Informational works

Elements area

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Code

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/genreForms/gf2014026113

Scope note(s)

  • Works whose main purpose is to record and convey factual information.

Source note(s)

  • Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Display note(s)

    Equivalent terms

    Informational works

      Associated terms

      Informational works

        263 Archival description results for Informational works

        US AA005 · Collection · 1881-1923

        This collection contains the private practice records of Dr. Arpad G. C. Gerster. They span almost his entire career as a surgeon in New York City, from 1881-1923. These records are contained in three bound volumes and five boxes. The patient cards were received in three wooden boxes.
        The volumes, which were personalized for Dr. Gerster, contain chronological patient records from January 1, 1881 to July 24, 1906. Each patient record has pre-printed slots for the following information: date, age, name and dwelling, business and nativity, diagnosis, treatment, and remarks. Dr. Gerster completed these categories. However, he often had little or nothing to say under 'remarks' and sometimes did not include 'age.' 'Business' was included less often in later years. Presumably, comments under 'treatment' were not completed when not necessary.
        The first volume is entirely in German (except for Latin diagnoses). Some of the early entries in the second volume are in English, and by 1892 they are primarily in English. In the front of each volume is an alphabetical index to patients' case records. The last entry in the third volume is on July 24, 1906.
        There is a three year gap between the bound volumes of patient records and the first case in the file boxes, which commences on July 26, 1909. Here, cases numbered from 1 - 442 were recorded on pre-printed cards. Some additional questions are included on these cards. These include: civil state, family history, personal history, previous diseases, date of operation, operator, assistant, anesthetist, anaesthetic, amount and examination of urine (chart to be filled in). On the reverse side are pre-printed anatomical drawings for further notations. These forms were clearly meant for use with patients expecting a surgical procedure. However, these cards were often not completed as many patients did not require surgery. Beginning with case number 444 (January 1911) Dr. Gerster ran out of the pre-printed forms and used plain paper to record his patient information. These records reflect the same information as that on the preprinted cards, however they are more difficult to read.
        The patient records reflect a private practice of the time. Although Dr. Gerster functioned as a general physician, his practice revealed a bias towards surgically treatable patients. At this time, it would have been difficult to have an exclusively surgical practice because there would not have been enough business to support it. However, because of Dr. Gerster's abilities and prominence, he came as close as possible to having such a practice. Over the span of the records, the types of cases did not show any significant shift in character. The cases have a great deal of variety. Included among the many diagnoses were rheumatoid arthritis, alcoholic hepatitis, acute nephritis, chronic gastritis, double cleft palate, eczema, inguinal hernia, syphilis, vulva cutis, pulmonary tuberculosis, arteriosclerosis, uterine hemorrhage, and many others.
        There are a variety of inserts and attachments found throughout the patient records. These include sketches by Dr. Gerster illustrating ailments and abnormalities of patients; correspondence from physicians introducing patients (a number of these are from out of state and many are not in English); pathology lab reports from both the German Hospital and Mount Sinai regarding excised tissue; correspondence from patients; and two radiographic images. (These images are located in: Case Book Number 3, April 17, 1901, and Card File Box 1, in front of Case 104.)
        Private patient records such as these are probably uncommon in hospital archives since they do not directly relate to hospital practice. These records are especially interesting because they occur during a period when surgery became safer and more common and when the rise and dominance of surgery as a method of treatment was seen. Additionally, they are of interest because they are the records of Dr. Gerster, an influential and prominent surgeon during his time.
        Dr. Gerster's notes end with case number 3670 on February 23, 1923. The patient records continue to October 27, 1923. An unidentified physician apparently took over Gerster's practice shortly before his (Gerster's) death on March 11, 1923.

        Gerster, Arpad G. (Arpad Geyza), 1848-1923
        US AA007 · Collection · 1888-1928

        This small collection, (inclusive dates: 1888-1928), is comprised primarily of eight folders of reprints of Abbe's published articles on a variety of medical case studies, and a number of reprint articles about Abbe by others (1 folder). The remaining twelve folders include: an address by Abbe to soldiers leaving for World War I from Maine; a 70th birthday dinner menu, and a bound volume of transcriptions of congratulatory letters on the same occasion; out-going letters to nephew Hubert Howson and niece Helen Louise Howson, Robert Abbe MacKenzie, a distant relative and namesake, and Carrie Bath, the St. Luke's Director of Nursing, recommending two Bar Harbor, Maine women for the program; an article on his donation of artifacts of prominent medical figures to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia; several small drawings and doggerel ("comic verse composed in irregular rhythm") by Abbe; recollections of him by Robert Abbe MacKenzie; a memorial book of quotes from Abbe's writings; and a few photographs including formal portraits of Abbe, and prints of images he made of his family in Maine, taken from Lumiere autochrome plates, as well as the original autochrome plates. Note that the photographs have been removed from the collection and added to the Mount Sinai Archives Photograph Collection, and need to be requested separately for viewing.

