WHSLA Member Kellee Selden recently came across this article from the BBC about medlars, a forgotten fruit that was also used for medicinal purposes back in the day. [It looks like a giant rose hip ... among other things. Check out the article to find out some of it's other not-so-affectionate names.]
Although it has an interesting history in it's own right and appears to be attempting a comeback, the term medlars got me thinking about the original Medline -- the one before PubMed. Back when I was in Library School, and working in a hospital library, I had the opportunity to go to Chicago to take a multi-day in-person training by NLM on searching Medlars, so--yes-- I am old enough to have some experience with it. PubMed only began in 1997 ...
And I started to wonder if the original MEDLARS might have been named after this strange fruit?
So I did a little digging and found this article:
The development of the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLARS).
Dee CR.J Med Libr Assoc. 2007 Oct;95(4):416-25. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.95.4.416.PMID: 17971889 Free PMC article.
Turns out MEDLARS stands for Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System. Aside from creating a sense of awe for the incredible profession I am a part of and how it helped to usher in the dawn of computers, there was no mention of rotten fruit in this abbreviated history of MEDLARS, but still, it makes me wonder if someone coined the acronym with a cheeky (Pun intended!) sense of humor?
Food for thought ... Or not! ;-)
Michele, I was one of the very last cohorts to be trained in MEDLARS searching - at what was then the RML in Chicago. This was in the early summer of 1992. So your post makes me feel super old -- thanks!
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