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Rare, Beautiful and Disturbing Objects from the National Library of Medicine

Buried in the National Library of Medicine’s collection of more than 17 million items are some pretty amazing, largely unseen objects from around the world. These rare and fascinating pieces range from historically significant texts to grotesque depictions of skin ailments to hilarious cartoon warnings about infectious diseases. The mesmerizing new book Hidden Treasure is filled with images of these objects that are beautiful, enlightening or disturbing, and sometimes all three. The highlights include Hitler’s medical records, detailed graphic depictions of early-20th-century surgical techniques, a Russian book of clinical dermatology from 1887, and a report from the first medical responders to enter Hiroshima after the bomb. Here are some of our favorite items from the book.

(via scientificillustration)