History 250

History of Medicine in the United States (History 250)
Prof. Leslie Reagan
Spring 2001

This site brings together U.S. government primary sources and primary source access tools for use in research on health and the health care system in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.

If choosing a topic is proving to be difficult, or if you've chosen a topic but would prefer to do your research on something that better suits your interests, you may want to peruse the vital statistics sources listed below. These are full of oddities that someone new to medical history would never expect to find. Once you have found some mortality data that raises interesting questions, consult the indexes found below. If you can't find relevant material other than statistics, talk with a librarian before giving up on your topic.

Census of the United States, 1790-1990.
Find this under various call numbers arranged chronologically (Government Documents, Census Bookcase and the East and South Walls)
This is the U.S. government's premier source of social and economic data.

Health, United States, 1975-
DOC.HE20.6223: (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
The detailed tables in the back of this source cover health status, health care resources, the utilization of health resources, and health care expenditures. This is available on the web, but many consider the online version to be difficult to use.

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1878-
DOC.C3.134: (Government Documents, Economics 173 Collection)
For volumes preceding 1955, see 317Un3s in the Main Stacks. Index entries may refer to page numbers or table numbers.

United States Historical Center Data Browser, 1790-1960
Provides census data at the national, state, and county levels. The quantity of data found here varies considerably from one census to another, and only a small percentage of the statistics contained in each census are available through this resource.

1990 Census Lookup
Use this tool to create your own tables. The richest social and economic data can be found in STF3C (for the nation and states) and STF3A (for counties and cities/towns).

Primary Sources of Vital Statistics for the United States: 1850-1999
Coverage	Title	Call No.	Location
1850-1870	Seventh to Ninth Census of the United States	F.317.3 Un3 1790-1870	Government Documents Census Bookcase
1880	Tenth Census of the United States	Q.317.3 Un31o 1991	Government Documents Census Bookcase
1890	Eleventh Census of the United States	Q.317.3 Un311 1993	Government Documents East Wall
1900	Twelfth Census of the United States	Q.317.3 Un312 1997	Government Documents East Wall
1900-1936	Mortality Statistics	DOC. C3.2: M84/4/	Main Stacks Deck 5 East
1935-1959	Vital Statistics: Special Reports	312.73 Un3vi	Main Stacks Deck 4 East
1937-1962	Vital Statistics of the United States	DOC. HE20.6210:	Main Stacks Deck 5 East
1963-1992	Vital Statistics of the United States	DOC. HE20.6210:	Government Documents Central Bookcases
Current	National Vital Statistics System

Census of the United States, 1790-1990
The people who work in health-related fields are a critical component of any health care system. The best source of information on occupations through 1990 is the United States Census. Scan the entire list of occupations--you may find some that would not have occurred to you otherwise.

County Business Patterns, United States 1984-1997
DOC.C3.204/3-1: (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Like the Economic Census, this source provides data on many types of economic activities, including those related to health. Each business is assigned a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, which can be seen in the left-hand column. To find the SIC code for a particular type of establishment, consult the index in the back of the Standard Industrial Classification Manual (DOC.PREX2.6/2:in27/987, Government Documents, Central Bookcases). To find state and county data, ask a librarian for the County Business Patterns title for the state that interests you.

1992 Census of Service Industries
Geographic Area Series: DOC.C3.257/2:SC92-A-
Subject Series: DOC.C3.257/3:SC92-S-
(Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
The Subject Series provides aggregate data for the United States on the number of health-related establishments, the number of persons employed, and the total payroll for each type of establishment. The Subject Series provides the same data at the state and county levels.

1997 Economic Census
The Health Care and Social Assistance section of this census contains the same type of data provided in the 1992 Census of Service Industries. Use this to find the total number of health-related establishments, the number of persons employed there, and the total payroll for each type of establishment at the national, state, and county levels. This section includes the Subject Series--which provides aggregate data for the United States--and the Geographic Area Series, which you can use to access state and county data. An economic census is carried out every five years.

Cumulative Subject Guide to U.S. Government Bibliographies, 1924-1973.
015.73C913 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
"Contains more than 40,000 entries by subject, alphabetically arranged, taken from 50 years of Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications."

Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. 1895-
015.73Un35; DOC.GP3.8: (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Nothing comes closer to being a comprehensive catalog of U.S. government publications than the Monthly Catalog. The Government Documents Library has cumulated indexes for 1900-1971, 1971-1976, 1976-1980, and 1981-1985.

Congressional Documents

CIS Annual, 1970-
015.73C76 (Government Documents, North Bookcases)
Provides access to a wide range of health-related information contained in House and Senate documents.

CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index. 1833-1969.
015.73C497 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Indexes the text of committee hearings, most of which contain expert testimony. Includes an Index for Subjects and Organizations. The Reference Bibliography gives complete bibliographical data--as well as the page number where each witness's testimony begins--for each hearing. Search the online catalog for the call number and location of each title that appears in the Reference Bibliography volumes.

CIS U.S. Serial Set Index, 1789-1969.
015.73C759 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Indexes the 14,000 volumes--and more than 325,000 individual documents--of the U.S. Serial Set. The index provides subject and keyword access. Note that volumes 2,817 to 13,914 can be found on Deck 1 East of the Main Stacks in print format. All other volumes are available on microfiche in the Government Documents Library. The print volumes can be checked out, but they must be returned on the same day by closing time.

CIS Index to U.S. Executive Branch Documents, 1789-1909: Guide to Documents Listed in Checklist of U.S. Public Documents, 1789-1909, Not Printed in the U.S. Serial Set
Q.015.730534C497 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
This set provides access to hundreds of documents related to health. It consists of six parts, each of which has a subject index and a "reference bibliography." The index gives the publication date followed by a number that you can use in two ways. One option is to use it to find an abstract in the reference bibliography, where you will find the title and a detailed description of the document. The other option is to give the number to a Government Documents reference librarian, who will use it to find the document itself.

Since each part of this set indexes hundreds of health-related documents, I recommend searching all six parts.

Part	Issuing Agencies and Departments
1	Treasury Department; Commerce and Labor Department.
2	War Department.
3	Departments of the Interior, Justice, and Labor; Interstate Commerce Commission; Library of Congress.
4	Department of Agriculture; American Republics Bureau; Civil Service, District of Columbia, and Fish Commissions; Freedman's Savings and Trust Company; Geographic Board; Government Printing Office; General Supply Committee.
5	Department of the Navy.
6	State Department; National Academy of Sciences; National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers; Post Office; the President; Smithsonian Institution.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Government Documents Library is the largest federal depository library in East-Central Illinois. It receives more than eighty-five percent of the selections currently available through the U.S. government's Federal Depository Library Program.

Reference assistance is available in the Government Documents Library from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday and via our E-Mail Reference Service.