Duke Medical Center Archives Blog Category: Collection Spotlight

This is the second blog post in a four part series about the Department of Neurosurgery Records and issues archivists confront when accessioning collections. Select the following links to see Part 1, Part 3, and … MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

This is the first blog post in a four part series about Duke’s Department of Neurosurgery and issues archivists confront when accessioning collections. Select the following links to see Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

This summer, this Archives acquired materials from the Department of Neurosurgery, which was first formed as a division under the Department of Surgery in 1937. Prior to the creation of the Neurosurgery division, Dr. Deryl Hart and Dr. Clarence E. Gardner Jr. conducted neurosurgical procedures as part of general surgery. Division Chairs… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Medical Center Archives is happy to announce that the Justine Strand de Oliveira Papers are processed and available for research. Interested researchers should contact the Medical Center Archivist before use. The collection is organized into the following series: Correspondence, 1973-2010; Clippings, 1988-2014; Physician Assistant Profession, 1986-2006; Professional Papers, 1979-1981, 1996-2014. The papers contain an academic stole, certificates, correspondence, newsletters, programs, notes, clippings, a calendar, agendas, business cards, faxes, legal statutes, membership lists,… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Medical Center Archives is happy to announce that the Ralph Snyderman (Personal) Papers are processed and open for research. The materials in this collection document Snyderman’s professional career at both Duke and Genentech and include manuscript materials, research notes and articles, committee and working group files, presentations and related correspondence, and items from Snyderman’s professional organizations just to name a few. Materials range in date from 1899 to 2006.

Researchers will find the materials organized into the following series: Writings and… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are featuring Women in Duke Medicine: An oral history exhibit, our online exhibit containing of oral history interviews with many pioneering women at Duke Medicine. The digital exhibit includes brief biographies, sound clips, photos, and interview transcripts of women from multiple fields at Duke Medicine. 

Many of these women were pioneers or in some way “firsts” in their respective disciplines, so each has a unique historical perspective. The exhibit chronicles both the stories of individual women in addition to providing a deeper look into the context in which those stories took place. Oral history, the primary method of… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight, News

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are featuring Women in Duke Medicine: An oral history exhibit, our online exhibit containing of oral history interviews with many pioneering women at Duke Medicine. The digital exhibit includes brief biographies, sound clips, photos, and interview transcripts of women from multiple fields at Duke Medicine. 

Many of these women were pioneers or in some way “firsts” in their respective disciplines, so each has a unique historical perspective. The exhibit chronicles both the stories of individual women in addition to providing a deeper look into the context in which those stories took place. Oral history, the primary method of… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight, News

The Archives is happy to announce that the Elbert L. Persons Papers, 1923-1970, are processed and open to researchers. The collection is organized into the following series: Personal Papers, 1951-1969; Correspondence, 1946-1970; Duke Medicine, 1931-1970; Professional Papers, 1923-1970; United States Armed Forces, 1934-1970; American College of Physicians (ACP), 1943-1970; Diets, circa 1940-1949; and Audiovisual, 1964, undated. The papers contain professional and personal correspondence, grant materials, records pertaining to Persons’ time with the 65th General Hospital, Duke Medicine, and the ACP, as well as, administrative records, guides, brochures, programs, schedules, information on Duke Medicine’s Annual… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

This summer, during a seemingly innocuous project to add more description to our finding aids, an intern pulled a box from the Arthur A. Morris Papers, a Duke alumni who helped found the Neurosurgical Society of America, and was confronted with one of the worst four letter words in archives: mold. This fungus grows on the surface of its host and feeds on living organisms and dead organic matter. Once these fungal spores are present, along with sufficient moisture and nutrients, they will germinate. Elevated temperatures, poor air circulation, dim or no light, and accumulated dirt all accelerate the growth of mold. Without the presence of moisture, mold spores will lie dormant. After inspecting the Morris Papers… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

This summer, the Archives received an addition to the Department of Arts & Health at Duke Records collection that individuals familiar with the Morris Clinic Building at Duke South will recognize: the Gathering in the Stories installation. It was curated by Linda Belans and the Health Arts Network at Duke (HAND) with photographs by Jim Lee and Leah Sobsey. This exhibit, installed from 2006 to 2016, displayed 12 large portraits of … MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

This is the third blog post in a three part series about Dr. Jay M. Arena. (To see the previous posts click here for Part 1here for Part 2

As an archivist, you never know what is inside the next box until you take the top off and take a peek inside. Sometimes you see exactly what you expect, but there are times you discover something completely unexpected, which is what happened when we processed the Jay M. Arena Papers and one box revealed copious correspondence between Esther (Eppie) Lederer, more commonly known by her pen name… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

This is the second blog post in a three part series about Dr. Jay M. Arena. (To see the previous post, click here.)

In 1974, Duke Professor of Pediatrics, Jay M. Arena, traveled to the People’s Republic of China as part of the American Medical Association (AMA) delegation. As a pediatrician, Arena’s interest lay in the health and nutritional status of children in China.

During the trip, Arena met with local Chinese medical delegations and toured hospitals, medical schools, and clinics, paying special attention to children’s wards and pediatric care. The photograph above shows Arena (second row,
second from right) with AMA delegates and hospital staff at the Capital Hospital in Peking. Arena took numerous… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

This is the first blog post in a three part series about Dr. Jay M. Arena, a preeminent physician in the field of pediatrics and toxicology. During his career, Arena published approximately 300 articles and pamphlets on poisoning and a variety of pediatric subjects, as well as authoring, coauthoring, and editing numerous books on child safety and poisoning. In addition to writing, Arena also served on the editorial board of numerous publications, was appointed to and served with various government agencies, and served as an advisor on the Committee on Safety for Children and the United States Project Safety Commission. As an advisory expert on the Accidents and Poison Panel of the International Pediatric Association, Arena frequently gave expert witness testimony in cases of accidental… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Archives recently began processing the Albert R. Behnke Collection. Captain Albert R. Behnke was a physician with the US Navy from 1929-1959. He is best known for developing the US Naval Medical Research Institute and for his research and work with compressed air to treat decompression sickness. He continued his work and research after retiring from the Navy as a professor of preventive medicine at the University of California and Director of the Institute of Applied Biology, Presbyterian Medical Center, San Francisco, California. Behnke is also one of the cofounders of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS). This collection is closely related to the C.J. Lambertsen Papers as another source of… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

The Archives recently acquired new additions to the Robert L. Blake Papers. Blake was a medical artist in the Division of Medical Illustration (later named Division of Audiovisual Education) at Duke from 1943-1983. His long career is surpassed only by the lasting impact of his artistic contributions to the University and Medical Center. This recent accession expands upon our already extensive collection of Blake’s artwork.

This accession (pictured on the right) contains two scrapbooks, slides, prints, publications and other papers documenting Blake’s professional career at Duke. One scrapbook features photos of division staff between 1943 and 1983. The image of Bob Blake below is from this scrapbook. The other scrapbook features copies of… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight

This Friday the School of Nursing hosts its annual Reunion Weekend for alumni. Each year the Archives has a display during this event with items showcasing the history of nursing at Duke. We invite you to get a close-up look at some of our artifacts, such as a vintage nursing uniform and publications, and a timeline complete with historic images. Since we have more material than we can display, here is a look at some of what we have available for research.

One of the best parts about the School of Nursing Records collection is that it contains a wide variety of media. We have everything from artifacts and photographs to paper and textiles. Among the most interesting of these items are the scrapbooks compiled by nursing students. These… MORE

Category: Collection Spotlight