In the ever-changing world of medicine, the rich legacy of osteopathic medicine serves as both a foundation and guide for modern practice. As PCOM concludes the celebration of its 125th anniversary, members of the PCOM Library discuss how preserving osteopathic medicine’s history is about documenting the progress, challenges, and advancements that continue to shape whole-person care today.
“One way to understand the present is to understand the past,” said Heidi Nance, MLIS, director for resource management and PA library. “Medicine is not static—it evolves continuously. Today’s medical practices will be tomorrow’s history.”
Preserving osteopathic medicine’s history not only fosters appreciation for its distinct philosophy but also helps future physicians and practitioners understand the resilience and innovation that have shaped the profession.
Mitzi Sorrells, MLS, cataloger and special collections librarian, emphasized the importance of preserving osteopathic medicine’s unique legacy, highlighting its significant contributions to the broader medical field. “By documenting the challenges, innovations, and principles that have shaped the profession, we ensure they are not lost,” she said.
Preserving the history of medical education requires a commitment to safeguarding firsthand accounts, visual records, and institutional memories.
“The most critical materials are primary sources. Diaries, letters, and oral histories offer invaluable firsthand perspectives,” said Nance. “Commonplace books and recipe books, particularly in pharmacology, reveal past medical formulations. Historical textbooks allow us to track the evolution of medical thought, while photographs and medical illustrations capture unique moments in medical practice.” On PCOM’s Digital Commons, posters and information from Research Days can be found digitally archived dating back to 2011.
Sorrells also highlighted the value of alumni contributions to PCOM’s historical records.
“We have oral histories from alumni dating back to the 1920s, preserved in our Digital Commons. These firsthand accounts provide an incredible look into medical education over the decades. Yearbooks, magazines, and institutional publications further document the evolution of the field.”
Understanding how past knowledge shapes present practice is crucial. “Medical knowledge is constantly evolving,” said Nance. “For example, comparing editions of Gray’s Anatomy over the years shows how our understanding of smallpox has shifted. Historical records remind us that medicine is not infallible; it’s a constant process of learning, adaptation, and intellectual humility.”
As archives have evolved with technology, the transition from physical to digital photography has notably impacted the way PCOM preserves its visual history.
“When I started working at PCOM there were at least four darkrooms on campus and it took hours to process prints and slides; boxes and file cabinets of photography took up a lot of space,” said Bruce Fairfield, photographer and archivist at PCOM. “Today, I can have all of the born-digital photographs I’ve generated since 2002 fit on one 5TB drive and can access the photos in seconds.”
Digital archiving has transformed accessibility, making a vast collection of materials available to a global audience. “Instead of requiring physical visits to an archive, researchers worldwide can now access historical documents with a few clicks,” said Sorrells. “PCOM’s Digital Commons is open-source, meaning anyone can explore our collections.”
Digital preservation also ensures the longevity of fragile materials. “Paper has a long memory, but it also degrades,” said Nance. “Digitizing materials safeguards them from deterioration. Additionally, compliance with accessibility regulations ensures that historical materials can be used with screen readers and adaptive technologies, making them more inclusive.”
However, transitioning from traditional archiving to digital preservation is not without challenges.
“Scanning something isn’t enough—it’s not true digital preservation," said Nance. “Proper preservation involves, among other things, provenance research, metadata tracking, and format migrations to prevent obsolescence.”
Obsolete formats, in particular, pose significant hurdles. “We worked to digitize rare film materials, and in one case, we worked with a vendor who specializes in obsolete formats and waited several months as they acquired the proper equipment–just to read a tape!” said Nance. “Preservation requires time, expertise, and funding.”
As medical archives grow, technology continues to play an expanding role in preservation efforts.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) can synthesize research data, transcribe handwritten texts, and enhance search functions,” said Nance. “For instance, Scopus AI, an intuitive, generative search tool, helps researchers uncover connections they might not have had time to explore manually. AI-generated transcripts are also speeding up the digitization of film materials.”
Sorrells highlighted AI’s potential to make research more efficient. “AI can identify objects in historical medical images, transcribe handwritten notes, and improve search functionality within digital archives,” she said. “These advancements help us process and analyze large volumes of historical data much faster than before.”
By preserving past research, medical biases, and evolving treatments, archivists ensure that future medical professionals have a robust foundation upon which to build. Digital archiving has expanded access, and new technologies are revolutionizing how we interact with historical materials.
“Everything in medicine builds on what came before it,” said Sorrells. “By preserving history, we ensure that the legacy of osteopathic medicine continues to inspire, educate, and evolve.”
For the past 125 years, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
Kristen Hopf
Communications Content Specialist
Email: kristenho1@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6303
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