This page is maintained by Cathy Wojewodzki, Reference Department.
Last modified:
02/17/09
Getting Started | Finding Books | Identifying Journal Articles | Websites | Finding Videos
Books on Infectious Diseases | Videos on Infectious Diseases
Link to Special Collections Guide
Materials related to epidemics and the treatment of illnesses can be found in the holdings of Special Collections at the University of Delaware Library. Epidemics of local (and national) significance, such as cholera in the 19th century and tuberculosis in the 20th century are well represented. The prevalence of illness and death as a concern of daily life is often addressed in correspondence. Both doctors and average individuals often kept journals of useful remedies of either chemical or herbal composition. To view resources at Harvard relevent to the course, please see Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics.
Begin with a reference book such as an encyclopedia. These resources are great starting points for your research. They will provide a concise overview of a topic, will summarize key research, and may include a bibliography. A list of some useful reference books is included at the end of this document.
Use DELCAT, the library’s catalog to locate books in the University of Delaware Library. The following subject headings or the name of your disease are all effective ways to search for books.
Subject Headings
Communicable Diseases
Epidemiology
Bacterial Infections
Virus Diseases
It’s now time to look for the answers to your remaining questions. To do this, we’ll look for journal articles on specific topics. To identify useful articles, use an index or database. When searching, be specific. Some useful databases for this assignment:
Databases with broad coverage
Academic OneFile
Web of ScienceDatabases for science
PubMed
Biological Abstracts (BIOSIS)
BioOne
Enivronmental Sciences & Pollution ManagementDatabases for history
America: History and Life
New York Times
London Times
Historical Abstracts
Periodicals Index Online
APS Online
To find the specific articles needed, use a provided link, “Get It!”, or DELCAT. Some will be available electronically and some in print. Those which the UD Library does not have may be requested via Interlibrary Loan.
There are many excellent websites for medical information and many bizarre and misleading ones also. Consider those web sites you choose carefully. One tool to evaluate websites is the “CRAAP Test.” The CRAAP Test is a list of questions you can ask in order to determine if the information you have is credible and useful. Currency: When was the information published or posted? Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs Authority: The source of the information Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the informational content Purpose: The reason the information exists The following sites might be helpful for this assignment.
CDC: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
APIC: Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
HealthMap: Global Disease Alert Map
CDC: Diseases & Conditions
The official web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC Special Pathogens Branch
This website includes a glossary and a good list of authoritative online resources.
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP)
From the University of Minnesota
National Foundation for Infectious Disease
The NFID's fact sheets and links are particularly useful for this assignment
Bad Bug Book
U.S. FDA/CFSAN handbook for foodborne pathogenic microorganisms
Species Filing Cabinet
From the Virtual Museum of Bacteria, this site is a portal to fact sheets, lectures and links
World Health Organization
Links to WHO projects and initiatives, organized by health and development topic
National Center for Infectious Disease: Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Disease
Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics
This is a digital library collection that brings a unique set of books, serials, pamphlets, incunabula, and manuscripts from the 15 th – 19 th centuries. Many include visual materials, such as plates, engravings, maps, charts, broadsides, and other illustrations.
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/
Secrets of the dead video clips
1918 Influenza Resources
Scroll down page to find the 1918 section.
To find videos in the library, use DELCAT. Using the key word box, limit your search to media. A few videos that might be of interest for this assignment are listed at the end of this document.
Here is a list of selected sources which may prove useful. Remember that dictionaries, guides, encyclopedias, handbooks often provide very significant research information in the initial stages of any research project. If you aren't certain what might be available on your topic, stop by the Reference Desk.
Contagious Diseases Sourcebook . Karen Bellenir, ed. Ref RC 113 .C664 2004
Dates in Infectious Diseases: A chronological record of progress in infectious diseases over the last millennium . H.S.J. Lee, ed. Ref RA643 .D375 2002
Dictionary of American History . 3d ed. 10 vols. Ref E174 .D52 2003
Encyclopedia of Microbiology . Joshua Lederberg, ed. Ref QR 9 .E53 2000
Handbook of Infectious Diseases . Ref RC 112 .H36x 2000
Infectious Diseases . Gorbach, Bartlett and Blacklow. RC111 .I5128 2004
Microbes and People : an A-Z of Microorganisms in Our Lives. Sankaran, Neeraja. 
Ref QR 9 .S26 2000
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS2051 U.S. Doc. (HE 20 .7009: ) Indexed in PubMed 1976 - present. For articles before January 15, 1993 / Vol. 42 / No. 01 you will need the Bound Journals for MMWR (HE 20 .7009:).
Science and Its Times. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, eds. Ref Q 175.46 .S35 2000
Statistical Handbook on Infectious Diseases . Sarah B. Watstein & John Jovanovic. Ref RA643 .W33 2003
The Encyclopedia of Infectious Diseases , 2 nd ed. Carol Turkington and bonnie Lee Ashby.
Ref RC 112 .T87 2003
The Nobel Prize Winning Discoveries in Infectious Diseases . David Rifkind and Geraldine L. Freeman.
Ref RC 111 .R54x 2005
World Epidemics: A cultural chronology of disease from prehistory to the era of SARS . Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
Ref RA649 .S65 2003
World of Microbiology and Immunology . K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmouth Lerner, eds.
Ref QR 9 .W675 2003
An atlas of the clinical microbiology of infectious diseases. Edward J. Bottone. QR 67 .B67 2004
Biology of Plagues . Susan Scott and Christopher J. Duncan. R 650 .6 .A1 S36 2001)
Deciphering Global Epidemics: Analytical approaches to the disease records of world cities, 1888-1912 . Andrew Cliff, Peter Haggett & Matthew Smallman-Raynor. RA651 .C55 1998
The encyclopedia of infectious diseases. Carol Turkington, Bonnie Lee Ashby. RC 112 .T87 2007
Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence . George C. Kohn, ed. RA649 .E53 1995
Human Demography and Disease . Susan Scott and Christopher J. Duncan. RA650.6 .G6 S33 1998
The passionate statistician: Florence Nightingale. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, c2008.
DVD-Limited Circulation DVD 4638
Black dawn: the next pandemic. CBC Educational Sales, c2006.
DVD-Limited Circulation, in process
Rx for survival: the heroes : a global health challenge.WGBH Boston Video, c2006.
DVD-Limited Circulation DVD 2707
Infection. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, c2005.
DVD-Limited Circulation DVD 2366
Infectious diseases: the mystery of transmission. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, c2005.
DVD-Limited Circulation DVD 2438
War against disease. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, c2004.
DVD-Limited Circulation DVD 2671
This page is maintained by Cathy Wojewodzki, Librarian, University of Delaware Library
February 16, 2009
This page is maintained by Cathy Wojewodzki, Reference Department.
Last modified:
02/17/09
