![[back]](../../images/back.gif){kind=small}
Back to Government Information Sources in
Science and Technology main pageBack to Guides and Special ListsBack to Government Information main page
Compilation of Selected Acts within the Jurisdiction of the Commerce Committee. Food, Drug and Related Law. Y 4. C 73/8:[Congress no.]. Revised periodically; Library keeps latest edition only. This is a simple compilation of laws in force, with no explanatory material. Laws reprinted include the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Controlled Substances Act, the Federal Cigarette Labelling and Advertising Act, and other related legislation.
Another volume in this series of compilations is Health Law, Y 4.C 73/8:[Congress no.]. Laws reprinted in this volume include the Public Health Service Act, the Mental Health Systems Act, and other related legislation.
Atlas of U.S. Mortality. HE 20.6202:AT 6 and HE 20.6209/12:1(CD Reserve). 1996. The Library has a print and a CD copy of this Atlas. The main portion of the Atlas consists of maps showing age-adjusted death rates by Health Services Area from more than 20 causes, with separate maps for white males and females and black males and females.
Bibliography of the History of Medicine HE 20.3615:. 1964-1993. Covers articles, monographs and conference proceedings world-wide. One section contains references to biographical information on the medical histories of famous persons, medical aspects of artistic works, and biographies of those in health related professions. There is a detailed contents lists of subject headings which includes cross references. This printed index was taken over by online access through the National Library of Medicine's History of Medicine site.
Chartbook on Disability in the U.S. ED 1.2:D 63/8/996. This report from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research is divided into the following sections: Prevalence of Disabilities, Characteristics of People with Disabilities, Causes and Medical Cost of Disabilities, Disability, the Elderly, Children and Youth, and Work and Disabilities. There is also a glossary and a short bibliography.
Health Information for International Travel. HE 20.7818:991-97. The current issue of this title is available online from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website. Travelers can also find general travel-related information and alerts on the CDC's Traveler's Health website. The paper volumes we are keeping in the Library are useful ONLY as a historical record or for general information.
Health, United States. HE 20.6223: (1975,1979-92); HE 20.7042/6: (1993- ). Annual, some years have supplemental volumes. Largely consists of statistical data, with some narrative explanations and summaries. A "Statistical Abstract" for health issues and concerns, the reports cover all aspects of morbidity, mortality and health care in the U.S. The current report, and some older issues, are available online.
Access to Health Care: Children, Working Age Adults, Older Adults. HE 20.6209:10/196-198. 1997. The reports present statistics from the National Health Interview Survey. Each volume contains a narrative introduction which summarizes the survey findings, followed by statistical tables. Copies of the interview form are also included.
Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiements, Final Report.PR 42.8:R 11/H 88. 1995. This Committee reviewed experiments conducted between 1944 and 1974 with the following aims: to determine the government's role in the experiments, to determine by what ethical standards it is appropriate to judge the experiments, and to identify lessons to be learned from the study of past and present research standards and how this knowledge can be applied in the future. The main report volume is over 900 pages long, but there is a summary booklet in addition to 3 more volumes of supplementary material, which contain reproductions of some of the documents studied and references to all of them.
Better Health for Our Children: A National Strategy. HE 20.2:H 34/15/V.1-4. 1981. This is the report of the Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health. Volume one is the main report: Major Findings and Recommendations; Volume two is Analysis and Recommendations for Selected Federal Programs; Volume three is A Statistical Profile; and Volume four is a collection of Background Papers.
Healthy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. HE 20.2:H 34/5, papers. 1979. Important report urging a greater emphasis on prevention of diseases and injuries. Background papers volume includes material from participating scientists and doctors; many of these papers have extensive bibliographies.
Healthy People 2000; National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives. HE 20.2:D 63/8/. 1991-2. The main volume of this report outlines specific health goals for the Public Health Service, with background supporting information. Associated material: a summary of the report: HE 20.2:D 63/8; a volume dealing with the activties of professional organizations: HE 20.2:D 63/8/CONS.; a volume reviewing activities at the state level: HE 20.2:D 63/8/STATE; and a volume detailing actions of the Public Health Service: HE 20.2:D 63/8/SERVICE. Reviews of the initiative are available online from the National Center for Health Statistics.
National Commission on AIDS Y 3.AC 7:. This Commission issued two major reports: America Living with AIDS: Transforming Anger, Fear and Indifference into Action (1991) Y 3.AC 7:2 AM 3, and AIDS: an Expanding Tragedy (1993) Y 3.AC 7:2 AI 2, which is its final report. Both reports make recommendations supported by statistics and research. The 1991 report is more substantial in terms of content; the 1993 volume has as a useful appendix an index to all of the Commission's reports.
