I just posted some information on Medline via Internet and on Grateful Med to
bionet.software. After that, I called up the Grateful Med BBS (800-525-5756)
which can conveniently be accessed via modem from within Grateful Med, and
looked around there. One of their Bulletins (#35) provides additional
information on MEDLARS and Grateful Med. Here it is.
Jochen Kleinschmidt
NYU Medical Center
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Information for Obtaining Grateful Med and a MEDLARS User ID Code.
If you have signed into this BBS and you are not a user of Grateful Med,
Welcome! Here is some information you should know about Grateful Med and
the MEDLARS system.
MEDLARS:
MEDLARS is the MEDical Literature and Retrieval System, an online information
service of the National Library of Medicine. This system contains mainly
bibliographic (references to articles and books) medical information on over
20 different databases, including MEDLINE. Also included in MEDLARS are PDQ,
the Physicians Data Query, from the National Cancer Institute, and TOXNET, a
system of toxicological databanks.
Anyone is eligible for a User ID Code and Password to use the MEDLARS system.
All you have to do is fill out an application and send it to:
MEDLARS Management Section
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20895
To obtain an application, you have several options:
1. Send a message to "MMS" on this BBS using the Mail commands;
2. Write to the above address;
3. Call MMS at 800-638-8480;
4. Download a copy of the applications, found in file APPLIC.REG found in
the Files section of this BBS.
Users receive $40.00 of connect time free with their new User ID Code.
Costs for the system are approximately $24.00 per hour prime time, $17.00
per hour non-prime.
NOTE TO STUDENTS:
NLM has a special application for students, including residents, that offers
discounted rates. If you write or call, be sure to identify yourself as a
student. The student application can also be downloaded. It is found in the
file APPLIC.STU. Students do not receive the $40.00 of free time.
NOTE TO CANADIANS:
Canadian users must obtain a User ID and Password from the Canadian Institute
for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), the MEDLARS center in
Canada. Their address is:
CISTI
Health Sciences Resource Centre
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0S2
613-993-1604
GRATEFUL MED:
Grateful Med is a PC-based, menu-driven interface for the MEDLARS system. It
allows users to search MEDLARS databases without having to learn the MEDLARS
searching or printing commands. Since the search is created on the user's PC,
Grateful Med also reduces search costs by minimizing the amount of time
connected to the NLM computer.
Here is a quick summary of how GRATEFUL MED works:
- It helps the user formulate a search strategy using an Input
Form screen. Users can select from MeSH, the controlled vocabulary
use in most MEDLARS databases.
- Grateful Med then calls up the NLM computer, runs the search, and
downloads the results.
- It then signs off the NLM computer, and displays the results of the
search. Users can then print the citations or write them to a file.
After the results have been reviewed, Grateful Med will suggest
additional MeSH terms to use if appropriate.
Grateful Med also includes many additional features, such as direct access to
all MEDLARS databases, including PDQ and TOXNET, access to this BBS, and a
unique utility known as the Search Engine, which allows system developers and
everyday users to utilize Grateful Med's searching powers directly from DOS.
Grateful Med requires an IBM PC or compatible (hard disk recommended) with
at least 384K RAM available, (512K recommended) and a Hayes or 100% Hayes
compatible modem.
Grateful Med is also available for the Apple Macintosh. It requires 512K
RAM (1Mb recommended), a Hayes or 100% Hayes compatible modem, and System
4.1 or higher.
The cost for either version of Grateful Med is $29.95, plus $3.00 for
handling per order.
You must order Grateful Med directly from the National Technical
Information Service (NTIS). Canadian users also must order through NTIS.
The IBM-PC version has this order number: PB86-158482/GBB.
The Macintosh version has this order number: PB89-196083/GBB.
Their address is:
NTIS
U.S. Department of Commerce
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
703/487-4650
Phone orders are accepted, and you can use American Express, Visa or
MasterCard. Purchase orders or billing will cost an additional $7.50.
You must have a MEDLARS User ID Code to use GRATEFUL MED. If you already
have a Code, it is not necessary to obtain a new one.
