Collection Overview

Our collections highlight the evolution of medical education and medical care in New York City, ranging from 19th and early 20th century patient casebooks from the NYU-staffed divisions at Bellevue Hospital to contemporary institutional records of NYU Langone Health. Some of our collections may be restricted and will require special permission for access. The Archives manage the Rare Books and Special Collections of the NYU Health Sciences Library. Rare books are included in the library catalog, but you must request an appointment with the Archives to view the collection.

Digital Collections

Our digital collections feature faculty and alumni profiles, select items from the archival audio and visual collections, NYU Langone publications, and a small collection of historic NYU medical school curricula and student papers. Please note that the majority of our holdings are not digitized, and are available to view by appointment only. For more information about our collections, or to make an appointment with an Archivist, please contact us via the Reference Contact Form.

Collection Highlights

  • Antique Glass Medical Bottles: This collection is due to the generous donations by Dr. Arthur Lindner, retired Associate Dean, and Elena Lesser Bruun in 2001. The collection consists of glass medical bottles from the Victorian and Modern Era (19th and 20th Century).
  • Austin Flint 19th Century Physician Notebooks: Fragile handwritten notebooks contain lecture notes, patient anecdotes, and personal comments.
  • Bellevue Hospital Case Books of Patient Records: Along with Columbia University and the University of Rochester, NYU holds original Bellevue Hospital case books dating from1860 to 1932. The case books document various diseases, including infective diseases, diseases of the circulatory system, chronic diseases, and injuries of the body. Microfilm reference copies are available to researchers.
  • Bellevue Hospital Medical College 1861-1898: The records document the history of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, from incorporation in 1861 to its merger with the University Medical College of New York University in 1898. The collection includes photographs, annual announcements, financial records, certificates of moral character, faculty papers, class schedules, and lecture tickets.
  • Bellevue Hospital Medical College Theses: Collection of original handwritten theses from BHMC graduates. Microfilm reference copies are available to researchers.
  • Bellevue Schools of Nursing: Small collection documenting the history of the Bellevue Schools of Nursing, the first in the United States to be operated according to the nursing principles championed by Florence Nightingale. The nursing schools, which included the Mills Training School for Men, operated from 1873-1969. The collection contains photographs, yearbooks, school announcements, and annual reports. Digital copies of the Bellevue Schools of Nursing school announcements and annual reports are available. A larger collection of Bellevue nursing materials is available at the Center for Nursing, Foundation for New York State Nurses, the official archive for the Bellevue School of Nursing Alumnae Association. View the online finding aid for their Bellevue School of Nursing and Bellevue School of Nursing Alumnae Association collections.
  • Frank H. Netter, M.D. collection: Features the 12-painting series "The Life of a Young Doctor," along with building sketches and portraits.
  • Gano Dunn Collection of Antique Microscopes: The collection dates from 1735-1923 and was generously presented to the archives in 1956 by Harris Dunn, brother of Gano Dunn.
  • New York Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital: Records document the history of the first medical school, in New York City, to offer courses to recent medical graduates and practicing physicians. Collection includes meeting minutes, schedules of clinics, and a few reports for the NYPG Training School of Nurses. The bulk of the collection is comprised of annual reports and announcements of the medical school and hospital, and specific medical units. Digital copies are available for annual reports for the Babies' Ward, Reconstruction Unit, and Skin and Cancer Hospital, which later became the Skin and Cancer Unit of the Post-Graduate Hospital. In 1948, the New York Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital merged with NYU and became the NYU Post-Graduate Medical School and University Hospital.
  • NYU Medical Violet Yearbooks: The following years are in this collection: 1897, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1925-1999, 2001-2012.
  • NYU Langone Department of Public Affairs collection: Features photographs and mixed media produced by the Department of Public Affairs between 1856 and 2003.
  • Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine: This collection contains records of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU. Records include annual reports, publications, correspondence, and documentation of fund-raising efforts. The Howard A. Rusk papers may be found at the State Historical Society of Missouri, formerly the Western Historical Manuscript Collection.

Restricted Collections

  • Board of Trustees minutes and records are closed to the public for 35 years after creation, with the exception of the Dean's Office, or those given special permission by the Dean in writing. After 35 years, the minutes are considered open with limited access. Access is not guaranteed, but is provided at the discretion of the Archivist. Permission for research of a legal or non-academic nature must be requested in writing, with a description of the scope and intended use of information. Researchers must apply separately in writing for permission to reproduce any passages from the minutes in published materials.

Materials not found in the Archives

While the Archives collect personal papers and administrative records relating to faculty and alumni at NYU Langone Health, there are some materials we do not collect, including student records and patient records. For more information and alternate resources, see below:

  • NYU Langone Health Patient Records: The Archives does not collect patient records. For more information regarding access to patient records, contact the NYU Langone Office of Medical Records at (212) 263-5497.
  • NYU Medical School Student Records: The Archives does not collect student records. For more information, contact the NYU Langone Office of Registration & Student Records or (212) 263-5291.
  • NYU College of Dentistry Student Records: The Archives does not collect dentistry student records. Contact the NYU Office of Registration and Student Records at www.nyu.edu/registrar or (212) 998-4280.
  • NYU College of Dentistry Archives: Contact the New York University Archives for all materials related to College of Dentistry. An online finding aid can be found at http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/archives/dentcoll/
  • Bellevue Hospital: The Archives does not collect administrative, patient or employee records for Bellevue Hospital. Contact the Bellevue Hospital Office of Public Affairs at (212) 562-4516 for questions regarding the Bellevue Hospital Archives.
  • The Archives does not hold published medical journals or textbooks.