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.
These autopsies were not the first done at Mount Sinai, but they seem to be the first time the physicians created and gathered together a structured record of the autopsies. The early autopsy reports were signed, usually by a member of the house staff, so names such as Drs. Burrill B. Crohn, Eli Moschcowitz, Israel Strauss (later chief neurologist) and others appear. In 1893 a formal Pathology Laboratory was created by Henry Heineman, MD. In 1895 he turned the operation of this over to Frederick Mandlebaum, MD, who served until 1926. Dr. Mandlebaum developed an allergy to formalin and delegated the autopsy work to assistants. In 1896 Charles Elsberg, MD, later a noted neurosurgeon, was appointed Assistant Pathologist and he created entries in these volumes. In 1904, Leo Buerger, MD was appointed the first Pathological Interne and so he created some of the entries. Dr. Emanuel Libman signed more autopsies than any other person in the early volumes. He served as the Assistant and then Associate Pathologist for many years. George Baehr, MD was in charge of the morbid anatomy and autopsy service from 1919-1926.
These volumes document primarily autopsies on adult patients, with the exception of three boxes of pediatric autopsy protocol records. The first five volumes of this series record all autopsies and wound explorations that were done at The Mount Sinai Hospital from February 1883-December 31, 1910, over 2,025 cases in all. The early volumes are indexed by name and also diagnosis. By volume 3, there is only a list of patient names in the front and no index of diagnoses. By the end of August 1908, there is no longer even a list of patient names. The early volumes have a few drawings in them and there is one photograph pasted in volume 1. There are sometimes un-numbered cases written in the last pages of the log books. They have the letters IND (?) penciled in at the top. These may be autopsies done by individual physicians not part of the autopsy service. Abraham Jacobi is listed as a physician on one of these cases. The entries are initially all hand written, but typed pages are pasted in as time goes on. Note that someone wrote Volume 4 in the front pages of volume 3. The 1912 volume says “no. VIII” on the spine. It is not clear how many volumes are missing between 1910 and 1912.
The volumes were initially used until the pages were filled, and so they end at random dates. Volume 5 ends with December 31, 1910. This may mark the beginning of the practice of volumes being devoted to set time periods, with new years beginning in new volumes.
There are some gaps in the data. There are no records for 1911, 1913-15, 6-12/1929, 7-12/1933, 1-3/1935, and the last third of 1951. The pediatric entries only cover from 1954-1972 and the information seems duplicative of what is in the main volumes.
All of these volumes list the diagnosis, patient information that varied over time (name, age, nationality, date/time of death), and autopsy findings. Initially there are no microscopic findings recorded, but these appear before the 20th century.
Mount Sinai Hospital (New York, N.Y.). Department of PathologyThese Treasurer's Office files contain records from the years 1948-1976. The bulk of this collection falls between 1960-1974, when Ira A. Schur was Treasurer.
The types of records in this collection are varied and numerous and they reveal the activities and priorities of the Treasurer's Office over this time. They include: minutes of Board of Trustee meetings and of various committees; correspondence with administration, faculty, other institutions, businesses, governmental agencies, lawyers, and many others; printed reports concerning various aspects of the Hospital; loan requests; employee agreements; and various budgetary reports.
The documentation reveals a few recurring themes. A large percentage of the records concern personnel management. Among the employee related material are: employee agreements and contracts; retirement agreements; data on retirement funds; tax annuity reports; private practice agreements; and comparative studies of executive benefits, perquisites, and salaries. Two sets of folders in the collection relate directly to employee benefit issues. The first contains the files of the Ad Hoc Committee for Executive Benefits, which existed from 1962-1970 to determine appropriate benefits for executive level personnel. They are found in folders labeled "Executive Insurance and Benefits." The second folder group contains the records of the Compensation Committee, which was formed in 1972 (the records continue to 1973) and had similar objectives to that of the previously mentioned Ad Hoc Committee. This second series is found in folders labeled "Compensation Committee."
There are several other subjects that recur in these files. Many documents relate to funds and fundraising, including records concerning funds for the then new Annenberg Building and School of Medicine. There are many documents relating to the tax status of corporations, house staff, executives, and other employees. Also found here is correspondence regarding the incorporation of The Mount Sinai Medical Center and name changes for Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In addition, as might be expected, there are data on expenses and supply costs.
Throughout the collection is correspondence with many prominent Mount Sinai individuals including Gustave Levy, Chairman of the Boards of Trustees; Martin Steinberg, MD, Director of The Mount Sinai Hospital from 1948 to 1969; Hans Popper, MD, Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Pathology and President/Dean of Mount Sinai; Jack Herman, Director of Development; and S. David Pomrinse, MD, Director of The Mount Sinai Hospital from 1969 to 1977.
The Treasurer's Office hired outside consulting firms to perform many studies. Included in the collection are a compensation study completed by the Martin E. Segal Company (1973) and a Mount Sinai Medical Center report on tax shelter annuity programs conducted by S. B. Ackerman Associates (1973).
Ira A. Schur conducted the majority of his Treasurer's responsibilities from his office at S. D. Leidesdorf and Co. where he worked from 1916 until his retirement in 1969. However, there are many documents that reveal that he also conducted business at Mount Sinai and occasionally from his homes in Manhattan and Scarsdale, New York.
The files contained in this collection are of value for many reasons, one being the level of the office and its importance to the institution. Another aspect that brings value to these records is their relative completeness and comprehensiveness. An examination of these records provides an understanding of the evolution and workings of the Treasurer's Office.
It is difficult to say what gaps the collection may have since the records were not donated directly from the Treasurer's office and contain files only as recent as 1976. However, it is surprising that there is only minimal mention of issues regarding property and no information on banking or evidence of bank accounts and bill payments, which are all major responsibilities of the office. On the whole, the collection lacks budgetary data. Although it does contain some budgetary reports and financial statements, the majority of the collection is composed of day to day personnel and individually-focused issues.
