About the MHC

The Medical Heritage Center (MHC) opened May 1, 1997 shortly after the library moved back to its newly renovated building in October 1996. The MHC began through a generous seed grant of $300,000 from the Academy of Medicine of Columbus and Franklin County Foundation (now the Columbus Medical Association Foundation). The Ohio State University Hospitals contributed $250,000 to complete the physical layout of the floor. In 1998 the Columbus Medical Association awarded the MHC a grant for $50,000 to complete the furnishings of the floor.

The MHC is located on the fifth floor of the Prior Hall. The collection consists of rare books, archives/manuscripts, artwork, textiles and medical artifacts.

Watch Lecture Recordings

The Medical Heritage Center (MHC) hosts lectures each academic semester to support the education and preservation of medical history at The Ohio State University. The MHC's annual lectures include:

• James R. Wright, Jr. MD, PhD Lecture
• Friends of Nursing History Lecture
• Humanism in Medicine Last Lecture
• John C. Burnham Lecture in the History of Medicine/Science (in partnership with Ohio State's Department of History)

If you are interested in watching a previous lecture, click this link to our knowledge bank.

Images and Books Available to Purchase

Below is a list of prices for purchasing images owned by the Medical Heritage Center, research services and books written by MHC scholars-in-residence. 

Please note that some books are available to purchase on our online book request form. If you have questions about purchasing, please reach out to Kristin Rogers via email at kristin.rodgers@osumc.edu.

MHC Prints and Services:

Original Photocopy – $0.25 per page

Photographic Reprint – $10 per print

Photographic Usage Fee – $60 each

Research Services: Corporate/Profit – $100 per hour

Research Services: Personal/Nonprofit – $25.00 per hour

Rush fee – $50 per order

Books Available to Purchase:

A Specialty Indeed: The History of Emergency Medicine at The Ohio State University – $45 per book

Academic Heritage: The Transmission of Excellence--Cardiology at the Ohio State University – $30 per book

Arthur G. James: Surgeon with a Dream – $25 per book

An Extraordinary Surgeon: James Fairchild Baldwin, MD 1850–1936 – $12 per book

Charles Doan and the Development of The Ohio State University Medical Center – $12 per book

Honoring the Past Leading for the Future: The History of the Ohio State Department of Surgery – $30 per book

John Howell Janeway, MD 1871–1960: The Survival Years  – $12 per book

The Ohio State University College of Medicine I, II or III – $30 per book

Saving Babies: The Moms2B Story – $25 per book

Second Blessing: Columbus Medicine and Health the Early Years – $45 per book

William Thorthon, M.D. Gentleman of the Enlightenment – $10 per book