The Special Collections of Lane Medical Library include the History of Medicine Collection and the Lane Medical Archives. The historical collection owes its inception to Dr. Adolph Barkan and was developed under the systematic long-term guidance of Dr. Karl Sudhoff of the Institute of the History of Medicine of Leipzig. They built upon the historical materials in the 28,000 volume collection of duplicates acquired in 1906 from the New York Academy of Medicine, the scholarly collections of the early faculty, and the purchase in 1920 of the 5,000 volume collection of Dr. Ernst Seidel. Besides its strength in the classics of early medicine, this last collection is most notable for its Arabic and Persian manuscripts and printed materials as well as the linguistic aids for their study. Efforts were made by the faculty of the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific (opened in 1858), and its successor schools, to document the history of medicine and medical education in California. The Special Collections are supported by complete runs of early medical journals from Europe and the United States, journals in the history of medicine, an open collection of monographs on the history of medicine, and an extensive collection of theses from the great universities of Europe. The Archives of the Stanford University School of Medicine and its predecessor schools, including Cooper Medical College, contain administrative and clinic records as well as personal papers and manuscripts. Photographs and medical instruments are also collected. SERVICES include reference and selective photocopying. Interlibrary loan is done if condition of material permits.

Incunabula: 21 titles; 16th century: 403 records; 17th century: 613 records; 18th century: 1,635 records; 19th century: 9,555 records (of which about 3,000 are in Special Collections); theses: 28,648 (major European universities); Near Eastern manuscripts: 51; open history: 11,000: Archives and Personal Papers: 876 linear feet; medical instruments: 40 linear feet (1,000 card entries); pictorial materials: 20 linear feet; pre-1850 journals: 353 linear feet. Records for pre-1850 monographs and journals are available on Lane Online Information System (LOIS) and also in RLIN. Local finding aids are available for most of Archives and Personal Papers.