Founded in 1795, the library holds a collection of old and rare books, dating back to the Middle Ages. The library also runs digitization programs in the history of medicine. These programs include a Hippocratic collection; Galen’s works; 19th century dissertations of the medical school of Paris; many other electronic documents (610,000 pages as of Jan. 1st, 2006); web sites of learned societies. SERVICES: reference assistance in person, by phone, mail, fax, and e-mail; in-house photocopying allowed depending upon the document; photocopies, photographs, microforms, and digitized reproductions for interlibrary loan purposes.

Incunabula: 100; 16th century: 3,000 titles; 17th century: 6,000 titles; 18th century: 12,000 titles; 19th century: 40,000 titles. Manuscripts: 800; journals: 20,000 titles. Total holdings: more than 100,000 volumes. Noteworthy: many editio princeps (first printed editions of manuscripts); "Les Commentaires" of the medical school of Paris (1395-1786; 24 volumes in folio); Parisian medical dissertations from the 16th century. The Academic Medical Library of Paris (BIUM) has published eight series of full-text accessible electronic editions: Corpus of Ancient Physicians (Hippocrates, Galen, Oribase, Rufus of Ephesus et al.), Sources of Medical Specialties (Anatomy, ORL, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Odontology, Psychology, etc.), References (19th century medical dictionaries, Eponymic diseases, journals), History of Medicine and Paris Medical School, Epidemics and diseases (melancholy, plague, migraine), Medieval medicine, Physicians and scientists (Claude Bernard, Bichat, Marey, Orfila, Vesalius, Vicq d'Azyr et al.), and Varia (Paris Medical School dissertations, Bailliere Publishing Co., Printed catalogues of surgical and dental instruments, History of women's entrance into medicine). Virtual exhibits are accessible as well (WWI smashed faces, Boccone's Herbals, Monsters from the Renaissance up to the XVIIth century), Jules Cloquet's travel journal). Medical images databank: (40, 000 portraits and various illustrations).