gray’s Anatomy (1995) - 611/GR
The Human Body Explained: A Guide to Understanding the Incredible Living Machine(1995) - 612/HU

Nursing and Other Medical Textbooks

Nursing Diagnosis Reference Manual (1997) - 610.73/SP
Cecil Textbook of Medicine(1996) - 616/CE
Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care (1993)- 610.73/FU

Nutrition

Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (1996) - 612.399/EN
The PDR Family Guide to Nutrition and Health (1995) - 613.2/PDR

Prescription and Non-Prescription Drugs

CDR Complete Drug Reference (1999) - 615.1/CO (at reference desk)
Complete Guide to Prescription and Nonprescription Drugs (1997) - 615.1/GR
The Essential Guide to Psychiatric Drugs (1995) - 615.788/GO
Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (1996) - 615.7/GO
PDR or Physicians’ Desk Reference (1999) - 615.3/P  (at reference desk)
Physicians’ Desk Reference for Nonprescription Drugs(1997) - 615/PH (at reference desk)
PDR Guide to Drug Interactions, Side Effects Indicators (1996) - 615.7/PD
The PDR Family Guide to Prescription Drugs (1995)- 615/PD
Everything You Need to Know About Drugs (1998) - 615.1/EV
Mosby’s Complete Drug Reference - GenRx (1997) - 615.3/PH

Pregnancy and Childbirth

Encyclopedia of Childbearing: Critical Perspectives (1993) - 618.2003/EN

Symptoms and Treatment

Complete Guide to Symptoms, Illness and Surgery (1995) - 616/GR
Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment (1999) - 616.075/CU (at reference desk)
Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment (1994) - 617/CU
Everything You Need to Know About Diseases (1996) - 616/EV
Everything You Need to Know About Medical Tests (1996) - 616.075/EV
Everything You Need to Know about Medical Treatments (1996) - 616/EV
Surgery Book (1997) - 617/YO
Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies (1995) - 616.02/HO
The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments (1996) - 610.3/ME
Griffith’s Instructions for Patients (1998) - 616/MO
Yale University School of Medicine Patient’s Guide to Medical Tests (1997) - 616.075/PA

Women’s Health

The Harvard Guide to Women’s Health (1996) - 616.0082/CA
The New A to Z of Women’s Health, (1995) - 613. 042/AM
The New Our Bodies, Ourselves (1992) - 613.04244/NE
Novak’s Gynecology (1996) - 618.1/NO

Specific Medical Conditions and Age Groups

American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes (1996) - 616.462/AM
New Living Heart (1997) -616.1/DE
Breast Cancer Resource Guide of Massachusetts (1997-1998) - 616.99/BR
Informed Decisions: the complete book of Cancer diagnosis, treatment , & recovery (1997) - 616.994/IN
Diabetes Help Finder (1997) - 616.462/DI
The Complete Book of Dental Remedies (1996) - 617.6/ST
Current Pediatric Diagnosis and Treatment (1997) - 618.92/CU
HIV Drug Book (1995) - 616.97/KE
The Merck Manual of Geriatrics(1995) - 618.97/ME
Psychiatric Dictionary (1996) - 616.89/CA
AIDS Dictionary (1998) - 616.9792/WA

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Health & Medical Resources in the Circulating Collection

Subject Headings to Browse in the Online Catalog

Alternative Medicine Children -- health & hygiene Diet Diseases Environmental Health Exercise Health Health Education Holistic Medicine Hospitals Hygiene Medical Care Medical Ethics Medicine Medicine -- Chinese Medicine -- History Medicine -- Popular

Medicine -- Preventive Medicine -- Research Mental Healing Mental Health Nursing Nutrition Patient Advocacy Physical Fitness Physicians Public Health Self-care, Health Social Medicine Stress Management Surgery Traditional Medicine Women -- health & hygiene

Also try:

Specific branches of medicine (ie: dentistry, gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, sports medicine, etc.)
Specific illnesses/conditions (ie: arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc.)
Specific parts of the body (ie: brain, heart, skeleton)

Dewey Decimal Numbers to Browse in the Medical Sections

610 Medical Science, Medicine
611 Human anatomy, cell biology, tissue biology
612 Human physiology
613 Promotion of Health
614 Forensic medicine, incidence of disease, public preventive medicine
615 Pharmacology & therapeutics
616 Disease
617 Miscellaneous branches of medicine, surgery
618 Other branches of medicine, gynecology & obstetrics
619 Experimental medicine

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Health Newsletters

Located in the periodicals section in Wellington Hall:

Health Tips
Harvard Health Letter
Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter

Health & Medical Periodicals

American Health American Health for Women American Journal of Nursing JAMA--Journal of the American Medical Association

Men’s Health New England Journal of Medicine Prevention Psychology Today Weight watcher’s Magazine

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Physician Information Database

This database from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine is for the purpose of checking any malpractice claims that may have been lodged against a Massachusetts physician, but it also just gives basic information about a Massachusetts physician's education, practice address, etc.

