Cyber museums

We probably can't predict how doctors will treat people 100 years from now, but the internet gives us useful insight into how the profession has developed. Timelines are a useful way to document medical history; they give you a sense of continuity and connection of different ages and discoveries. The Wellcome Library's MedHist (http://medhist.ac.uk/timeline.html) is a rich gateway to the history of medicine that has a timeline linking major medical developments throughout historical periods.

Another interesting time map is found at www.chronology.org.uk. It chronicles state medicine and public health in the United Kingdom, starting from 1066. Mental health is one area of medicine in which change was slow but persistent. The mental health history time line (www.mdx.ac.uk/www/study/mhhtim.htm) depicts these changes from ad129 until May 2003. You can browse these websites by years or periods, and many include photos, ancient texts, and links to other history resources.

Museums traditionally detail the