The University Institute for the History of Medicine and Public Health was founded in 1989. The Library holds about 26,000 books, the oldest dating from the 16th century. Areas of interest include history of psychiatry and neurosciences; ancient medicine; history of hospitals; history of medicine in Switzerland and especially in the canton of Vaud and Lausanne; anthropology and philosophy of medicine; and ethics. The Library has a collection of 44 periodicals, most dating from the earliest volumes, and a collection of offprints and biographical files. The material has been cataloged in a current automated catalog Rero, comprising 3.7 million bibliographic records from more than 100 research and reference libraries of French- and Italian-speaking cantons of Switzerland. Rero is accessible via the Internet at http://www.rero.ch. Copies can be made of photographs and books may be photocopied, depending on the condition of the material.

The number of titles in the Library is approximately 26,000, all cataloged. Historical collection: 16th century: 8 titles; 17th century: 73 titles; 18th century: 388 titles; 19th century: 3,000 titles. Prints and Photos: local and general iconography (late 19th-20th century) 6,000 prints. Instruments: late 19th-20th century.