Context/Background/Biography

Companion encyclopedia of the history of medicine, ed. by W.F. Bynum and Roy Porter. London; NY: Routledge, 1993. 2 v.
HOLLIS record
Internet Archive full Text: Vol. 1  --  vol. 2

Companion to medicine in the twentieth century, ed. by Roger Cooter and John Pickstone. London; NY: Routledge, 2003, 756 p.
HOLLIS record
--Articles, with references, especially on social, institutional, political, and policy aspects of medicine.

Medical research: a midcentury survey. Boston, Published for the American Foundation by Little, Brown, 1955, 2 v.
HOLLIS Record
--A valuable overview of medical research circa 1940-1955. The first volume covers i9nsitutional and policy aspects, the second summarizes the state of research on cancer, infertility, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, rheumatic syndromes, tuberculosis, viruses, alcoholism, and schizophrenia.

The Oxford companion to medicine, ed. by John Walton et al. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 1986, 2 v.
HOLLIS Record 
Online version (3rd ed. 2001)
--Articles on more clinical aspects of medicine.

The Oxford Companion to the body, ed. by Colin Blakemore and Sheila Jennett et al. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 2001, 753 p.
HOLLIS record

Encyclopedia of bioethics, ed. by Stephen G. Post. 3rd ed. NY: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 5 v.
HOLLIS Record

Bibliographies

Look for specialized subject bibliographies in the HOLLIS Catalog: Search <Euthanasia [Keyword search] and bibliography [Subject Keyword search]> on Expanded Search screen.

Medical books for the layperson : an annotated bibliography, by Marilyn McLean Philbrook. Boston: Boston Public Library, 1976, 113 p.
HOLLIS Record

Supplement to medical books for the layperson: an annotated bibliography, by Marilyn McLean Philbrook. Boston: Boston Public Library, 1978, 46 p.
--Includes books from mid-1975 through 1977.
HOLLIS Record

Popular medical books written by physicians, 1940-1952; an annotated bibliography. Washington, United States. Veterans Administration. Medical and General Reference Library, 1952, 33 p.
HOLLIS Record

In HOLLIS try, for example:

Subject: "breast cancer" OR "breast neoplasms"
AND
Subject: therapeutics OR treatment OR care OR therapy

Limit to, say, 1960s.

Or:

"breast cancer" OR "breast neoplasms"
AND
"popular works" OR "social aspects"

OR

Subject: Heart
AND
Subject exact phrase:  ​health and hygiene

OR

Subject: Medicine
AND
Subject: popular OR "self care"

Limited to 1950-1959

PubMed is the major source for medical articles back to around 1947. In PubMed:

MeSH Terms: "breast neoplasms"
AND
MeSH Terms: therapeutics OR treatment OR therapy OR surgery

--In the column on the left of your results list, under Publication dates, you can limit by Custom date range.  Or use the graph on the right.
--In the column on the left of your results list, under Article Types, choose Review and get reviews of the literature rather than more specialized papers presenting original results

Medical research: a midcentury survey. Boston, Published for the American Foundation by Little, Brown, 1955, 2 v. HOLLIS Record
--A valuable overview of medical research circa 1940-1955. The first volume covers institutional and policy aspects, the second summarizes the state of research on cancer, infertility, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, rheumatic syndromes, tuberculosis, viruses, alcoholism, and schizophrenia.

These digital collections of advice books include many works of popular medicine.

In HOLLIS, search:

       Or, do Starts with/Browse (in top band), adjust menu to Subject: Nineteen fifties

American decades 11 volumes. Covers, decade by decade, 1900-2009  HOLLIS Record
--Internet Archive Full Text:1900-1909  --  1910-1919  --  1920-1929  --  1930-1939  --  1940-1949  --  1950-1959  --  1960-1969  --   1970-1979  --  1980-1989

Encyclopedia of life writing: autobiographical and biographical forms, ed. by Margaretta Jolly. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001. 2 v.
Subjects: Biography as a literary form
v. 1. A-K -- v. 2. L-Z
HOLLIS Record
Internet Archive Full Text (Vol. 2 only)