Early MRI Scans

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Kelsi Evans

We’re currently processing the Radiologic Imaging Laboratory records, 1968-2000. The collection contains numerous images of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The images help document the lab’s achievements in MRI research and illustrate dramatic developments in the technology.

MRI head scan from a patient logbook, 1986, MSS 2002-08. The image is from a Polaroid photograph of a computer screen.

MRI head scan from a patient logbook, 1986. The image is from a Polaroid photograph of a computer screen. MSS 2002-08

MRI scan images come in several formats in the collection. These include marketing prints and slides, transparent film sheets and negatives, and Polaroid photographs. Lab researchers used Polaroid cameras to capture images on computer screens created by in-development software and hardware.

MRI head scan from a patient logbook, 1988, MSS 2002-08. The image is from a Polaroid photograph of a computer screen.

MRI head scan from a patient logbook, 1988. The image is from a Polaroid photograph of a computer screen. MSS 2002-08

Several of the laboratory notebooks in the collection contain Polaroid photographs fastened right to the page, with research notes and data surrounding them.

Laboratory notebook of Lawrence Crooks with scan images, 1983. MSS 2002-08

Laboratory notebook of Lawrence Crooks with scan images, 1983 (subject’s name redacted). MSS 2002-08

As you move chronologically through the collection, you can see the MRI scans becoming clearer and clearer as lab researchers improved the technology. You can also chart changes in the lab’s research subjects. Image subjects transition from phantom objects (containers often filled with baby oil and water) to lab animals and RIL staff and patients.

Prints prepared for a 1985 Diasonics/RIL sales meeting. MSS 2002-08

Though the images present preservation challenges, they contribute greatly to the research value of the collection. Using the scans, you can witness the lab’s growth through different phases of MRI research and development.

Recent Acquisition: Bernard Zakheim Collection

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Polina Ilieva

Ever since the Polish-born artist Bernard Zakheim painted a series of murals at UCSF in 1930s they remain the jewel of the University’s Art Collection. These murals include ten panel series in Toland Hall, “History of Medicine in California,” and two panels originally located in the Cole Hall and later moved to the Health Sciences West (HSW) lecture halls – “Modern Medicine” and “Ancient Medicine: Superstition in Medicine.” Zakheim worked with Diego Rivera in Mexico City and is best known for contributing the Library Periodical Room fresco and helping organize the New Deal art project at the Coit Tower in San Francisco. From the time of their unveiling, the archives has been compiling reference materials about these murals and now we are delighted to report that a comprehensive set of materials documenting how these frescoes were created and preserved was donated to UCSF (Bernard Zakheim collection, MSS 2014-15).

Viewing murals at Toland Hall at UCSF, left to right: F. Stanley Durie, Superintendent of UC Hospital, Dr. William E. Carter, Phyllis Wrightson, Joseph Allen, State Director of WPA Federal Art Project, Bernard Zakehim (ca. 1939)

Last year I had the privilege to meet one of the sons of the artist who also helped restore the frescoes in 1970s when the wallpaper covering them for almost two decades was removed and the two panels were relocated from the original Cole Hall to HSW.

Artist Bernard Zakheim with his son Nathan Zakheim (1967)

One of the biggest archives’ advocates, Dr. Robert Sherins (SOM, 1963) introduced me to Nathan Zakheim. Nathan, a talented art conservator based in Los Angeles, is the keeper of his father’s extensive archives and art collection. Last fall we met at his warehouse to review and pack the documents destined for UCSF.

The idea to commission murals was brought by Dr. Isabella Perry, professor of pathology after seeing the frescoes Zakheim painted at the Alemany Public Health Center and then spearheaded by Chauncey D. Leake, professor of pharmacology and medical historian. The university murals undertaking which was partially funded by the WPA Federal Art Project and also sponsored by the university was a true collaborative effort between Zakheim’s team and UCSF faculty (including renowned UCSF doctors, Chauncey D. Leake, George Lyman, Langley Porter, Salvatore P. Lucia, W. E. Carter, and F. W Lynch). The artist was provided unrestricted access to the Crummer Room containing numerous books on the history of medicine, including recently published “California’s Medical Story” by Dr. Henry Harris. Zakheim’s assistant, Phyllis Wrightson did extensive research about California medical history which becomes apparent in the sketchbook that she kept for the project. The instruments depicted by her on these pages are still preserved at the archives’ artifact collection and will be displayed as part of the 150th anniversary exhibit.

