The collection consists of 400 Japanese woodblock prints on various topics relating to health and medicine. Even within that collecting focus, the subject matter ranges widely. Most of the prints are examples of Ukiyo-e, a Japanese art form that flourished from the late 17th to mid-19th centuries.

The prints focus on health-related themes: diseases such as measles and cholera, traditional Asian medicine, aspects of obstetrics and women's health, herbal medicine, nutrition, drug advertisements, and images of prominent physicians.

The interplay of health and religion is a recurring theme throughout the collection. Buddhist and Shinto deities are shown conquering diseases such as measles and smallpox, and diseases are often personified as demons. Buddhist and Confucian philosophy underlies the imagery in the prints, especially in prints depicting pregnancy or childbirth.

A large portion of the collection consists of advertisements for drugs. Many of the advertisements are Ukiyo-e scenes depicting kabuki actors, courtesans, aristocrats, deities, demons, or animals. Approximately 60 of the drug advertisements are text-only.

The opening of Japan to the West is a major theme throughout the collection; several of the prints depict Dutch traders or physicians. There are several detailed maps showing the island near Nagasaki where European visitors were segregated. Several of the drug advertisements are for "new" Dutch remedies.

The website for the UCSF Japanese Woodblock Print Collection includes an introduction to the collection, as well as essays on prominent themes, and allows users to view the prints by theme and search the collection.