The Library of the Royal Society of Physicians in Budapest becomes todayʹs Semmelweis Medical History Library

Objectives: The 170-year history of the library of the Royal Society of Medicine in Budapest illustrates both that political and cultural context matter and that ʹʹmedicalʹʹ libraries, if they survive, in due course become primarily ʹʹmedical historyʹʹ libraries. Methods: Two of the authors are on the staff of the Semmelweis Medical History Library; the third is a US scholar who makes frequent use of the library. Together, they avail themselves of archival and published materials—and personal experience with the collection—to establish the context that produced the original library, trace its evolution, and describe its present-day incarnation. Results: A tale of transformation emerges that reflects how collections are likely to change. The authors present events and individuals in the life of the Royal Societyʹs library and paint a picture of the value of todayʹs Semmelweis Medical History Library. Unique treasures in the collection are described. Conclusion: The story told here is of how a particular nineteenth-century library became a twenty-first- century institution. The authors establish its peculiarly Hungarian context and potential value to librarians and historians from outside Hungary. The overall message is that general medical libraries everywhere are perforce likely to become medical historical libraries over time.