Licensure

Introduction

State Licensure -- Pre-State Licensure

State licensure began in the late 19th century. For earlier documents, see Pre-State Licensure, below.

State Licensure

The annual reports and other publications of state physician and nurse licensing boards may offer biographical information, often including name, town of residence, date of county license, medical school, date of graduation.

Medical Licensure Background

The early development of medical licensing laws in the United States, 1875-1900, by Ronald Hamowy.

History of nurse licensure. from Governors State University in cooperation with the Library of Congress Adenture of the American Mind program

Medical education, medical colleges and the regulation of the practice of medicine in the United States and Canada, 1765-1891…, by John H. Rauch. Illinois State Board of Health. Springfield, Rokker, 1891, 222 p. | WorldCat Record | 1889; WorldCat Record | 1890; WorldCat Record

Titles of other editions vary. 
Main section is a list of descriptions of medical schools and examining boards by state, including extinct institutions
 

Examples

State of Minnesota licensed physicians and surgeons, osteopaths, chiropractors, midwives, and masseurs. St. Paul?: Minnesota State Board of Health, 1930-1980s  Annual | HathiTrust

Addresses given


Annual report of the Indiana State Board of Medical Registration and Examination. Indianapolis: Wm. B. Burford, 1897-?

Arranged by county. Includes name, town of residence, date of county license, medical school, date of graduation.

 

Finding More

To find licensing board publications in local library catalogs, WorldCat or in the general digital libraries use searches of the terms:

  • Physicians Minnesota directories
  • Physicians Illinois Registers.
  • Physicians Licenses Indiana.
  • Physicians Licensure Tennessee
  • Licensure, Medical.Iliinois
  • Medical laws and legislation Illinois

Pre-licensure

Background

For much of the 18th and 19th centuries such licensing as existed was in the hands of state and county medical societies.  Their annual reports and other publications sometimes list members, but many physicians practiced without affiliation with a medical society. See also State/Local Sources in this guide.

Examples

"Literature and institutions", by J. S. Billings. Pp. 291-366 in A century of American medicine. 1776-1876, by Edward H. Clarke et al. Philadelphia: H. C. Lea, 1876, 366 p. | HathiTrust
--Section on medical societies (344-350) includes a list of medical societies (344-346) with date of organization and date of first publication

Finding More

Find pre-licensure in library catalogs and WorldCat use these Subject terms:

  • Medicine -- Societies, etc.  often with no Directories
  • Physicians -- Massachusetts.
  • Med. Subject :Societies, Medical.
  • Physicians -- Massachusetts -- Directory.