National Institutes of Health

The Office of History of the National Institutes of Health is the repository for the history of the federal agency itself and for narratives of the history of the medical profession and medical research.

A Short History of the National Institutes of Health starts with the roots of the agency in 1887 as a one-room laboratory and moves into the present time, highlighting biomedical discoveries and government policy.

Over a dozen online exhibits cover topics including Medical Instruments from 1945–1965, Deciphering the Genetic Code, and a history of medical illustration.

For teachers, an Education section offers lesson plans on the history of science.