        Abbe, Robert, 1851-1928
        John H. Garlock, MD papers
        US AA013 · Collection · 1915-1967

        This small collection spans the career of Dr. Garlock: from medical school material, to ambulance duty logs from his internship at New York Hospital, photographs and some case reports on plastic surgery patients, private practice patient records, Operative Clinic presentations he made as Chief of Surgical Service at Mount Sinai, to the book on surgery of the alimentary tract that was published after his death.
        While the range is wide, the records still only provide a surface picture of the man. The detailed notes and sometimes colorful drawings that Dr. Garlock created in medical school speak to his attention to detail. The early volumes are labeled "John Harry Garlock." He also noted a change of address on the notebooks from 346 W. 56th Street to 180 Claremont Avenue. This move happened during his medical school years.
        His surgical acumen and style are brought out in the patient files and transcripts of the surgical clinics. The latter also give a glimpse into early plastic surgery at New York Hospital and The Mount Sinai Hospital. It was Dr. Garlock who helped establish plastic surgery as a surgical specialty here. The clinics were ended in January of 1943 for the duration of the War because there was a problem obtaining a sufficient number of orderlies.
        Also instructive for insights into Dr. Garlock are the correspondence files, one with colleagues (Box 1, f.6) and the other with patients (Box 2, f.6). The ambulance log books in Box 1 show Dr. Garlock's keen eye for his surroundings and provide wonderful details on the people he treated and the treatments of the day.
        Of note, too, is a series of letters Dr. William Hitzig wrote on behalf of Dr. Garlock when the latter was planning a trip to India. Dr. Hitzig had many connections there and wrote letters of introduction for the Garlocks. There is also a series of letters regarding a controversy between Drs. Sigmund Mage and Richard Lewisohn. (Box 1, f.9)
        The patient records found here are only a portion of the files maintained by Dr. Garlock at his office. At his death, the records were divided among Dr. Garlock's junior colleagues. Many of those included here are the records of ileostomy and colostomy patients that were taken by Dr. Albert S. Lyons.
        This collection contains some photographs, many of which are large and mounted. Thirteen posed publicity photos of unknown musicians and dancers were removed and sent to the Lincoln Center Archives for inclusion in their collections.

        Garlock, John H.
        US AA039 · Collection · 1937-1979

        This collection consists primarily of correspondence, documents, photographs and memorabilia dating from Esther Winkler Shapiro’s service as a U.S. Army nurse on the Pacific front during the Second World War, with a smaller assortment of material dating from her time as a nursing student at The Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing. Memorabilia include a World War II Army Nurse Corps uniform and cap, a Japanese flag, and Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing caps. The collection include a shipboard newsletter from the U.S.S. Repose and a hospital newspaper from Thomas M. England General Hospital, locations where Shapiro served.

        Shapiro, Esther Winkler
        US AA045 · Collection · 1942-1945

        The files in this collection primarily cover The Mount Sinai Hospital's doctors and nurses stationed at the 3rd General Hospital. Details about Mount Sinai clinicians and staff in active duty stationed at other locations during World War II are found in the publication Grand Rounds: Memos from Mount Sinai Men to their Fellows in the Services. The records cover the time period from 1942 through 1945.

        A prominent item in this collection is Ralph Moloshok's unpublished historical account. The manuscript provides a detailed chronicle of Dr. Moloshok's experiences in basic training at Camp Rucker, and his active duty at the 3rd General Hospital in North Africa. The document is approximately 400 pages long. The first 118 pages are written as a journal, with entries appearing almost daily. These entries provide in-depth descriptions of the weeks spent in basic training at Camp Rucker. The second portion of the manuscript details the move to Casablanca, and finally the order to begin duty at the 3rd General Hospital in Tunisia.

