Medicus Deus: a review of factors affecting hospital library services to patients between 1790-1950.
OBJECTIVE
What are some of the historical societal, medical, and public health trends leading to today's provision of hospital library services to patients?


METHODS
Literature from the archives of the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association and other library sources, medical journals, primary historical documents, and texts from the history of medicine form the core of this review.


METHODS
The period of review extends from about 1790 through 1950 and focuses solely on trends in the United States. Of primary concern are explicitly documented examples that appear to illustrate the patient-physician relationship and those between librarians and their patient-patrons during the earliest years of the profession's development.


METHODS
An historical timeline was created to allow the identification of major trends that may have affected library services. Multiple literature searches were conducted using library, medical, and health anthropology resources. When possible, primary sources were preferred over reviews.


RESULTS
Juxtapositioning historical events allows the reader to obtain an overview of the roots of consumer health services in medical libraries and to consider their potential legacy in today's health care libraries.


CONCLUSIONS
This review article highlights early developments in hospital library service to patients. Further research is needed to verify a preliminary conclusion that in some medical library settings, services to the general public are shaped by the broader health care environment as it has evolved.
Perryman
Carol
C
School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB #3360, 100 Manning Hall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3360, USA. CP1757@gmail.com
D001638:Bibliotherapy / Q000266:history*; D003256:Community Participation / Q000266:history; D006266:Health Education / Q000266:history*; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000266:history*; D007996:Library Associations / Q000266:history*; D007999:Library Services / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States