Library of Karl-Sudhoff-Institut
The collection contains selected books from the former library of the Karl-Sudhoff-Institut of Leipzig University, which also includes the original personal library of the medical historian Karl Sudhoff (1853–1938). The digital collection includes prints from the 16th to the 20th century.
The library of the Karl-Sudhoff-Institut is part of the Leipzig University Library. Karl Sudhoff (1853–1938) was a physician and the most prominent medical historian of his time. In 1905, he was appointed as an Extraordinary Professor for Medical History at Leipzig University and on April 1, 1906, he founded the world’s first medical history institute, which has borne his name since 1938. He built the institute library from 1906 onwards, into which his personal library was also included after his death. The library was largely a specialist library for the history of medicine and natural sciences, as well as the history of science in general.
Notable are extensive acquisitions on his preferred research areas, such as Paracelsus, the history of anatomy, and the history of syphilis. A part of the valuable library was lost after being evacuated during World War II, and its current location has not been determined.
The Leipzig University Library has digitized around 500 copies from the 15th to the 20th century from the institute library – titles that have not yet been digitized by other libraries.