Asian Collection

The history of medicine in Asian cultures, in both primary and secondary sources, forms the core of this collection but, since medical history cannot be studied in isolation from the cultures in which it developed, almost every area of human endeavour is represented.

Several catalogues of the major language collections have been published and catalogues of the smaller Asian collections appear in appropriate learned journals. All these catalogues are available for consultation in the Rare Materials Reading Room. Records of books printed in Asian scripts appear in the Romanised form in the Library catalogue, along with several thousand brief records of Oriental manuscripts. The catalogue of Haddād Arabic medical manuscripts preserved in the Wellcome Library is also available for browsing.

In addition to manuscripts and printed books, extensive collections of Oriental prints, drawings, paintings and photographs are held in Paintings, Prints and Drawings. Microfilmed collections of Oriental material are preserved in Wellcome Images.

The Wellcome Library, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and King’s College London, have formed a partnership to create a free searchable online catalogue of 500 Islamic manuscripts in the Wellcome Library. This work is partly funded by the JISC. Visit our project pages for more information.

Microfilm reproductions of selected Sanskrit manuscripts may also be ordered online.

The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London maintains a full research programme in most areas of Asian medicine and allied disciplines. Public lectures, seminars, courses in Asian medicine leading to London University degrees are provided.