The Library's digital collections cover a wide variety of topics, including asylums, food, sex and sexual health, genetics, public health and war.

Published books, pamphlets, archives, posters, photographs, and film and sound recordings are completely free to view. Digitised materials are released under a variety of Creative Commons non-commercial, attribution and Public Domain licenses.

The Library's digitisation programme is ongoing, and items are being added to the digital library every day.

Browse everything that has been digitised so far.

AIDS posters

Over 3000 digitised public health posters relating to AIDS, from 99 countries, are freely available to view and download. AIDS posters

Arabic manuscripts

Nearly 500 volumes of Arabic manuscripts covering not only medicine and pharmacology, but cosmology, alchemy, cookery and more are available online. Arabic manuscripts

Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics

An online research resource for the history of genetics, including digitised books and archives from the Wellcome Library and partner institutions. Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics

Film and sound

Film and sound recordings vividly bring the history of medicine to life. Find out more about what's available and where to find it. Film and sound

London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health Reports, 1848-1972

Medical Officer of Health reports for London 1848-1972, providing statistical data about births, deaths and diseases, while also allowing the authors to express their own personal interests. London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health Reports, 1848-1972

Medieval manuscripts

Discover the world of medieval medicine in these rare and beautiful objects. Medieval manuscripts

Mental healthcare

The historical records of key UK psychiatric institutions and personnel are being digitised. Discover what lay behind their closed doors as the material goes online. Mental healthcare

Reading Room

The Reading Room – Wellcome Collection's hybrid gallery, library and event space – features hundreds of items from the Library's collections. Here you can explore and download a selection of paintings, prints, manuscripts and more. Reading Room

Recipe books

Explore medicinal and culinary recipes through the ages with this collection of 16th-19th century domestic recipe manuscripts. Recipe books

Royal Army Medical Corps

Over 150 years of military medicine and wartime experiences are covered in the Royal Army Medical Corps digitised archive. Royal Army Medical Corps

Sexology

The study of human sexuality can be explored in this curated selection of digitised books, paintings, photographs and manuscripts from the Library’s collections. Sexology

John Thomson photographs

John Thomson (1837-1921) was one of the first photographers to document his travels to East Asia. His photographs of life in Indo-China, China and Cyprus in the late 19th century are held in the Library's collections. John Thomson photographs

UK Medical Heritage Library