Through the Years: The History of Dr. Eddie Leong Way

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Alexandra Giacomini

In the spirit of UCSF’s 150^th anniversary, a new addition to the archives has been made: the history of our very own Dr. Eddie Leong Way. The addition is very much relevant to the anniversary, as Dr. Way himself has contributed much to the school’s 150 years. In fact, he makes up many of those years, himself.

E. Leong Way and Chauncey D. Leake in Atlantic City at the first Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) meeting after WWII, April 1946.

Born in San Francisco, Dr. Way earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley before going on to obtain his PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry from UCSF’s very own School of Pharmacy. However, his involvement with the school did not simply stop at his educational background. Dr. Way worked as a professor at UCSF for years after his graduation, only retiring in 1987. His career primarily focused on the development of physical dependence and tolerance of opiates. It comes as no surprise, then, that such extensive work has contributed to creating a generally much more improved and deeper understanding of addiction.

Spending some days in the archives, I had the fascinating task of working through Dr. Way’s time and work here at UCSF, from the beginning of his career to years after its official end. As I leafed through pages and pictures, both brittle with age and sleek with freshness, I felt the pleasant weight of history at my fingertips. Some of the files dated back to as early as 1939, and some as recent as 2008.

E. Leong Way and Harry Iwamoto, UCSF School of Pharmacy Class of 1938, March 10, 1986.

All sorts of documents made their way to the archives. Several of his publications and publication listings; various correspondences with other faculty members and students; notes and slides from his own lectures; even invitations and party photos! Work and play all mingle together in the collection to form the personal history of this astounding individual. His files dictating his time and effort spent towards the betterment of the UCSF School of Pharmacy and even the world of pharmacy as a whole are now preserved in UCSF’s extensive and detailed archives, where they shall most certainly remain safe and sound.

For more information please see the library catalog record and finding aid for the Way papers.

Alex Giacomini was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is vastly interested in writing and the humanities, and is currently a communications intern in UCSF’s School of Pharmacy. Alex is a rising senior at UC Berkeley, where she is working to attain her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.

The Life and Times of a Newbie Intern

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Alexandra Giacomini

Before me there stood a great, big wall. An obstacle. A fortress. Well, metaphorically speaking, in any case. However, the five archival boxes full of various documents and files seemed as large as the tallest gate to me. Being a lowly intern, I must admit that I was a bit intimidated. After all, it was my responsibility to sort and organize all of these files.

The documents all pertained to the life and career of Dr. E (‘Eddie’) Leong Way, one of UCSF’s oldest alumni, and a great contributor to the understanding of opiate addiction and reliance. Unfortunately, their previous keepers did not properly store the files. They were in some small state of disarray, stuffed in varying folders and envelopes, stacked on top of each other, and even, in some cases, in incorrect boxes.

It was my job to remove the files from their initial place and sort them properly. I took them out of their different folders and placed them in official, archival ones, meant for preserving and protecting files more efficiently than other folders. Each folder must be labeled and numbered properly as well. After that, they are to be placed in official, archival boxes. And, lastly, I had to write up the inventories for each of the boxes.

It was a long, time-consuming task, requiring precision and a good deal of attention. Admittedly, it was a bit frustrating at times. However, that did not prevent it from being a great experience. It was fascinating to get insight into the work required in the archives. More importantly, it helped me understand the hard work others put into these tasks and others, as well as appreciate the importance of preserving and organizing the archives affectively and efficiently. If I were to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

For more information please see the library catalog record and finding aid for the Way papers.

Moving Mementos, 1930-1938

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Maggie Hughes

Take a quick 7 minute break to watch this newly digitized and previously rarely seen footage we presented at last night’s Bay Area Video Coalition’s (BAVC) program– Video Capsule: Treasures from Bay Area Archives! UCSF’s contribution was this amalgamation of clips from “moving memento” films of the 1930s. For a time the UCSF School of Medicine had a tradition of creating these dynamic mementos of each class of students of staff. The films are comprised of faculty and staff introductions and a variety of candid scenes around campus and in the hospitals.

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

Or watch the video on the Internet Archive.

Celebrating National Nurses’ Day (May 6) and National Nurses’ Week (May 6-12)

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Maggie Hughes

Happy National Nurses’ Day! Here’s a selection of a few of our favorite images of nurses from the UCSF Historic Photograph Collection. For more images, check out our Digital Collections.

