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Records of Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine IV

 Series
Identifier: CPP 14/003-02

Scope and Contents

The Records of Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine (Wood Institute) date from 1979 to 2004 and are divided into three series: Administration, Programs, and Travel grants & Fellows.

Series I: This initial series, Administration, covers the administration of the Wood Institute and spans the years 1979 to 2004. The files contained within this series consist of minutes from the Wood Institute, Library, and Museum (WILM) Committee for the years 1979 to 1980 and 2002 2004; three annual reports, all from the 1980s; files relating to the Director position search in 1990 and consultants hired for project work in the years 1990 through 1994; and various planning documents and emails. Of special interest may be the large file containing information related to the restructuring of the Wood Institute during 1992 and 1993, when job responsibilities and titles were changed.

Series II: Programs consists of files about the programs and lectures sponsored by the Wood Institute for the years 1984 through 2003. While not every year is represented, there are calendar schedules of lectures held, dating mainly from 1993 to 2003; flyers and floppy disks for the lecture series “Law and Medicine,” held during the spring of 1995; and a “Writer’s Workshop” series, held in 2003. Researchers should note that the files on floppy disks found in this collection are not able to be viewed as the Library does not have the required hardware.

Series III: Travel grants & Fellows makes up the bulk of this collection, and spans the years 1990 through 2004. Included in this series are applications for travel grants, including curriculum vitae, reference letters, and award notifications; correspondence; and information relating to the Scholar-in-Residence program (1993 through 1996).

Dates

  • 1979-2003

Creator

Biographical / Historical

The Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine (Wood Institute) was established in 1976 to promote to the scholarly community the rich historical resources of the College's historical library and the Mütter Museum. From its founding, the Wood Institute also took over printing and editorial duties of the College’s journal, Transactions and Studies, which was published in 1793 and from 1844 to 2002. As of 2019, the Wood Institute sponsors conferences, occasional seminars, and short-term travel grants to researchers who require the resources of the museum and library.

The Wood Institute was initially funded by the National Library of Medicine through a contract grant the Regional Medical Library had with the college. However, this grant was meant to financially support the Institute only for the first two years, as the Institute was to then search for alternative funding sources to continue operations. In its infancy, the Institute also received donations from other various funds and programs, including an anonymous donation. As a condition of this anonymous donation, the Institute was renamed the Francis Clark Wood Institute. The Wood Institute also received an additional donation from the National Library of Medicine to be used towards salaries during the 1979-1980 fiscal year. It was during the 1980-1981 fiscal year that the Wood Institute became self-supporting.

Ronald F. Kotrc was the first Director until his retirement in 1982, when Diana Long was hired as the new Director. In 1983, the duties of the Director were modified and multiple new positions were created. The Director had previously been in charge of the administration of the Historical Collections of the Library and the Mütter Museum but this was no longer so. The director was now responsible for only the activities of the Wood Institute and the publication of Transactions and Studies.

One of the many programs of the Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine includes the F.C. Wood Institute Short Term Fellowships that offers grants to cover travel and lodging expenses for researchers who wish to use the College's collection of texts, manuscripts, archives, images, artifacts, and specimens in the history of medicine for short-term research. Other programs sponsored by the Wood Institute include seminars, lectures, and conferences.

Extent

1.2 Linear feet (3 document boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Overview

The Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine (Wood Institute) was established in 1976 to promote to the scholarly community the rich historical resources of the College's historical library and the Mütter Museum. From its founding, the Wood Institute also took over printing and editorial duties of the College’s journal, Transactions and Studies, which was published in 1793 and from 1844 to 2002. As of 2019, the Wood Institute sponsors conferences, occasional seminars, and short-term travel grants to researchers who require the resources of the museum and library.

The Records of Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine (Wood Institute) date from 1979 to 2004 and are divided into three series: Administration, Programs, and Travel grants & Fellows.
Title
Records of Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine IV
Author
Chrissie Perella
Date
June 2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

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

Contact:
19 S. 22nd Street
Philadelphia PA 19103 United States
215-399-2001