About the Online Version

Heirs of Hippocrates is both a print book (third edition, 1990) and online database that describes many of the most important works to be found in the John Martin Rare Book Room. The selections in the book are arranged in chronological order in keeping with the larger purpose, which is to present a history of medicine from a bibliographic perspective.

Now in its third edition, Heirs of Hippocrates is thoroughly researched and abundantly annotated--an authoritative and scholarly sourcebook for the history of medicine. It is frequently cited and quoted alongside such other respected compendia as Morton's Medical Bibliography and Bibliotheca Osleriana. In addition to the text, over two hundred illustrations (many in color) taken from the original works amplify the descriptions and provide the reader a sampling of the striking images that can be found in the many of the books.

Please note that some of the original illustrations in the print version have been added to the Iowa Digital Library.