Drawings of surgical instruments from the UCSF collection for the panel devoted to Don Pedro Prat, surgeon of the Portolá expedition.

Surgeon Don Pedro Prat treats patient’s leg, James Ohio Pattie vaccinates Californians.

One of the sketches portrays fur trader James Ohio Pattie who was captured for illegal trapping in California and earned his release from Mexican imprisonment in San Diego by using the smallpox vaccine to curtail the epidemic spreading among Californians (that story based on the Pattie’s “Personal Narrative” was later proved to be inaccurate as it was measles epidemic* that occurred in Alta California at that time).

Bernard Zakheim at work, 1937

Drawing of James Ohio Pattie.

Bernard Zakheim and his team interviewed numerous faculty members who are depicted in the panel “Rational Medicine,” including Robert Stone, professor of radiology, Francis S. Smith, pediatrician and dean of the School of Medicine, Karl F. Meyer, director of the Hooper Foundation, anesthesiologist Arthur Guedel and Isabella Perry to name just a few.

Scaffoldings in the original Cole Hall (that was located at the School of Medicine building) set up while Bernard Zakheim was working on the panel “Rational Medicine.”

We are grateful to the Zakheim family and in particular to Nathan Zakheim for donating this unique collection to the University. It will be organized and described in the next few months, selected slides and documents will be digitized and uploaded to the library website.
Are you interested in viewing the murals, but unable to visit San Francisco? Please check these two video recordings from the UCSF archives:
Dr. Robert Schindler (Chair emeritus of the UCSF Department of Otolaryngology) presents a video tour of the murals painted by Bernard Zakheim in Toland Hall at UCSF, 1996: https://archive.org/details/cum_00001
Toland Hall murals tour by Dr. Chauncey Leake, 1976: https://archive.org/details/cum_000015

We would also like to bring to your attention a manuscript put together by Dr. Sherins chronicling the life story and work of Bernard Zakheim that can be accessed on the Alumni Association website.

* Valle, Rosemary K. “James Ohio Pattie and the 1827-1828 Alta California Measles Epidemic.” California Historical Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Spring, 1973), pp. 28-36, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25157415.

Exploring the Archives for 150: UCSF Black Caucus

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Kelsi Evans

In preparation for UCSF’s 150^th anniversary celebration exhibits, we’ve been doing a bit of exploring in the vaults. For the next several months, I’ll be posting some of the treasures we’ve discovered!

In honor of Black History Month, we’re highlighting the UCSF Black Caucus, 1968-1982. The Black Caucus was formed at UCSF in May 1968, a month after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. As stated in the organization’s bylaws, the caucus was “a forum open to all black men and women on campus. Here they may openly express themselves regarding matters of race as they affect life on the campus and the community.”

Flyer for a Black Caucus event commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr., 1981. MSS 85-38, box 2, folder 45

The caucus engaged in a variety of civil rights initiatives and social justice projects. Members fought to increase minority student admissions, supported custodial and technical staff in labor disputes, and campaigned for more diverse hiring at all levels of the university. They shared personal stories, event updates, and project achievements in a newsletter named the Black Bulletin.

June 1971 edition of the Black Bulletin, created by the Black Caucus. MSS 85-38, box 2, folder 41b

Draft of the cover of the June 1971 edition of the Black Bulletin, created by members of the Black Caucus. MSS 85-38, box 2, folder 41b

Notable UCSF figures helped found and lead the Black Caucus. For instance, UCSF Medal winner Joanne Lewis served as one of the organization’s first chairpersons and organized the publication of the Black Bulletin. Lewis became the first Affirmative Action Coordinator at UCSF and was later named Assistant Vice Chancellor for Capital Projects and Facilities Management. Lewis mentored students throughout her career and advocated for the advancement of women of color at UCSF.

Joanne Lewis

Black Caucus efforts supported a legacy of public service and community involvement at the university. For example, following the death of civil rights activist and UCSF pharmacology professor Dr. Thomas Burbridge in 1972, the caucus proposed that one of the Chancellor’s Public Service Awards be named in his honor. Chancellor Philip Lee approved the proposal and today the Burbridge Award recognizes university individuals whose activities promote social justice and enable equal access to education and employment.

