The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is the professional body for physicians, with 40,000 members and fellows across the globe.

The RCP heritage library preserves the institution’s historical book collections. The RCP has had a library since its foundation in 1518, but most of the original book collections were destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666. Since then the library has grown, incorporating a wide range of subjects not restricted to medical works. This reflects the collecting habits of earlier RCP fellows and the need to provide the broad educational base considered suitable for physicians.

The rare books and special collections are displayed in public exhibitions and can be viewed in person by making a research appointment with the library. The whole library can be searched in the online catalogue, and a selection of these books are available in the Internet Archive.

This collection contains historical books held in the RCP heritage library. As products of their time periods, some contain images and language which are inappropriate and offensive. The RCP preserves these books for research, and acknowledges that they do not all represent the RCP's commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Some of the language used to describe the items is inappropriate and offensive.

The RCP heritage library is currently undertaking an ongoing project to review the terms used in descriptions. It welcomes the input of everyone who uses our resources. If you wish to raise concerns about any descriptions, please email: history@rcp.ac.uk.