Medical Images Resource Guide
These websites are a sample of the online resources available that provide medical images you may need for publishing, presentations, creating patient education materials, or teaching classes. Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement of products, services, or content.
Be sure to check copyright statements on each website. They will not only describe how materials can be legally used, but also how to acknowledge the source.
These are image collections that are free for educational use. Please carefully read the copyright notices and disclaimers before use - some sites have detailed instructions and conditions on the use of the images.
- Arthur's Medical Clipart: "This clipart has been scanned from old books, papers etc. It is suitable for Doctors, Nurses, University Students in fact anyone in the medical fields. It is especially useful for scholars doing subjects such as Biology. The clipart is of a large format suitable for presentations and projects."
- BioMed Search: By Alex Ksikes, BioMed Search indexes over 1 million images from biomedical articles. Included are image captions with citations.
- Catalog of Clinical Images: "A web-based collection of physical examination findings."
- CDC: Diabetes Clip Art: These images were part of the CDC guidebook "Take Charge of Your Diabetes."
- CDC: Public Health Image Library: Public Health Image Library (PHIL) is an extensive collection of still images, image sets, and multimedia files related to public health. Most images are in public domain and free of restrictions, however some are copyright protected.
- Derm Atlas: This Website was designed by doctors at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for educational use by clinicians, parents, and patients. There are international contributors from 71 countries. You can search by 107 categories, 1442 diagnoses, and 111 body sites.
- HEAL: Health Education Assets Library: HEAL is a digital collection of educational materials for the health sciences. "The Health Education Assets Library (HEAL) is a digital library that provides freely accessible digital teaching resources of the highest quality that meet the needs of today's health sciences educators and learners."
- HONmedia: "HONmedia is an unique repository of over 6,800 medical images and videos, pertaining to 1,700 topics and themes. This database has been created manually by HON and new image links are constantly being added from the world-wide Web. Should you wish to use any picture or animation you see during the search process, please contact directly the owner of the material to obtain appropriate permission."
- The Human Brain Atlas: " In this atlas you can view MRI sections through a living human brain as well as corresponding sections stained for cell bodies or for nerve fibers...Comparing MRI images with stained sections from approximately the same level can greatly increase understanding of the internal architecture of these brains."
- images.MD VCU: Online encyclopedia of over 50,000 medical images. Search and save images in a personalized account or locally for use in lectures and presentations.
- National Eye Institute: Photos, Images & Video: "Items here are not copyrighted. However, credit as follows: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (except where indicated otherwise)."
- RedAtlas.org: "The 'Recognizing Eye Disease' or 'Red' Atlas website is a free, electronic atlas of eye disorders designed to help Ophthalmologists and Optometrists-in-training learn to identify eye diseases through pattern recognition."
- USP Pictograms: USP Pictograms are standardized graphic images that help convey medication instructions, precautions, and/or warnings to patients and consumers. Pictograms are particularly helpful in passing on important information to patients with a lower level reading ability and patients for whom English is a second language. USP offers 81 pictograms in .gif or .eps format. You can download the entire pictogram library after accepting USP Pictograms' license agreement.
- Visible Body: "Argosy's Visible Body is the most comprehensive human anatomy visualization tool available today. This entirely Web-delivered application offers an unparalleled understanding of human anatomy. The Visible Body includes 3D models of over 1,700 anatomical structures, including all major organs and systems of the human body."
The following links are some of the fee-based resources available online. Carefully read copyright statements and disclaimers, as they differ from company to company. Some of the agreements are very restrictive.
- ClipArt.com: Largest subscription based royalty-free graphics website. Thousands of illustrations.
- LifeART: LifeART is one of the largest medical images producers. There are two basic collections: LifeART created by medical illustrators specializing in computer artwork and MediClip, which are compiled from print publications, featuring detailed images from renowned medical illustrators. All images are beautifully drawn and detailed for use in slides, presentations, patient education materials, newsletters and brochures.
- Medical Imagery: Comprehensive Medical Arts Service: Medical Imagery provides an on-line catalog of images that can be used as stock art.
- Mediscan Medical Image Library:
"Mediscan is a photographic agency specialising in medical, health,
scientific and natural history images. Mediscan licenses media for
a wide range of uses, such as magazine and book publications, websites
and TV productions. Our archives consists of over 1 million images
and in excess of 2,000 hours of broadcast quality film footage.
As we represent additional collections this figure is always growing."
- Netter Medical Images and Illustrations: Netter Medical Images and Illustrations contains thousands of illustrations covering all areas of medicine and health science, including basic science, diseases, disorders and treatments.
- Nucleus Medical Art: Nucleus Medical Art, Inc. is a full-service creative studio specializing in developing and licensing medical illustrations, medical animations, interactive media and other communications tools for the healthcare market. The company maintains a proprietary database of more than 15,000 highly detailed, expert reviewed medical illustrations and animations.