A memorial to Dr. Thomas Burbridge on the back cover of the October 1972 edition of the Black Bulletin, created by members of the Black Caucus. MSS 85-38, carton 1, folder 41a

The passion and dedication of Black Caucus members helped shape UCSF’s commitment to diversity and equal opportunity. To learn more about the organization, register to see the Black Caucus records, MSS 85-38. You can also check out the papers of Dr. Thomas Burbridge, MSS 79-4.

Archival Outlook

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Maggie Hughes

Have you seen the November/December 2014 issue of Archival Outlook?

Archival Outlook, November/December 2014

The cover photo comes from our Photograph Collection! Remember when we told you about our new Twitter account, @ucsf_archives, and how we’d be participating in #AskAnArchivist Day last October? Well, the photo on the cover is one that we tweeted out in response to a question about our favorite collection items and it caught the eye of the folks over at the Society of American Archivists.

Posing with cadavers was commonplace in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dissecting medical school cadavers was an intimate rite of passage for students. Such photographs weren’t viewed as inappropriate or offensive, as they most certainly would be today, but more as a kind of memorial to the experience. For more information on the ritual, check out Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine 1880-1930.

Notice the writing on the blackboard says “University of California Medical Center, Jan-7-96.” It was taken at the Toland Medical Building on Stockton Street in San Francisco, pictured below, in 1896.

Toland Medical Building, 1882-1885

The first-ever #AsAnArchivist Day was a great success, garnering over 2,000 participants who contributed more than 6,000 tweets. We had a lot of fun participating with curious patrons and other institutions. Follow us on twitter if you aren’t already and feel free to ask a question anytime!

Archival Outlook is published six times a year by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) which serves the education and information needs of its members and provides leadership to help ensure the identification, preservation, and use of the nation’s historical record.

UCSF Clock Tower

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Maggie Hughes

Millberry Union Clock Tower as it looks today.

Millberry Union Clock Tower, 2014

Have you ever noticed the large transparent clock on the exterior of Millberry Union? It looks like this:

I walk past it often without giving it a second thought, but the clock tower has quite an interesting history.

Often referred to now as the “Founders’ Clock,” it is also known as the “Toland Clock Tower” and “Seth Thomas Clock.” You may also have seen photographs of the Old Medical School building from time to time, with a large clock atop the center of the building– the same clock as Millberry’s clock.

One of our rotating banner images here on Brought to Light depicts the old Medical Building, including the Seth Thomas Clock, through the lens of well-known photographer Ansel Adams. It’s a slice of this photograph:

Ansel Adams, Clock Tower of old Affiliated Colleges building, with new structures in fog, August 1964

The above building was the College of Medicine, and the first building to have been erected on the Parnassus campus in 1897. Seth Thomas was a well-known clockmaker in Connecticut in the early and mid 19th century. The clock was brought to San Francisco via ship that traveled around Cape Horn, South America to be a crown jewel in the Affiliated Colleges campus. The image, taken in 1964, shows the old College of Medicine building surrounded by the more modern campus buildings of today in the background and on the left. When the old College of Medicine building was torn down in 1967, a group of “friends of the clock”, led by Alison Saunders, MD and assisted by Meyer Schindler, MD ’38, formed to ensure it’s safekeeping until it could be moved to a new location on campus. “We have salvaged the granite pillars and blocks as well as the clock from the old building that was a landmark on Parnassus Heights . . . ,” Dr. Alison Saunders declared in 1969 as chair of the UCSF Campus Court Development Commission.

The process to find the famous clock a new home took 14 years. Finally, in 1982 the inner-workings of the clock were reinstalled on Millberry Union, 500 Parnassus Ave, where it lives today.

Founders Clock, Millberry Union, circa 1982

Next time you’re walking around the Parnassus campus, take a closer look at the historic clock. It is a work of art worthy of our attention.

The inscription reads: “Carried by ship around Cape Horn, this Seth Thomas Clock was installed on the Medical School of the Affiliated Colleges in 1897. Surviving the 1906 earthquake, it served the University and community for 70 years. Members of the UCSF family have made possible its restoration as a campus landmark.”

Check out this article that details the historical inspiration for a new clock, “Saunder’s Clock,” in the Mission Hall courtyard of the UCSF Mission Bay campus.

Exploring the Archives for 150: Dr. Mary Olney’s Summer Camp for Children with Diabetes

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Kelsi Evans

In 1938, UCSF pediatrician Mary B. Olney founded the first wilderness camp in California for children with diabetes. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Dr. Olney believed that diabetic children could live active, healthy lives through proper disease management. Dr. Olney, known as “Doc” to her young patients, provided a fun, supportive space and encouraged campers to take control of their health. Bearskin Meadow Camp is still active today thanks in large part to the tradition of care and empowerment fostered by Olney.

