Guides: Image Resources: Image Links

The following list of resources contain images that are in the public domain or are under Creative Commons licenses that permit free use.

Check the copyright information for the image on the website. Even if images are free to use, they must still be attributed. Many times the site will include attribution information that can be copied and pasted under the image

Photo by V. Sapazhnikova, K. Sokolov, R. Richards-Kortum,

National Cancer Institute \ M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; Rice University

General Image Sources

Internet Archive Images
This library contains digital images uploaded by Archive users which range from maps to astronomical imagery to photographs of artwork. Many of these images are available for free download.
Wellcome Collection - Images
One of the world's richest and most unique collections, with themes ranging from medical and social history to contemporary healthcare and biomedical science. Images are Creative Commons licensed.
Wikimedia Commons
Searchable database of media files with public domain and freely-licensed educational content.

Medical Images

AccessMedicine This link opens in a new window
AccessMedicine provides access to various titles from the best minds in medicine, updated content, images and illustrations, interactive self-assessment, case files, and diagnostic tools.
AnatomyTV This link opens in a new window
Anatomy TV is an online model of the human anatomy . It is an award-winning, internet-based solution interactive online learning tool used for patient, practitioner and student education. Derived from real human data, Anatomy.tv provides over 5,000 3D anatomical structures, clinical slides, dissections, animations and much more. To supplement the core three-dimensional anatomy data, are clinical videos and text written by some of the world’s leading medical specialists.

Hardin MD
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa. Portal of medical images. Contains a "free to copy pictures" link for images that are not copyright protected.
Health Education Assets Library (HEAL) Collection
Housed at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Digital Library, contains over 22,000 freely available digital materials for health sciences education. Specific collections in HEAL include neuroscience, hematology, histology, and dermatology, among other subjects.
Images from the History of Medicine (NLM)
Over 44,000 images in the Public domain. Can filter / refine image results by copyright status.
MedPix (NLM)
Contributed content may be © copyrighted by the original author/contributor, and is used with their consent and permission. Personal use and use for local teaching at your institution is permitted. For anything other than personal use, you should respect the original contributor and contact them for additional permission requests.
NCI Visuals Online
From the collection of the National Cancer Institute. Images are labelled either for re-use or permission required. Collection includes biomedical, science, and patient-care related illustrations and images.
NIH Image Gallery (National Institutes of Health)
Contains images from the collections of the 27 Institutes and Centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health.NIH images are available for use in the public domain. If you would like to use an image, please credit the National Institutes of Health
Open-i (Open Access Biomedical Image Search Engine)
Search 5 collections including PubMed Central and MedPix. Can limit search by License Type.
Public Health Image Library (CDC)
Offers a searchable database of photos, illustrations, and videos. Most of the images in the collection are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. If you look directly beneath the image you will see a fair use statement that tells you if the image is public domain or copyright protected.

Scientific & Medical ART Imagebase (SMART Imagebase) This link opens in a new window
The Scientific & Medical ART (SMART) Imagebase is a collection of 20,000+ high quality illustrations and animations depicting anatomy, physiology, surgery, diseases, conditions, trauma, embryology, histology, and other health science topics.

SMART Imagebase users may download images for educational, non-commercial use in lectures, presentations, slide shows, web sites and more. Common types of visual presentations include PowerPoint™ shows, handouts, poster sessions, and interactive Flash animations.