President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research. PR 40.8:ET 3/ . Reports include such topics as "Defining Death," ""Making Health Care Decisions," Protecting Human Subjects," and "Screening and Counseling for Genetic Conditions."
Environmental Health Perspectives, Supplements. Periodicals. Library issues for 2000-2004 only. Published irregularly. Indexed in Medline. Authoritative, original, peer-reviewed research on topics in the area of environmental human health. Supplements are monographs on topics in these areas. Issues (including older and newer ones than the Library has) are available online from the National Institutes of Health.
Health Care Financing Review. Periodicals. 1984-2004. Published quarterly. Some early volumes are in storage; consult a librarian if you need any of these issues. (Articles back to 1989 are available through several databases for the St. Mary's community only; see our Locating Journals pages.) Presents articles on a broad range of health care financing and delivery issues, aimed at increasing understanding of Medicare and Medicaid. Some issues are available online from the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Public Health Reports. Periodicals. 1969-2009. Published bi-monthly. Indexed in Medline. Provides information on government health policies and planning, research and initiatives of the Public Health Service, and on non-governmental research of importance to public health and community medicine.
Vital and Health Statistics. HE 20.6210: 1968-1993. (Earlier volumes--back to 1963--are in storage and can be retrieved with 24-hour notice; the 1993 volumes are the last to appear in printed form.) The term "Vital Statistics" means figures concerning births, deaths, and marriage/divorce. Information for years after 1993 is available on the National Center for Health Statistics web site (see below).
Vital and Health Statistics Studies Series. HE 20.6209: . These statistical reports are divided into the following series:
| Series 1 | Programs and Collection Procedures | |
| Series 2 | Data Evaluation and Methods Research | |
| Series 3 | Analytical and Epidemiological Studies | |
| Series 4 | Documents and Commission Reports | |
| Series 5 | International Vital and Health Statistics Reports | |
| Series 6 | Cognition and Survey Measurement | |
| Series 10 | Data from the National Health Interview Survey | |
| Series 11 | Data from other surveys | |
| Series 13 | Data from the National Health Care Survey | |
| Series 20 | Data on Mortality | |
| Series 21 | Data on Natality, Marriage and Divorce | |
| Series 23 | Data from the National Survey of Family Growth |
In addition there are these recurring reports pulled out of the main series and given the classification numbers indicated here:
HE 20.6209/4: . Current Estimates from the National Health Interview Surveys. 1984-96.
HE 20.6209/7: . Utilization of Short-Stay Hospitals. 1985-99.
HE 20.6209/9: . Detailed Diagnoses and Procedures for Patients Discharged from Short-Stay Hospitals. 1986-97.
The Library has CD-ROM indexes to the publications of the National Center for Health Statistics, which puts out the Vital Statistics Reports. HE 20.7042/7: . Most of the reports are also available online from the National Center for Health Statistics.
[Go to Resources in the Library]
Medline is a massive database of health-related literature (international, from 1966 to the present) maintained by the National Library of Medicine. Medline can be searched using different search engines at different sites. For academic research, the NLM's own PubMed is a good starting point. Most articles found in the database can be ordered from the organization offering the searching. Another site wherer Medline is available: Medscape, a commercial site designed primarily for information-sharing among doctors (registration required)
You can begin a search right from the main PubMed page, or click on "limits" to limit the search to year, language, etc., from the outset. To see how many articles will be retrieved by a search, click on "preview/index."
The Medline system is a complex of many different databases. One of these related databases is PubChem, which provides information on the biological activities of small molecules, including structures and technical data such as registry numbers. And even more resources are available, easily linked from the National Library of Medicine. Another site of interest is Medline Plus, with information for laypersons on all kinds of health-related issues. See more information under Nutrition and Personal Health below.
GPO Browse Topics. This listing of links to government sites is by broad subject. Their general topic relevant to Medicine is Health and Safety, with several sub-topics.
Cancer.gov. This homepage for the National Cancer Institute includes a wealth of reference material, including dictionaries of terms and drugs, as well as other information for researchers, patients, and students.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This agency conducts research into diseases and their prevention, as well as monitors diseases and other health problems worldwide. Their main page is useful for general information about the agency and for news items. Links to CDC subsidiary centers are found under "About CDC." The main sub-centers are:
Congressional Budget Office. This research organization provides several informational pages, with links to related publications of the Office, dealing with health topics from a public policy angle: Health, Medicare, SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program).
Food and Drug Administration. This agency is charged with protecting and promoting public health through regulation and education. There is a browseable index and a search capability on the main page, as well as links to FDA's major areas of responsibility: Food, Human and Animal Drugs, Cosmetics, Biologics, and Medical Devices.
