PURPOSE: To execute the storage of a medical image (daily image) generated on a day, the retrieval and reading of a prescribed past image relating to the daily image and the transmission of the read past image and the daily image to an image work station to be a requesting source only by one operation in a medical image managing device for converting a picture generated from an image generator into a common image format, storing the converted image in an external storage device, retrieving a required image by an image retrieving device, reading out the retrieved image from the external storage device, and transferring the read image to the image work station to be the retrieval requesting image.

CONSTITUTION: The medical image managing device is provided with an image retrieval/transfer control means 31 for retrieving a past image having contents coincident with ID specifying a subject and its photographing portion and included in a previously determined range by an image retrieving device 10 based upon image information having at least an image requesting source, the ID for specifying the subject and the photographed portion which are annexed to a daily image, reading out the retrieved past picture from an external storage device 9 and transferring the read image to the work station to be the requesting source together with the daily image.