Moffitt Hospital Nurses’ Station, circa 1970s

UC Nurses, World War I, Base Hospital # 30

Nurses at the 30th General Hospital, June 1943

Tuberculosis service, circa 1930s

Three UC Nurses-- Rigney, Dubois, and Catton-- in the nursery with infants an unidentified man in 1912.

Three UC Nurses– Rigney, Dubois, and Catton– in the nursery with infants an unidentified man, 1912

UCSF School Of Nursing students watching TV in the Nursing Dorm, circa 1955

UCSF School of Nursing students in the Nursing Dorm archway, circa 1950s

UCSF School of Nursing class in Toland Hall, 1941

Women’s History Month: The first female graduates of UCSF

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Maggie Hughes

March is Women’s History Month and, in keeping with the spirit, we’d like to honor a few of the trailblazing women in UCSF’s history.

Portrait of Lucy Field Wanzer

Lucy Field Wanzer became the first woman to graduate from UCSF, then officially known as the Medical Department of the University of California, in 1876. Lucy grew up in Wisconsin and cared for her mother who had tuberculosis during her childhood. This early and significant exposure to the field of medicine convinced Wanzer that she wanted to become a doctor. The family later moved to California, where Lucy fought for the right to realize her dream– her initial application to the University of California program was rejected based on gender. After a lengthy appeals process, she was accepted and the regents adopted a resolution stating that “young women offering themselves for admission and passing the required examination must be received to all the privileges of the Medical Department.”

Medical Department of the University of California, Class of 1876

At the time, a few medical schools on the East Coast had admitted and graduated female students, but none in the West. For the fifty years following Wanzer’s graduation, female students comprised approximately 10% of UCSF medical graduates in the midst of a 4% national average.

Much more has been written about Wanzer elsewhere. For more information, check out the History of UCSF website, this article by a current School of Medicine student, or this extensive paper by a UCSF School of Medicine alumnus.

Blue and Gold, 1890, page 33

The next woman to breakdown gender barriers in a UCSF school was Maria Angelina Burch who graduated from the College of Dentistry in 1883. Maria grew up in nearby Pescadero, CA. Burch passed away at the age of 27, just five years after receiving her dental degree. Her obituary, on right, published in the 1890 Blue and Gold, the annual for all of the University of California, refers to Burch as the Dental Department’s ambitious and intelligent “pioneer lady graduate.” Burch established a private practice in San Francisco in 1884 which prospered quickly. She was described as “fast climbing the hill to fame and fortune” at the time of her death.

The Graduate, 1912, page 60

Following closely on Burch’s heels was Josephine Eugenia Barbat in the College of Pharmacy class of 1884. Barbat was a native San Franciscan. University records in the 1890’s show that after graduation, Josephine became an instructor of Botany within the College of Pharmacy– no doubt one of the first women to teach the subject, as well. Not quite satisfied, Barbat went on to graduate from the College of Medicine in 1903. She’s listed in the 1904 Directory of Physicians and Surgeons as having a practice at 1310 Folsom St. The 1912 issue of The Graduate, the College of Pharmacy’s annual at the time, features a photograph of Josephine as the President of W.P.A.P.C. (the Women’s Pharmaceutical Association of the Pacific Coast).

The creation of the Training School for Nurses within the University of California in 1907 also served to up the number of women in the field of medicine. Two years later, the school produced its first graduate, Lillian Cohen, pictured below in the unique white mortarboard cap and square blue and gold pin.

Lillian Cohen, 1909

A three-year nursing degree was standard at the time in the Nursing program, and the following year the University of California graduated its first full class.

Training School for Nurses, Class of 1910

Training School for Nurses of the University of California, Class of 1910

Today, UCSF celebrates the diversity of its students, staff, and community in many different ways. In 2012, 54% of all incoming students were female. Do you have a favorite woman in UCSF history? Let us know!

Nursing students in the 1920s: Clara & Vivian Edmonston

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Maggie Hughes

Clara Edmonston and Vivian Coats met as nursing students at UCSF in the 1920s. We have small collections from both women– MSS 2011-14 Vivian Coats (Edmonston) papers and MSS 2013-9 Clara Edmonston papers. The collections are full of insights into the lives of the two women in nursing school and as working nurses in the 1920s. Much of the collections is correspondence and documentation of their work, allowing the reader to hear Clara and Vivian’s voices and get to know them a bit.

Clara Edmonston, 1924.

