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Second, 1965

 File — Container: 25, Folder: 5

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The collection consists of eleven series. The bulk of the correspondence comprises letters of both professional and personal natures from 1925 to 1984. A substantial portion of the collection consists of Spiegels' research files pertaining to stereographic procedures, Parkinsons' disease, and other areas of neurological investigation. The research files contain correspondence, reports, experimental data summaries, and bibliographic materials collected during Spiegel's tenure at Temple and later at the National Parkinson Foundation in Miami.

Series I: Biographical Information spans the years 1895 to 1985 and contains biographical sketches, vitae, lists of publications, photographs, and summative articles about Spiegel prepared by his medical colleagues for various commemorative occasions. Some items of interest include the typescript list of Spiegel’s publications and the introductory biographical essay by Henry T. Wycis.

Series II: Family Papers, spanning 1893 to 1985, consists of correspondence and ephemera concerning Spiegel’s parents, Dr. Ignaz Spiegel and Elise Fuchs Spiegel, and the family’s life in Austria up through Ernest’s marriage to Simona (Mona) Adolf in 1925 and the couples’ subsequent immigration to the United States in the late 1920s. Most of these materials are in German.

Series III: General Correspondence supplies a chronological account of Spiegel’s career from 1925 to 1984 as a medical assistant in Austria and a researcher and teacher in the United States. The letters are not extensive and there exist many gaps in the years represented. Most letters concern Spiegel’s research and publishing activities, as well as those of other neurologists. Some letters are of a more personal nature and include messages from family members and colleagues in Europe and the States which discuss matters such as health, travel, and reminiscences.

Series IV: Research Files make up the majority of the collection and cover the years from approximately 1930 to 1982. The files are organized into broad topics that represent major areas of Spiegel’s work. Each sub-series contains a variety of materials including correspondence, research data, drafts of articles, reprints, photographs, pamphlets, and reports. Topics represented include stereoencephalotomy, Parkinson’s disease and L-Dopa, pain, the labyrinth, and patient case records. Please be aware that access to the patient case records found in boxes 11, 12, and 12A is restricted.

Researchers should be aware that Spiegel’s early research during the 1930 to 1935 is not wellrepresented. Material regarding Spiegel’s work in developing stereoencephalotomy is represented in Box 4 and illustrates his role in developing the stereotactic technique, his collaboration with neurosurgeon Henry T. Wycis, and his attempts to implement and evaluate new applications for this method. Files concerning Spiegel’s research on Parkinson’s disease is particularly rich and includes drafts of articles, research data, and correspondence concerning Spiegel’s work on L-Dopa. Patient case records include correspondence with referring physicians, case histories, records of medical examinations and diagnostic tests, and evaluations of treatments used.

Series V: Monographs contains material dating from 1932 to 1982 that pertain to several of Spiegel’s longer research monographs. The files also contain an outline and correspondence regarding the volume “Experimental Pathophysiology of the Nervous System,” which Spiegel edited. The bulk of the materials concern Spiegel’s last book, Guided Brain Operations, published by S. Karger in 1982. These files include copy-edited typescripts, page proofs, and illustrations.

Series V also holds approximately 40 lantern slides which are thought to relate to Spiegel’s work on the vestibular and labyrinth.

Series VI: Financial Records documents the Spiegels’ financial picture from 1936 to 1980. Correspondence represents routine exchanges between the Spiegels and insurance brokers, bankers, and real estate agents who managed their rental properties. Also included are receipts, tax statements, and bills for professional expenses such as laboratory materials. Finally, there are receipts documenting the Spiegels’ contributions to charitable organizations and Jewish charities.

Series VII: Publications is a collection of printed materials of works by Ernest Spiegel and Mona Spiegel-Adolf as well as a core library of offprints on topics in which Spiegel was particularly interested. A substantial number of these pieces are signed by the authors and some bear handwritten personal greeting.

Series VIII: International Society for Research in Stereoencephalotomy and Other Professional Organizations is a small but significant lot of material which constitutes an archives for the International Society for Research in Stereoencephalotomy (ISRIS). Spiegel helped found the organization in 1961 and was its first president. Temple colleague Henry T. Wycis served as secretary0treasurere; both Spiegel and Wycis participated in the founding of an American branch of ISRIS. It consists largely of correspondence concerning the choice of topics and speakers for the upcoming symposia, arrangements for the symposia, and the publication of conference proceedings. Series VII also contains a few programs, directories, and membership lists from the American Encephalographic Society, American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, and the International Society for Electrosleep and Electroanaesthesia.

Series IX: Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry, 1959 to 1970, contains Spiegel’s files for the latter part of his editorship of this annual review volume which he founded in 1946. The bulk of the material is correspondence from 1964 to 1974 consisting of about 200 items, most of them brief exchanges with authors of the reviews featured in the sections of the journal. Of note is a series of letters between Spiegel and his publisher, Grune & Stratton, Inc., Of New York, addressing the financial pressures involved in producing this journal for both Spiegel Grune.

Series X: Confinia Neurologica spans from 1962 to 1974 and contains Spiegel’s editorial files for this journal, which he established in 1938 at the suggestion of Dr. Heinz Karger in Basel, Switzerland, at the headquarters of the S. Karger publishing firm. Information about the first twenty years of the journal could not be obtained. The records in this collection include Spiegel’s editorial queries of a substantive nature. The correspondence refer to submissions, the activities of the International Society for Research in Stereoencephalotomy during the 1960s, and to the American branch of the organization founded at the end of the 1960s. The files also include a run of exchanges with publisher Thomas Karger concerning financial and editorial matters.

Series XI: Personal Memorabilia includes a variety of materials, such as appointment books, awards, plaques, and personal copies of religious works. The materials in this series date from the 1920s to 1968.

Dates

  • 1965

Conditions Governing Access

The patient records held in Series IV: Research files (boxes 11 and 12) may be restricted because they contain PHI (protected health information). While the Library is not a covered entity under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and therefore not subject to its regulations, the Library's policy reflects the principles of HIPAA’s Privacy Rule.

Under certain conditions, the Library may authorize access to archival and manuscript materials that contain health information of individuals. Access will be granted to qualified persons doing historical and other research, using statistical or quantitative methods, or methods ensuring that no individual shall be able to be identified from the results of the research.

For more information, please see the full policy regarding PHI at https://collegeofphysicians.org/library/policies.

If you wish to access these materials, please contact the Librarian or Archivist of the College.

Extent

From the Collection: 17 Linear feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Repository

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