Gateway to Data and Statistics. This service of the HHS Data Council (a group which coordinates government health and human services data collection) provides a search tool for finding health data, a metadirectory of resources, and shortcuts to major data systems and research literature.
Healthfinder. This site is designed for consumers and the general public. It offers links to information on a variety of health-related subjects, including wellness, nutrition, hospitals, diseases, therapies, etc. There are many different subject groupings that may be browsed, and there is a search function as well. Not all the sites linked to are from the government, but they have all been checked for reliability. There is a Spanish-language version of the site that includes many of the subjects referenced on the main page.
National Center for Biotechnology Information. This Center within the National Library of Medicine is charged with developing computerized resources for the study of molecular biology and with facilitating research in this area. Much of the material available on the Web site is highly technical (there are several databases concerned with human genome mapping, for example) but there is background and other types of information for the non-specialist as well.
National Center for Health Statistics. The data systems operated by this Center cover not only "vital" statistics (which means birth, death, marriage and divorce) but also other statistical aspects of the nation's health, including diseases, harmful substances, lifestyle issues, etc. Since 1993 is the last printed volume of the major statistical reference Vital Statistics of the U.S., you must consult later years at this site.
National Human Genome Research Institute. The NHGRI is the Institute within the NIH (see below) in charge of the Human Genome Project, an ambitious, long-term research effort aimed at mapping the entire human genome. There is a separate section of the Institute devoted to an exploration of the "Ethical, Social and Legal Implications" of the research, as well as a glossary of genetics terms and a collection of news items regarding the project.
National Institutes of Health. The NIH is one of the world's foremost biomedical research centers, and the Federal focal point for biomedical research in the U.S. There is substantial information in Spanish linked off the main page, as well as links to these and other individual Institutes:
A special page on the NIH website contains links to all of the Surgeon General's Reports. They are in PDF format and most can be viewed in one file or in easier-to-manage segments. Another useful sub-site is NIH Research Matters, which summarizes current research and provides links to press releases from all of NIH.
National Library of Medicine LOCATORPlus. Catalog of the world's largest medical library includes references to books, journals and audiovisual materials. Items with electronic equivalents may be hotlinked.
Nutrient Data Laboratory. Replaces the paper publication: Composition of Foods. Gives detailed nutritional information on hundreds of fresh and prepared food products.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA is charged with protecting the lives and health of Americans in the workplace. Their Web site may be browsed (through the "Subject Index") or searched from the main page. Content in the site includes statistics, directives, manuals and other documentation.
Reports of the Surgeon General. The National Library of Medicine makes 70 Surgeon General reports available (in PDF format) at this site. Access is by broad topic, alphabetical by title, or by date issued. There is also a search feature.
Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI). This downloadable software uses information from the Toxics Release Inventory to analyze risk factors documented in the Inventory and relate them to health issues.
Womenshealth.gov. This portal, developed by the Department of Health and Human Service's Office on Women's Health, provides links to news, statistics, and publications related to women's health issues.
The World Health Organization is part of the United Nations and their website has a great deal of information on international health and medical issues. Data is available by country and topic, and there is a special section on data and statistics that provides access to various databases.
House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor and Science and Technology.
Senate Committees on Aging, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
There is some variation among Congressional Committee Web sites as to content. But all of them will have at least some information on legislation they are currently considering. So for information of this kind, these are good sites to consult. Some Committees, however, will have more historical information available than others.
FDA Consumer. Periodicals. 1967-2007. Ten issues per year. Information for consumers about Food and Drug Administration regulations and scientific findings, and about the safe use of FDA-regulated products. The Government Printing Office has archived these issues online. In addition, St. Mary's students and faculty can access issues back to 1984 through some of our database vendors. Check our Locating Periodicals service for these links.
Food Review. A 93.16/3: . 1981-99 . Triannual. Articles on prices, safety, nutrition, consumption and marketing. Some articles are available online from the Dept. of Agriculture.
Health Information for International Travel. HE 20.7818:991-97. The current issue of this title is available online from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website. Travelers can also find general travel-related information and alerts on the CDC's Traveler's Health website. The paper volumes we are keeping in the Library are useful ONLY as a historical record or for general information.
Surgeon General's Reports on Smoking HE 20.7614, 7615:. Irregular. 1971, 1979-2001. Deals with a different topic each year, such as "Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People," and "Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation." The reports are available online from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
Go to Resources in the Library
GPO Browse Topics. This listing of links to government sites is by broad subject. In addition to their general Health and Safety page, they have a separate listing of resources for Food and Nutrition.
