Shown here is the type of mask worn by doctor's treating bubonic plague patients in 17th century Europe, from Thomas Bartholin's Historiarum anatomicarum & medicarum rariorum... (1661).
Historically, fear of contagion led to the social ostracism of those suffering from leprosy around the world. In 1890-1891 British nurse Kate Marsden made the arduous journey to secluded Siberian leper settlements where she provided relief to sufferers. With the help of doctors in St. Petersburg, she created this plan for a leper colony designed to improve their health and living conditions. Image from: Kate Marsden's On sledge and horseback to outcast Siberian lepers (1892).
The Reynolds-Finley Historical Library is currently open by appointment. To schedule an appointment or for other inquiries about the RFHL, please use the emails below. Currently, masks are also required for all researchers and visitors. Please email us with any additional questions about accessing the collection. There are many requests that we can help you with remotely, and we will aim to do so whenever possible. Please see our page on research and instruction services for more on how we can assist with online classes and research projects during this time.
Also, we are working behind the scenes to bring more of the collection to you online by increasing our digital presence. This guide provides information on the Reynolds-Finley materials which have already been scanned and are available on the UAB Digital Collections, as well as exhibit content available online through our webpage and Research Guides. Check back to these pages periodically as we continue to develop more digital resources from the Reynolds-Finley collection.
As a collection focusing on the history of medicine and the health sciences, we have abundant documentation of the impact of infectious diseases in history and the valiant public health, preventive and treatment efforts of health care professionals. The images on the sides of this page are examples from those resources. We are working to bring more of the historical context of disease to our online content during the current pandemic, and we will be able to provide even more during research appointments.
Inquiries concerning the collections and services of the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library can be directed in email to our Curator, Peggy Balch (pbalch@uab.edu), or Library Assistant, Anna Kaetz (akaetz95@uab.edu).
In 1796, Edward Jenner discovered the benefits of inoculation with cowpox for the prevention of smallpox. The process came to be known as "vaccination", and it still provides us with the hope of conquering coronavirus today. Shown here is the early method of administration by pricking the skin to insert the vaccine, from Francois Chaussier’s Orígen y descubrimiento de la vaccine (1801).
