Index-catalogue of medical and veterinary zoology card catalog : index cards, 1891-1932

Index-Catalogue of Medical and Veterinary Zoology Card Files. Special Collections, USDA National Agricultural Library.

In 1891, veterinary parasitologist Albert Hassall devised a way to keep track of the scientific literature that he and his colleague, Charles Wardell Stiles, consulted in their parasitology research for the Bureau of Animal Industry. The literature in their field was published in many languages and was frequently difficult to find. Hassall took notes on index cards about the sources he found to ensure that he could readily find them for future use. To make the references as useful as possible, he created three sets of cards--one for the parasite subjects of the studies, another for the parasites' hosts, and a third for the authors. Eventually, Hassall and his colleagues built a large index of the world's published literature on human and animal parasitology. Hassall's reference work was called the Index-Catalogue of Medical and Veterinary Zoology. At first this work benefited the staff members in the Zoological Laboratory of the Bureau of Animal Industry. As parts of the Index-Catalogue were published and distributed, it became an indispensable reference tool to scientists across the U.S. and abroad. n 1922, London's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons awarded Hassall the Steele Medal for distinguished service to veterinary medicine in recognition of the valuable contribution his Index-Catalog had made to the study of veterinary science. Hassall was closely involved in developing the Index-Catalogue throughout his long career at USDA. When he retired in 1933, he continued working on it as a part-time volunteer. As the tremendous value of Hassall's Index-Catalogue became recognized by parasitologists worldwide, the Bureau of Animal Industry's Zoological Division partnered with the U.S. Public Health Service's Hygienic Laboratory to update and expand it. The two institutions shared responsibility for maintaining the Index-Catalogue from 1902 to 1936.

In 1891, USDA Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) zoologist Albert Hassall developed a system of recording references for parasitology-related resources on index cards. He created three sets of bibliographic cards comprising parasite subjects, parasite hosts, and authors. Other BAI employees continued using Hassall's system, and his cards became the nucleus of the Index-Catalogue of Medical and Veterinary Zoology. The Index-Catalogue became the world's largest resource of published literature on human and animal parasitology.

United States. Bureau of Animal Industry.