Health Reference Database

Somerville's databases are available from the Minuteman Library Network and can be accessed from PCs in the library.  Some are also available from your PC at home. Please ask a librarian if you need help accessing or using the database.

Health Reference Center - Academic (MLIN) – library and home access

Indexes 180 health journals and provides full text from 142 of those titles. Also included is the full text of 700 medical pamphlets and six medical reference books.

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Health & Medical Resources in the Audio-Visual Collection

Browse the video collection in the 616-619 area. The library owns AV materials on exercise, nutrition, & physical fitness.

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Community Information File

The Minuteman Library Network offers an Information and Referral (I and R) database which can be accessed from all of our terminals and PCs. This database can help you locate local agencies which may provide help and information. Please ask a librarian if you need help accessing or using the I and R database.

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Health & Medicine on the Internet

Minuteman Library Network’s “Useful Internet Resources Directory"

This directory is available on PCs, both in the library and from your home. Links to websites in the following categories are available: Alternative; General; Directories and Search Engines; Diseases, Disorders & Conditions; Doctors; Drugs; First Aid; Groups; Journals; MEDLINE; News; Nutrition; and Reference. Please ask a librarian if you need help accessing or using the directory.

Many national organizations and agencies also have health related pages on the Internet. Ask a librarian for help locating a specific group or browse these:

American Dental Association
American Medical Association
Centers for Disease Control
American Red Cross
National Institutes of Health
American Cancer Society
American Diabetes Association--Massachusetts Affiliate
American Lung Association - Medical Section
American Heart Association

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Medical Libraries

Boston Women’s Health Book Collective

240a Elm St., Somerville
TEL: 625-0271, fax: 625-0294
Hours: By appointment only

Non-circulating collection, strong vertical file, medical and women’s health movement information.

Somerville Hospital Carr Health Science Library

230 Highland Ave., Somerville
TEL: 666-4400 ext. 301
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30

Call first. Extensive nursing and medical collection of a scholarly nature.

Countway Library,  Harvard Medical School

10 Shattuck St., Boston
TEL: 432-2136
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8 am-11pm; Fri. 8 am-7 pm; Sat. 9 am-5 pm; Sun. 12 pm-11pm (note: Reference desk is only staffed M-Th 9-6, F &Sa 9-5)

Extensive array of medical resources. $25 per day access fee to use the library. No circulating privileges. Website offers access to electronic journals and a web directory of medical resources, but use of some of these is restricted to people who are affiliated with Harvard.

Massachusetts Community Health Information Profile (MassCHIP)

888-MAS-CHIP (toll free in Massachusetts), or
617-988-3396 during normal business hours.
To download MassCHIP to your computer, go to bottom of their web page
and click on "download MassCHIP"

The Massachusetts Community Health Information Profile (MassCHIP) is a dynamic, user-friendly information service that provides free, online access to many other health and social indicators. With MassCHIP, you can obtain community-level data to assess health needs, monitor health status indicators, and evaluate health programs.

Regional Centers for Health Communities

Regional Center for Healthy Communities
552 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 203,
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-441-0700
Toll Free at 1-888-272-5155

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health funds the RCHC to provide consultation, training, and education in the areas of public health and community development to the 60 communities in our service area. The RCHC also maintains a library that provides community members with access to a specialized collection of public health resources. The RCHC is a program of the Mount Auburn Hospital Center for Community Health.

Tufts University Health Sciences Library

145 Harrison Ave., Boston
TEL: 636-6705
Hours: M-Th, 8-11; F, 8-8; Sa, 10-8; Su,11-10

Another extensive array of medical resources. Located in the Arthur M. Sackler Center for Health Communications. Public may enter and use books and periodicals in the library; no borrowing privileges. Inquire at circulation desk about purchasing a library subscription.

Treadwell Library at Massachusetts General Hospital

Fruit St., Boston
TEL: 726-8600
Hours: M-Th 8:30-8:00; F 8:30-7:00; Sa 10:00-4:00; Su 2:00-8:00.

Yet another extensive array of health and medical resources. Free to anyone with MGH affiliation; others may purchase a membership.

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