Vivian Coats (Edmonston), 1923.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Frances Edmonston, daughter of Vivian and niece of Clara, and she elaborated on their stories. Clara and Vivian were friends in nursing school and Clara had the idea to introduce Vivian (nee Coats) to her brother, Charles Edmonston. The match was a success– Vivian and Charles later married. Vivian finished her BS in Nursing in 1923, Clara in 1924. Vivian later went on to graduate in 1927 with a certificate in Public Health Nursing and continued to work in public health-related nursing roles in the Bay Area.

Vivian took care to save items that she felt represented her nursing career. She saved notes, newspaper clippings, official forms, correspondence, reports, and other memorabilia.

Vivian’s notes for making Poison Oak Lotion.

Vivian’s notes on the incubation period of infectious diseases.

She worked in a number of nursing capacities to help underserved populations. In 1929 Vivian was employed by the Red Cross in Willows, CA to provide Itinerant Nurse Service. Newspaper clippings collected by Vivian document the work that she accomplished and positive effect she had on the town.

In an April 30, 1929 report to the Red Cross on her work’s progress, Vivian wrote that “in the Willows Grammar School [she] examined 555 children and found 876 defects. These defects included faulty vision, carious teeth, throat abnormalities, skin eruptions, enlarged lymph nodes or glands in the necks, and those more than 10% underweight or 20% overweight.” Furthermore, she goes on to say that she “visited 19 rural schools examining a total of 392 children and found 837 abnormalities. Notice the greater number of defects in proportion to the number of children. If statistics are of any value as an indicator and guide, they surely point to the rural districts as needing prevention and correction of defects and health education.” A number of students were found to be in need of tonsillectomies and candidly she says, “I know many of the teachers will be relieved, next Fall, to see fewer mouth breathers and more nose breathers.”

Page 1 of newspaper clippings from Willows from February 16-May 1, 1929.

Vivian is very clear about the services that must be improved in the schools and the communities to have a positive impact on the health of the residents. Her recommendations include follow-up home visits, new outhouses at schools, bacteriological examination of drinking water, and updated health and anatomy curriculum in schools.

During my conversation with Frances she called my attention to the work Vivian did with vaccinations, which serves to illuminate some of the larger public issues of the early 20th century. For one position Vivian was loaned a model T Ford and hired to investigate cases of diphtheria. In the event that the presence of the disease was confirmed, Vivian had to put a quarantine sign on door of the home. Other duties included vaccinating children for diphtheria and small pox in the San Leandro area– which, it seems, were controversial among the parents. Vivian saved many of the notes from parents concerning the vaccinations.

Page 1 of a letter from a parent to the school teacher concerning vaccinations, circa 1934.

Page 2 of the letter from a parent to the school teacher concerning vaccinations, circa 1934.

A close-up of the portion of the letter discussing the diphtheria vaccination, circa 1934.

This History of Vaccines timeline provides a bit of context for Vivian’s work. Around 1922, many schools began requiring the students to be vaccinated for smallpox before they could attend. Similarly new diphtheria immunizations were introduced in the 1920s (and are credited with virtually wiping the disease out of the United States). Furthermore, it notes that in 1926 opposition to mandatory vaccinations was growing among the public. The same argument is echoing in many communities today.

Page of parents requesting that their children not be vaccinated at school, 1933-1934.

UPDATED: The Fraus’ Favorites Cookbook, 1953

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Maggie Hughes

The Fraus’ Favorites, 1953, cover

This handmade cookbook, from the University Archives collection AR 2012-22, offers a glimpse into UCSF student life 60 years ago. Compiled by the spouses of students in the School of Medicine class of 1953, it includes recipes for main dishes, salads, dressing, desserts, and “specials.” Continue reading →

Update & Alumna Spotlight: Medical Sciences Library Photograph

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Maggie Hughes

We were thrilled to find out that a UCSF alumna spotted herself in one of the photographs of the old Medical Sciences library!

Sally Alpers Arney is shown sitting at the table, third from the left, looking, I think we can all agree, extremely studious. At the time the photograph was taken, 1958, Sally was in her first year of the UCSF nursing program. She left the nursing school after that year and later graduated from the UCSF physical therapy program in 1961.

Sally Alpers, Medi-Cal yearbook, 1961

Sally was kind enough to share a few memories about UCSF, student life pre-women’s movement, and what she’s been up to for the last 50 years or so. Read on..

“My favorite memories were of having dinner with my classmates and the medical students in the cafeteria. Most, if not all, of the medical students were guys, all of the nursing classmates were “girls”. It was the olden days in the Fifties.

Continue reading →

Brought to Light

Stories from UCSF Archives & Special Collections

Tag Archives: alumni