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|Jeffrey S. Reznick | Kenneth M. Koyle | Michael J. North | Michael Sappol |

Michael J. North, M.S., M.S.L.S.,

Head of Rare Books & Early Manuscripts


Head and shoulders, full face black and white photograph of Michael North.

Michael J. North, M.S., M.S.L.S.,
Head of Rare Books & Early Manuscripts


  • Contact Details

    Building 38, Room 1E21
    National Library of Medicine
    8600 Rockville Pike
    Bethesda, MD 20894-3819

    northm@mail.nih.gov
    Office phone: 301.496.9204
    Fax: 201.402.0872

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  • Professional Experience


    Current Position


    Head of Rare Books & Early Manuscripts

    National Library of Medicine
    Bethesda, MD

    Michael J. North is Head of the Rare Books & Early Manuscripts Section in the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine (National Institutes of Health), Bethesda, MD. He has a B.A. in Greek and Latin, an M.S. in Theoretical Linguistics, and an M.S. in Library Science with an emphasis on Book Arts. He has worked in special collections at Swarthmore College, Georgetown University, The New York Academy of Medicine, and The Grolier Club of New York.

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  • Articles and Chapters


    “Eyewitness accounts of the 1510 influenza pandemic in Europe.” Lancet. 2010 Dec 4;376(9756):1894-5. With David M. Morens and Jeffrey M. Taubenberger.

    “Licensing the use of special collections materials.” RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage, Vol. III, Number 2, Fall 2002, pp. 124-144. With Lisa Brower, Cathy Henderson, and Tara Wenger.

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  • Books


    Printed Catalogs of French Book Auctions and Sales by Private Treaty, 1643-1830, in the Library of the Grolier Club (2004)

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  • Exhibitions


    “From Craft to Profession: The Transition from Horse Farrier to Professional Veterinarian.” National Library of Medicine, July 11, 2011 – January 23, 2012. Featuring 20 rare books from NLM collections, 1 book borrowed from Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

    “Physician at the Breakfast Table: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., as Popular Icon.” National Library of Medicine, August 20 – October 9, 2009. Featuring 10 rare books from the collection and 10 books and pieces of ephemera from a donor’s collection (later donated to NLM).

    “East Asian Treasures at the National Library of Medicine.” National Library of Medicine, June 16 – August 29, 2008. Featuring 20 rare books and 10 pieces of ephemera.

    “’To Paint the Lily’: A Selection from NLM’s Illustrated Herbals, 1486-1793.” National Library of Medicine, January 30 – June 1, 2008. Featuring six early printed books.

    “The Horse, A Mirror of Man: Parallels in Early Human and Horse Medicine.” National Library of Medicine, December 5, 2005 – April 28, 2006. Featuring 15 early books and website.

    “’I swear by Apollo physician …’: Greek Medicine from the Gods to Galen.” National Library of Medicine, October, 2001-March, 2002. Featuring 12 early books and website.

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  • Web Sites


    Historical Anatomies on the Web

    Greek Medicine

    The Horse, a Mirror of Man: Parallels in Early Human & Horse Medicine

    Turning the Pages: Conrad Gesner's Historiae Animalium, Andreas Vesalius' De Fabrica Corporis Humani (with Michael Sappol), and Johannes de Ketham's Fasiculo de Medicina (with Luke DeMaitre).

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  • Digital Projects


    Cholera Online.

    Medicine in the Americas.

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