        The value of this manuscript is not just in its detailed descriptions of people, living conditions and medical military life, it also includes affixed original documents outlining the officers' schedules and basic training routines, anecdotes, illustrations (with no identifiable artist attribution), and photographs from Camp Rucker, Casablanca, Italy and France.

        With so much of Mount Sinai's attention and resources turned toward the war effort, the Hospital moved to address the growing interest in information about the men and women in service at the 3rd General Hospital, as well as those assigned to other units in the war. Two members of Mount Sinai's administration, Sol Weiner Ginsburg, MD and Bella Trachtenberg responded by collecting, printing, binding and distributing the letters written by doctors in the war. These quarterly editions, called Grand Rounds: Memos from Mount Sinai Men to their Fellows in the Services, became wildly popular at home and among the soldiers serving abroad and within the United States. The compilation contains World War II letters and letter excerpts from September 1943 through October 1945.

        Other important items in this collection are two scrapbooks on the nursing staff's military service during World War II. One was created by the Department of Nursing, the other by the Alumnae Association of The Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing. The scrapbooks include official military and hospital correspondence to and from the nursing staff in the form of letters and memoranda that range from 1942 through 1945. An interesting part of the Dept. of Nursing's scrapbook is the more casual correspondence such as greeting cards, personal notes, marriage and birth announcements, and Victory Mail (V-Mail). The greeting cards are addressed to the unit as well as to individuals. Some of the cards are hand painted. Samples of unused V-mail, intended to send holiday greetings (Mother's Day, Easter, and Christmas), are also included. Other loose items in the scrapbook include programs from amateur performances by the nurses and medical officers, concerts and religious services. The religious programs represent both Christian and Jewish faith observances at the 3rd General Hospital.

        Other noteworthy scrapbook items include an original April 13, 1945 issue of Stars and Stripes announcing President Franklin D. Roosevelt's death. There are also various newsletters produced by and for the officers. These include issues of BBC News, Stethoscope 3rd General, and The Trooper. Several issues in this sampling are incomplete.

        The bound pages of the scrapbook from the Alumnae Association of The Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing contains numerous keepsake items, mementos from various events, and personal and official correspondence to 1st Lt. Ruth Chamberlin, who served as Chief Nurse at the 3rd General Hospital.

        In addition to this print material, the collection also includes an audio recording (VM_012) and printed transcript of The Story of Two Hospitals, as recorded by Robert St. John, an NBC war correspondent, in November 1943. There is also film footage related to the 3rd General Hospital that was taken by Dr. Henry Horn, a Mount Sinai staff member who was in the Unit. This includes footage from the Unit starting in North Africa and continuing through France, including a trip to Paris and the Follies Bergère. His wife later gave the film to the Hospital. All six reels of the film were digitized in 2005.

        United States. Army. General Hospital, 3rd
        Arthur Ludwig, MD papers
        US AA054 · Collection · 1950-1999

        These papers represent a small portion of the work Dr. Ludwig was involved in during his career, focusing primarily on research he undertook in the 1950s. There is nothing here about his private practice. The files include grant applications and reports of research on connective tissue, which was under the direction of Paul Klemperer, MD, Director of Mount Sinai's Department of Pathology. There is also a folder of material that includes a letter from Norman Boas, MD about a research project they had begun that seems not to have been published. Of note are two slim notebooks where Dr. Ludwig recorded research data, as well as reviews of articles he had read on the topic. He inserted hand drawn charts and tables. They are an interesting example of how a clinician did research at this time.
        Six photographs are included in this collection. The originals were scanned to create digital copies and were returned to Mrs. Ludwig. The photographs include four in a series from 1966 that show Dr. Ludwig meeting with house staff in the Department of Medicine, and then going on rounds in the Klingenstein Clinical Center. There are also shots of the First Medical Service staff in 1947 and the Second Medical Service house staff in 1943. Printouts of the scans are also filed in the Photograph Collection.

        Ludwig, Arthur W.
        US AA088.S001 · Series · 1893-1997 (bulk: 1893-1910; 1943-1958; 1980-1991)
        Part of Mount Sinai Beth Israel records

        This series consists of the annual reports of the Beth Israel Medical Center (New York, N.Y.) and its predecessor, the Beth Israel Hospital. The collection has significant gaps; see file-level description for complete list of available editions. From 1955 to 1958, the title of the reports is "A Record of Progress."

        Beth Israel Medical Center (New York, N.Y.)