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The institutionalization of Western medicine in Thailand, along with other fields of knowledge and practice introduced from Europe, accelerated dramatically during the reign of the progressive king Chulalongkorn (Rama V) from 1868 to 1910. The development of hospitals and medical schools on Western lines was accompanied from the outset by the need for the library as a storehouse of vital medical information. Thus, the Siriraj Medical Library (SML) of the Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University - the oldest medical library in Thailand - came into being in 1897, not long after the founding of the Royal Medical School by decree of King Rama V in 1890. Over the years, the SML has been a valuable resource for students and practitioners, even though its name, location and institutional affiliation have changed.
For example, in 1916 the Royal Medical School became the Faculty of Medicine of the country's first institution of higher learning, Chulalongkorn University. During the years 1923-1935, the Rockefeller Foundation provided assistance in upgrading the medical curriculum, buildings, academic staff and library collection, as a result of the endeavours of Prince Mahidol of Songkhla and his cousin Prince Jainat. Prince Mahidol - the father of Thailand's present king - was a medical doctor with a degree from Harvard Medical School. He is revered as the "father of modern medicine" in Thailand.
Later, in 1942, a restructuring of Thai universities resulted in the Faculty of Medicine and Siriraj Hospital merging to form a new university, the University of Medical Sciences. SML became the main university library for this institution, and its first professional librarian was appointed towards the end of the Second World War. With the subsequent growth of the University of Medical Sciences to become the multi-campus Mahidol University, SML was one information centre among others. In 1986, it became part of the newly created Mahidol University Library and Information Center, whose main facility is located at the Salaya campus west of Bangkok. However, SML remains at its long-time location next to Siriraj Hospital on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.
As the nation's oldest medical library, with the largest collection in the fields of medicine and allied health disciplines, it continues to serve the academic staff of the Faculty...