Dr. Mary Olney on a hike, ca. 1940. MSS 98-64, box 1, folder 6

Dr. Olney graduated from UCSF in 1932. She completed her training in pediatrics at San Francisco General Hospital and was later appointed Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF. At the time of her death in 1993, Olney had served the UCSF community for over fifty years.

A postcard filled in by Dr. Mary Olney while at camp Bearskin Meadow. It is addressed to her father, 1961. MSS 98-64

A camp postcard filled in by Dr. Mary Olney while at Bearskin Meadow. It is addressed to her father, 1961. MSS 98-64, box 1, folder 27

Olney’s first group of campers attended a two-week session at Los Posados in Napa County. The camp eventually developed into Bearskin Meadow, a permanent campsite located near Kings Canyon National Park. The camp welcomed boys and girls and provided coeducational activities. Diabetes management instruction focused on diet, exercise, and proper insulin administration.

Dr. Mary Olney teaching nutritional information to campers. MSS 98-64

Dr. Mary Olney teaching a nutrition class for campers. MSS 98-64, box 1, folder 6

Camp staff performing urinalysis. Photograph with original caption, perhaps from a deconstructed scrapbook. MSS 98-64

Camp staff performing urinalyses. Photograph with original caption, perhaps from a deconstructed scrapbook. MSS 98-64, box 2, folder 45

Olney and the counselors, many of whom were medical students, taught a holistic system of care that campers could take home with them.

Camp staff and counselors, ca. 1941. MSS 98-64, box 1, folder 34

Alongside nutrition classes and medication instruction, campers took nature hikes, learned to swim, played sports, and sang campfire songs. As Olney later noted in a 1988 interview in the UCSF Alumni Faculty Association Bulletin, this physically robust approach to diabetes management differed dramatically from older systems. Olney remembered that when campers first arrived, they often “didn’t know they could do hiking because the old way of treating diabetes was to let the child go from school to home and sit in a chair until suppertime and then go to bed.”

Camp announcement noting the different activities and a typical camp day, 1962. MSS 98-64

Camp announcement noting the different activities of a typical camp day, 1962. MSS 98-64, box 2, folder 77

UCSF continues to honor and support Olney’s work through the Mary B. Olney MD / KAK Chair in Pediatric Diabetes and Clinical Research. In the archives, we house the Mary B. Olney papers, MSS 98-64. The collection includes camp photographs, correspondence, meal plans, and publicity and fundraising material. It also contains records relating to the Diabetic Youth Foundation, an organization created by Olney and her longtime partner Dr. Ellen Simpson to help administer the camp and other services.

The cover image of Bear Facts, vol 11, no. 6, a publication created by campers and counselors at Bearskin Meadow. The Mary B. Olney collection includes numerous issues of Bear Facts.

The cover image of Bear Facts, vol II, no. 6, a publication created by campers and counselors at Bearskin Meadow Camp. The Mary B. Olney collection includes numerous different issues of Bear Facts. MSS 98-64, box addition 3, folder 4

To view more items from the Mary B. Olney papers, visit our digital collections!

Lecture now online: Shimkin’s “Lost Colony” (1947-1953)

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Maggie Hughes

The lecture Shimkin’s “Lost Colony” (1947-1953): Early Interdisciplinary Cancer Research at UCSF presented by Michael Thaler, MD, MA last month on October 13th is now available online free via the Internet Archive.

[iframe src=”https://archive.org/embed/ShimkinsLostColony1947-1953EarlyInterdisciplinaryCancerResearchAtUCSF” width=”640″ height=”480″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen=”true” mozallowfullscreen=”true” allowfullscreen]

(It seems that Polina’s microphone wasn’t turned on; just be patient, the sound is fine for Dr. Thaler’s presentation.)

The Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO) was the brain child of Michael B. Shimkin, a career U.S. Public Health Service physician and cancer research at the National Cancer Institute. LEO was established in 1947 at Laguna Honda Hospital at Laguna Honda Hospital, jointly administered by the NCI and UCSF. Speaker Michael Thaler, MD, MA explains how Shimkin created one of the first combined interdisciplinary clinical and basic science research units embedded in a medical school. In this setting, Shimkin introduced the patient release form and was instrumental in the establishment of universal guidelines for the ethical conduct of experiments with human subjects.

