Wiley Digital Archives Royal College of Physicians

Abstract

The Wiley Digital Archives Royal College of Physicians is a rich collection of primary sources for those interested in history of science or history of medicine. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) was founded in 1518 and is the oldest medical college in England. Items in the collection date from the fourteenth to twentieth centuries and include such sources as monographs on health research, public health reports, and doctors’ case books. Particularly useful and unique features of this product include the ability to download tabulated data from collection items as Excel and CSV files and maps as TIFFs or GeoTIFFs, which can then be imported into GIS software. Documents are transcribed via ATR/OCR technology and can be downloaded in their original languages or translated into several others. The major weaknesses of the product are a glitchy interface and confusing terminology/categories for the different document types. The search filters are also somewhat confusing. For those who are willing to deal with an interface and search engine that are less than ideal, the collection’s range and diversity may make it a good acquisition.