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Museum of Medical History

5380 Elvas Ave. Sacramento, CA 95819
: (916) 481-4525
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The Museum was created after the closure of the Paul Guttman Medical Library and Information Center. The Library closed on January 1, 2000, after more than 50 years of service to Society members and the public at large. When the difficult decision to close the Library was made in 1999, the Society's Board wanted to preserve the best of the Library's collection of texts, journals and artifacts.

By the end of April 2001, homes had been found for the 900 texts and 18,000 bound journals we decided not to keep. The surplus of our collection went to our members, other medical libraries and numerous publishers. Selected journal titles from the 1950's back to the late 1800's were saved along with hundreds of rare texts dating back to the 1700's. Nine hundred feet of shelving was retained to hold the most interesting journals and texts.

In addition to the books and journals, there are 16 display cases showcasing medical artifacts collected and donated to the Society over the years. There are cases featuring collections in the fields of Surgery, Clinical Diagnosis, Infectious Disease, Pharmacy, Radiology, Chinese Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medical Quackery. The museum has room to grow and we are giving thought to adding displays or exhibits of interest to elementary school children.

The Museum is something we can all be proud of. Even the most casual visitor can not leave the museum with out a better appreciation for the history of medicine, medical advances and this Medical Society proud history.

 

 

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