This recently announced site highlights the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) collection of Islamic medical manuscripts, "one of the three greatest in the world," with over 330 texts, including some with no other known copy in existence. The illustrated, online catalog includes essays on the featured texts accompanied by thumbnail images, physical descriptions, provenance, and additional resources. Also on-site are an introduction to Medieval Islam and bibliographies. Throughout the site, selected terms are linked to their definitions in the glossary. The texts will be posted in three installments. The first, now online, deals with medical encyclopedias. Subsequent additions will cover pharmaceuticals, plague tracts, veterinary medicine, and general hygiene; with as many as 300 illustrations in the final catalog. While especially useful for students and researchers in the history of medicine and science, the site will also appeal to general users interested in these topics as well as the history of Islamic and European culture.
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