Medline Plus Health Information is a site connected with Medline (see above) specializing in information for laypersons. You may browse for health information by general topic (e.g., Circulation, Digestive System) or alphabetically by condition, disease or other keyword (e.g. Diabetes, Food allergies, etc.). The site provides links to research articles in Medline as well as full-text information from specialized professional organizations (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics). There are also links to medical dictionaries, encyclopedias and directories of doctors, hospitals and organizations. A sub-site of particular interest is MedlinePlus' Mental Health page.
In addition to the other general medical sites listed above, all of which have information for consumers, students and other non-scientists, these sites might be useful:
Food and Nutrition Information Center. This Department of Agriculture information center offers bibliographies, resource lists, and fact sheets on nutrition and food handling. The site is searchable.
Foodsafety.gov. This portal site provides links to government information covering all areas of food safety and describes the programs of various government agencies in the area. Particularly useful sections are FAQs and "Consumer Advice." The site is searchable and the search page includes a link to search state health department pages as well as federal.
Household Products Database. From the National Insitutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine, this database includes information on the chemical composition and potential health effects of thousands of consumer brands. Searchable and browsable by product or ingredient, information given for each item includes contact information for the manufacturer and links to information about it in the NLM system.
Nutrient Data Laboratory. This component of the Agricultural Research Service maintains the searchable Nutrient Database. Their home page offers links to other information as well, both consumer-oriented and technical, dealing with nutrition.
Nutrition.gov. This site, operated by the Department of Agriculture, is designed to serve as a portal to government nutrition information from various agencies. Note that the search function is not restricted to the Nutrition.gov site.
WHO Food Safety. A collection of information provided by the World Health Organization, a subdivision of the United Nations. Another UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization, provides this compendium of food safety research from their Food Quality and Standards Service (AGNS).
House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor and Science and Technology.
Senate Committees on Aging, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
There is some variation among Congressional Committee Web sites as to content. But all of them will have at least some information on legislation they are currently considering. So for information of this kind, these are good sites to consult. Some Committees, however, will have more historical information available than others.
Compilation of Selected Acts within the Jurisdiction of the Commerce Committee. Food, Drug and Related Law. Y 4. C 73/8:[Congress no.]. Revised periodically; Library keeps latest edition only. This is a simple compilation of laws in force, with no explanatory material. Laws reprinted include the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Controlled Substances Act, the Federal Cigarette Labelling and Advertising Act, and other related legislation.
Another volume in this series of compilations is Health Law. Y 4.C 73/8:[Congress no.]. Laws reprinted in this volume include the Public Health Service Act, the Mental Health Systems Act, the Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act, and other related legislation.
Alcohol Health and Research World. Periodicals. 1976-99. Some years are also available online through a database searchable for St. Mary's personnel only; see our Locating Journals page.
Epidemiologic Trends in Drug Abuse. HE 20.3952:EP 4/. 1990-2003. (some years in MICROFICHE) The meetings from which these proceedings are taken are held to provide "community-level public health surveillance of drug use and abuse through presentation and discussion of quantitative and qualitative research data." There is a highlights/summary volume and a proceedings volume each year. Some years, including more recent than 2003, are available online from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
FDA Consumer. Periodicals. 1967-2007. Ten issues per year. Information for consumers about Food and Drug Administration regulations and scientific findings, and about the safe use of FDA-regulated products. The Government Printing Office has archived these issues online. In addition, St. Mary's students and faculty can access issues back to 1984 through some of our database vendors. Check our Locating Periodicals service for these links.
National Institute on Drug Abuse Series (these series are no longer being published)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics Source Book. HE 20.424:4. 1998. A statistical review of issues in the following areas: Nature, extent and trends; Social costs and consequences; and Prevention, treatment and other intervention programs. There is a glossary, list of refences and index.
Go to Resources in the Library
Food and Drug Administration. Agency charged with overseeing the safety of the nation's food supply, prescription and non-prescription drugs, medical devices, and cosmetic products. Here are some particular online resources of interest from the agency:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. This funding and research agency assures that quality substance abuse and mental health services are available to the people who need them and ensures that prevention and treatment knowledge are used effectively in the general health care system. The Web site is useful for information about the agency's various programs; some of its publications are online. Treatment facility locations can be located using this Locator, on the SAMSA website.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. A component Institute of the National Institutes of Health, NIDA offers many of its reports and other informative publications online. The main page offers search and browse options.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Another NIH Institute, NIAAA provides online access to many of its publications and to the Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Science Database.
House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor and Science and Technology.
Senate Committees on Aging, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
There is some variation among Congressional Committee Web sites as to content. But all of them will have at least some information on legislation they are currently considering. So for information of this kind, these are good sites to consult. Some Committees, however, will have more historical information available than others.
A selection of links to government databases in the sciences and technology can be found on our Government Databases in Health page.
Back to Government Information Sources in
Science and Technology main page
Back to Guides and Special Lists
Back to Government Information main page