This is a list of medical textbooks, manuscripts, and reference works.
Pre-modern texts
Ancient Egypt
Ramesseum medical papyri (c. 1800 BCE) Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus (c. 1800 BCE) London Medical Papyrus (c. 1600 BCE) Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE) Edwin Smith Papyrus (c. 1500 BCE) - Earliest mention of the brain; the pulse; the role of the heart in circulating blood, but not complete circulation. It is the world's oldest surgical textbook, containing descriptions of the zygomatic bone, dura mater, cerebrospinal fluid, and nasal cavity. Brugsch Papyrus (c. 1200 BCE)
Ancient Greece
Hippocratic Corpus (c. 400 BCE to 200 CE) - Contains many important medical treatises including the Hippocratic Oath. Compared with the Egyptian papyri, the Hippocratic writings exhibit an improved understanding of brain structure and function. It correctly attributed the primary control of the body's function to the brain. Galenic corpus (c. 200 BCE) De Materia Medica (Dioscorides) (c. 50 CE) Medical Compendium in Seven Books (c. 600 CE)
Ancient China Huangdi Neijing (c. 300 BCE) - Most authoritative Chinese source on medical matters for over two millennia. It contributed to the Chinese understanding of anatomy, and it continues to be used as an influential reference work for practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. The book contains many guidelines and recommendations for the prevention of chronic diseases and micronutrient deficiencies such as beriberi, xerophthalmia, and goitre. Wushi'er Bingfang (c. 200 BCE) Shennong Ben Cao Jing (c. 200 CE) Shanghan Lun (c. 220 CE) Liu Juanzi Guiyi Fang (C. 499 CE) Compendium of Materia Medica (c. 1578 CE)
Ancient India Kashyapa Samhita (6th century BCE) Sushruta Samhita (c. 300 BCE) - Early description of cataract surgery. The Sushruta Samhita emphasizes the importance of anatomical structure and function, and it contains the earliest written description of the pedicled flaps. It was translated into Arabic during the latter part of the 8th century. Bower Manuscript (c. 470-550 CE) Charaka Samhita (c. 300-500 CE) - One of the fundamental texts of Ayurveda medicine, it was translated into Chinese, Arabic, and Tibetan languages.
Roman Empire De medicina
Islamic Golden Age
Kitab al-Taṣrif (c. 1000) - Surgical encyclopedia. Book of Optics (c. 1000) - Exerted great influence on Western science. It was translated into Latin and it was used until the early 17th century. The German physician Hermann von Helmholtz reproduced several theories of visual perception that were found in the first Book of Optics, which he cited and copied from. The Canon of Medicine (c. 1000) - Described by Sir William Osler as a "medical bible" and "the most famous medical textbook ever written". The Canon of Medicine introduced the concept of a syndrome as an aid to diagnosis, and it laid out an essential framework for a clinical trial. It was translated into Latin by Gerard de Sabloneta and it was used extensively in European medical schools. It also became the most authoritative text on anatomy until the 16th century. Commentary on Anatomy in Avicenna's Canon (c. 1200): First description of the pulmonary circulation system, and the first description of the presence and function of coronary circulation.
Medieval Europe
Compendium Medicinæ ("Compendium of Medicine") (c. 1230-1250) Thesaurus Pauperum ("Treasury of The Poor") (c. 1270) Rosa Anglica ("The English Rose") (1304-1317) La Chirurgie ("Surgery") (1306-1320) Stockholm, Royal Library, manuscript X. 90 (early fifteenth-century). A significant and compendious collection of Middle English medical recipes, charms, and treatises. Universa Medicina
Renaissance De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus De pulmonibus obseruationes anatomicae Adversaria Anatomica De sedibus et causis morborum per anatomen indagatis
Modern textbooks
Basic sciences
Anatomy Gray's Anatomy Gray's Anatomy for Students Netter - Atlas of Human Anatomy Grant's Atlas of Anatomy Clinically Oriented Anatomy Snell's Clinical Anatomy by Regions Kenhub Atlas of Human Anatomy
Neuroanatomy Snell's Clinical Neuroanatomy Neuroanatomy - Text and Atlas Fitzgerald's Clinical Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience
Embryology Langman's Medical Embryology The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology
Histology Netter's Essential Histology Histology - A Text and Atlas With Correlated Cell and Molecular Biology Junqueira's Basic Histology, Text and Atlas
Neuroscience Principles of Neural Science Purves' Neuroscience
Pharmacology Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics Basic and Clinical Pharmacology - Katzung Rang & Dale's Pharmacology
Physiology Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology Human Physiology: From Cells to Systems Berne & Levy Physiology Medical Physiology - Boron and Boulpaep
Anaesthesiology Practical Management of Pain Textbook of Pain - Most comprehensive scientific reference text on pain. The textbook's founding editors were Patrick David Wall and Ronald Melzack, who jointly introduced the gate control theory into the field of pain research.
Clinical examination Talley and O'Connor's Clinical Examination Macleod's Clinical Examination Bates' Guide To Physical Examination and History Taking
Dermatology Rook's Textbook of Dermatology Fitzpatrick's Dermatology
Emergency medicine Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice
Internal medicine Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine The Principles and Practice of Medicine Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment The Oxford Textbook of Medicine Cecil Textbook of Medicine
Cardiology Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine Fuster and Hurst's the Heart
Electrocardiography The ECG Made Easy ECG from Basics to Essentials
Endocrinology Williams Textbook of Endocrinology
Gastroenterology Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease Yamada's Textbook of Gastroenterology
Hematology Williams Hematology
Infectious diseases Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases
Nephrology Brenner and Rector's The Kidney
Oncology Abeloff's Clinical Oncology DeVita's Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology Holland–Frei Cancer Medicine Skin Cancer: Recognition and Management Souhami's Oxford Textbook of Oncology
Pulmonology Fishman's Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders Murray & Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine
Rheumatology Firestein & Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology Rheumatology - Hochberg, 7E (2019)
Neurology Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology Merritt's Neurology
Obstetrics and gynecology Williams Obstetrics Williams Gynecology Berek & Novak's Gynecology Te Linde's Operative Gynecology Hacker & Moore's Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ophthalmology Ryan's Retina Albert and Jakobiec's Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology Ophthalmology - Yanoff, Duker
Paediatrics Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics Rudolph's Pediatrics
Pathology Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease Rosai and Ackerman's Surgical Pathology Sternberg's Diagnostic Surgical Pathology WHO Classification of Tumours "Blue Books"
Psychiatry Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry
Surgery Schwartz's Principles of Surgery Sabiston Textbook of Surgery - The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery
Urology Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology
National and international publications Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) - Official publication of the American Psychiatric Association International Classification of Diseases (ICD) - Official publication of the World Health Organization
Dictionaries and encyclopedias Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary Miller-Keane Encyclopedia & Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary The Modern Home Physician
Reference guides Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics The Merck Manuals The Oxford Textbook of Medicine The Principles and Practice of Medicine
See also List of medical journals
References