Dr. Thaler spoke as part of our ongoing UCSF Archives & Special Collections Lecture Series which serves to introduce a wider community to our holdings, provide an opportunity for researchers to discuss how they use this material, and celebrate clinicians, scientists, and health care professionals who have donated their papers to the archives.

Next, we will welcome Mark Honigsbaum, PhD to discuss Karl F. Meyer: California’s Forgotten Microbe Hunter on Friday, December 5th at noon in the Library’s Lange Room. Please join us!

Thanksgiving recipes from Doctor’s Wives Association

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Polina Ilieva

The holidays are almost here… Are you still searching for a perfect recipe to amaze your guests and share with the family? Look no further! “Kitchen Consultations,” a cookbook which was put together in 1950 by the University of California Doctor’s Wives Association – a group of “health-minded, vitamin conscious women who used these recipes in their own homes.” This organization traces its origins to 1917 when its first members met and adopted the name “Ladies of the Medical Faculty of UC.” In 1925 the name was changed to “Doctors’ Wives Association of U.C.,” but the goals remained the same – working for the benefit of the hospital and especially pediatric wards. Later the major fundraising efforts were directed to Dr. Mary Olney’s Diabetic Youth Camp as well as amenities for patients, loan fund for students and the Founder’s Clock restoration.

“Kitchen Consultations,” a cookbook compiled in 1950 by the University of California Doctor’s Wives Association

The exquisite artwork in the book was done by Ralph Sweet, professor of Medical Arts and Illustrations at UCSF Medical School.

Here is a selection of recipes for a four course dinner…

Golden Gate Soup recipe by Mrs. Seymour Farber

Stuffed Meat Rolls by Mrs. Ralph Sweet

Corn Bread Turkey Dressing by Mrs. Donald Smith

String-Bean Casserole by Mrs. Clark Johnson

Pecan Pie recipe by Mrs. Thomas Fullenlove

Happy Thanksgiving and best wishes from the UCSF Archives team!

“Kitchen Consultations” cookbook is part of the Faculty Wives, University of California, San Francisco Records, 1948-87 and can be consulted in the archives reading room.

Through the Eyes of an Intern

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Maggie Hughes

Hi everyone, my name is Armani Fontanilla and I am an undergraduate student at the University of San Francisco interning at the UCSF Archives & Special Collections.

At the archives, I am currently tasked with the processing of small box collections, or the creation of box level inventories and the digitizing, and creation of, metadata for the archives that have yet to be placed into the virtual catalog. Other projects that I am potentially tasked with are research for the upcoming 150^th Anniversary of UCSF on the level of researching stories, scanning images, and looking for documents, as well as helping with the vast inventory of the Medical Artifacts collection.

It’s restricted for a reason. We can’t reveal why. All you need to know is Maggie has the really cool “restricted” stamp. It’s actually really cool.

And wow is our inventory big… Get it? Because the texts are big?

Even though the potential projects are only potential projects, my senior co-workers, Maggie and Kelsi have both taught me a lot in the projects that I am currently working on. For example, Kelsi has taught me about her work with the Medical Artifacts collection: How the UCSF catalogs have changed from one form to another, and that cross-referencing catalogs with each new edition that has come through the library archives since 1864, one also has to decipher the writings and annotations of previous archivists, as well as come up with new ways to reorganize the collections in our possession.

Maggie, on the other hand, has taught me how to do the projects that I am currently doing, as opposed to the potential projects that Kelsi lets me shadow every so often. She has taught me proper labeling procedure, and storage techniques, as well as projects that mirror the one that Kelsi is currently doing, which would be creating catalogs for documents in storage.

Cataloging kind of like this, but more modern.

Finally, the first project (that I am still working on when I’m not being taught by Maggie or Kelsi, is the creation of a digital inventory of UCSF affiliates and members. Fortunately, most of the physical inventory is in English, and it is all on-site. Unfortunately, the physical inventory itself is not backed up – folders that are not archival standard need to be replaced, labels need to be printed out because of the inconsistent handwriting of previous archivists (and this intern’s), and more files need to be created for the ever expanding role of UCSF affiliated persons who are recognized in the news worldwide – from China, to America, to Brazil, to the Philippines, UCSF’s impact on the world is growing. And my first, and current job, is to help sort the files so that we can keep track of them for people to use and peruse in the future.

Before this data can hit the internet, I need make sure they’re all in order.

Within these jumbled folders, however, lie treasures that I am so excited to find. While often the files just contain one or two articles, some contain as many as ten plus! And these articles are often varied – they come in the form of obituaries, photocopied documents, magazine clippings, newspaper articles, biographies, and more! But instead of letting me describe them, let me show you some examples.

A button with 1989 Nobel Prize Winners Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus.

Brown, Leatha. School of Nursing, Class of 1928.

Holt A. Cheng, 1904. He was the first Chinese to be licensed to practice medicine in California after graduating from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in San Francisco. After returning to China, he established the Guang Hua Medical Society, the first medical college of western medicine established by the Chinese, for the Chinese, and the first medical school to accept female applicants.

And finally, the UCSF archives are not only home to just Western schools of thought in medicine, but include Eastern Thought as well. On site and in a state-of-the art archival room, various Eastern texts in Chinese and Japanese are stored, either purchased by the Head Archivist, donated to UCSF, or willed by their owners.

Chinese medical texts in the archival room.

Japanese medical texts.

Armani Fontanilla

Armani is currently a senior majoring in History with an emphasis on European and Asian Studies in the University of San Francisco (USF) public history program. After he graduates, he hopes to be able to earn a teaching position at his old high school, Bellarmine College Preparatory, and eventually pursue a Masters. In choosing the UCSF archives through the USF internship program, he hopes to not only practice skills that can only be found through working at an established institution but to also enhance his ability to do archival work and explore history of Western medicine at the archives.

UCSF Archives Lecture: Karl F. Meyer, California’s Forgotten Microbe Hunter, December 5, 2014

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Polina Ilieva

Join us on Friday, December 5th as Mark Honigsbaum, PhD, gives a lecture in a series launched by UCSF Archives & Special Collections.

Date: Friday, December 5th, 2014
Time: 12 pm-1:20 pm
Location: Lange Room, UCSF Library, 530 Parnassus, 5th floor
This lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments provided.
Please RSVP to reserve a seat.

In the 1930s California’s rapid population growth and the incursion of agricultural settlers into valleys and deserts teeming with exotic pathogens resulted in outbreaks of ‘new’ infectious diseases. To divine the cause of these outbreaks and trace the epidemics to their source, health officials turned to San Francisco’s premier ‘microbe hunter,’ Karl Friedrich Meyer.

Karl F. Meyer in his office.

All but forgotten today, Meyer was once a nationwide figure renowned for his feats of disease detection. As director of the George Williams Hooper Foundation for Medical Research at UCSF in the 1920s, Meyer – a Swiss-born veterinarian and bacteriologist – spearheaded investigations into botulism, mussel poisoning, and brucellosis. By the 1930s he focused increasingly on parasitic diseases of birds and other animals.

These included ‘parrot fever,’ a deadly disease caused by a bacterium in parakeet droppings, and ‘staggers’ (equine encephalitis), a viral disease of horses spread by mosquitoes that bred in irrigation ditches. Most famously, they also included outbreaks of ‘sylvatic’ plague along the California-Oregon border – outbreaks that Meyer traced to migrations of squirrels and other flea-infested rodents. What linked these outbreaks is that, one way or another, they were all ‘man-made’ – the result of human interference with animal ecologies.

Drawing on Meyer’s papers at the UCSF and Bancroft libraries, this talk reviews Meyer’s feats of microbial detection and his pioneering investigations of disease ecology. Dr. Honigsbaum views Meyer as an important bridge figure in mid-20th century medical research who sought to link microbial behavior to broader environmental and social factors that impact host-pathogen interactions and the mechanisms of disease control.

Mark Honigsbaum

Mark Honigsbaum, PhD, is a medical historian and journalist with wide-ranging interests encompassing health, science, technology and contemporary culture. A specialist in the history of epidemics and pandemics, he is the author of four books, including The Fever Trail: In Search of the Cure for Malaria and A History of the Great Influenza Pandemics: Death, Panic, and Hysteria, 1830-1920. He is currently working on a history disease ecology as a Wellcome Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London.

About the UCSF Archives & Special Collections Lecture Series 
UCSF Archives & Special Collections launched this lecture series to introduce a wider community to treasures and collections from its holdings, to provide an opportunity for researchers to discuss how they use this material, and to celebrate clinicians, scientists, and health care professionals who donated their papers to the archives.

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Category Archives: History