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Manuscript Collections

Sarah Campbell Allan, M.D. Papers 1895-1952

The Sarah Campbell Allan, M.D., Papers, 1895-1954, include a letter from John Gary Evans, Governor of South Carolina, offering her a position at the South Carolina State Lunatic Asylum; a copy of her will and other estate papers; her 1900 diary, kept while working at the South Carolina State Hospital and a typescript of the diary prepared by her nephew, Dr. W. C. Worthington; handwritten notes by her sister Amey Nicholson Allan regarding turning down a position at Converse College; a small notebook with medical notes; and photographs of herself and family members. The collection also includes a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and other ephemera compiled by Dr. Allan and her medical school diploma... More about the Sarah Campbell Allan, M.D., Papers, 1895-1954

Marguerite Andell Collection, 1919-1946

Marguerite Andell was born on November 6, 1884 on John’s Island. Ms. Andell was a graduate of Roper Hospital’s School of Nursing in 1914, and was elected Superintendent of Nurses in 1924, a position in which she proposed ideas that were ahead of her time. She retired in 1948 after working for 24 years at Roper Hospital and the Medical College School of Nursing. The Marguerite Andell Collection, 1919-1945, includes a photograph album, many postcards and personal letters from France, with dates ranging from 1919 to 1945. Miss Andell appears in many photos throughout the album. These photographs were presumably taken in Europe during World War I, and include scenes of a funeral and various cemeteries, troops’ bunks, damaged buildings, hospital scenes, wounded soldiers, nurses, and tanks. There are photos with the Red Cross, with medical doctors, and scenic photos of various areas.

Charleston Dental Association Records

The Charleston Dental Association was first organized in December 1867 at the office of Dr. J. B. Patrick, Sr. on Society Street in Charleston “for the advancement of our Profession and to engender ...good fellowship.” The first dental association in the state, the group met monthly to demonstrate new techniques, discuss current practices and socialize. Between 1874 and 1881, the society languished for lack of interest until some of the original members decided to revive the association. The reorganized Association continued to function until 1901, when it again went on hiatus... More about the Charleston Dental Association Records

Levi L. Kibler Letters Received

The Levi Kibler Letters Received, 1844 and undated, consist of two items: a handwritten letter to Dr. Kibler from Dr. M. R. King of New York and an undated letter written by an unknown author. The first letter, 1844, is a request for payment for dental instruments and filling materials which had been sent to Dr. Kibler. The second is a letter from a medical professional reporting on his examination of Dr. Kibler's sister-in-law who suffered from "inflammation of the pleura and bronchials." The author proceeds to recommend blood letting and cupping, as well as a number of medicines including mercury, opium, and others. He gives advice on diet as well... More about the Levi L. Kibler Letters Received

Frederick E. Kredel, M.D. Papers, 1925-1980

The collection showcases materials about the life and work of Frederick Evert Kredel, M.D., the first full-time professor of surgery at the Medical College, 1937. The collection includes his biography, bibliography, citations, certificates, reprints of articles, research reports and manuscripts, correspondence, and a scrapbook with notes and photographs of his trip to Kartabo, British Guiana, where he studied the three-toed sloth. The collection is a gift of Mrs. Frederick E. Kredel, Charleston, S.C., 1976.

Catherine M. McCottry, M.D. Papers

The Dr. Catherine M. McCottry Collection, c. [1932-2012] consists of materials about the educational career, professional achievements, and practice in obstetrics and gynecology of Dr. Catherine M. McCottry. Dr. McCottry was the first African-American female physician to practice obstetrics and gynecology in Charleston, South Carolina, and as a physician, integrated Charleston-area hospitals. Dr. Catherine McKee McCottry was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on February 3, 1921. She attended Johnson C. Smith University, and became the first African American female graduate to obtain a degree in medicine, which she received from Howard University School of Medicine in 1945... More about the Catherine M. McCottry, M.D. Papers

Medical Society of South Carolina Digital Collection

The Medical Society of South Carolina Digital Collection includes the minutes of the Society for the years 1789-1986, as well as portraits of past presidents. Minutes for the years 1789-1924 are handwritten; 1925-1986 are typed. Minutes through 1945 are in bound volumes; 1946-1986 are loose-leaf. The bound volumes are presented here as complete volumes, while the loose-leaf minutes are presented by individual year. The minutes of the MSSC have been fully transcribed so that they are full-text searchable. To view the transcript of a page, select the "page and transcript" option from the "View" menu that appears to the left of the image. These typed transcripts will be particularly helpful for years where the original minutes are handwritten (1789-1924)... More about the Medical Society of South Carolina Digital Collection

Medical University of South Carolina Board of Trustees Collection, 1824-2012

The Board of Trustees files, beginning in 1824, document the administration of the university, hospital, and the six colleges including: actions, budgets, congressional bills, elections, and concerns. The Medical University Board of Trustees Minutes contains information regarding various events within the hospital and the college between 1847 through 2012. The majority of the collection is comprised of minutes of the University Board of Trustees and the Hospital Authority Board of Trustees although it does contain memorandum, resolutions, constitutions and bylaws, and correspondence between board members and/or those working in conjunction with them. The collection is arranged in two series: (1) Administration and (2) Minutes.

MUSC Hospital Workers Strike, 1969

Records documenting the 1969 Hospital Workers Strike. The strike began March 17, 1969 with the firing of 12 non-professional hospital workers who attempted to meet with Dr. McCord March 16 to discuss the unionization of hospital workers, the establishment of a credit union, and an increase in wages. For 99 days over 300 hospital workers walked out of the jobs to picket the hospital. The strike ended June 27, 1969 with the rehiring of the 12 discharged workers and an increase in the minimum wage. Record types include correspondence, memoranda, reports, photographs, articles and news clippings detailing MUSC’s official actions and responses to the strikers and their demands. Also includes materials on the union, Local 1199. Series is arranged alphabetically; 3 cubic feet, 1968-1971.

Pee Dee District Dental Society Records

The Pee Dee District Dental Society Records, 1933-1988, consist of one volume of recorded minutes, treasurer’s reports, membership records, and added correspondence and newspaper clippings which document the society’s activities. Included are summaries of papers and discussions presented to the society at its regular meetings. Membership lists and financial documentation are recorded. Actions taken by the members regarding state and regional dental activities are also recorded, including reaction to and interest in the creation of the MUSC School of Dental Medicine in the late 1950s. A note on the flyleaf of the ledger book indicates that any records of the Society before 1933 were lost... More about the Pee Dee District Dental Society Records

Francis Peyre Porcher Papers

The Frances Peyre Porcher Papers include Porcher's lecture, class, and research notes on materia medica, botany, and pharmacy compiled over his career in support of his medical teaching responsibilities and the publication of his book, Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests. Porcher's notes, arranged alphabetically, includes notes for classroom instruction in the areas of materia medica and therapeutics. Files include handwritten notes, clippings, sketches, prescriptions, sources, and notes for publications... More about the Frances Peyre Porcher Papers

Isabella Sarah Peyre Porcher Plantation Recipes and Prescriptions

The Isabella Sarah (Peyre) Porcher Prescription Book, circa 1834, consists of one volume of handwritten entries for prescriptions and other recipes. Among the prescriptions are those for the treatment of pleurisy, rheumatism, cough, earache, stomach and bowel complaints, fevers, dropsy, dysentery, and other complaints. Also included is a recipe for whitewash. Isabella Sarah Peyre was born on October 3, 1803 in Berkeley County, South Carolina to Francis Peyre and May Peyre Walter Peyre. She married Dr. William Porcher, with whom she had seven children, including Francis Peyre Porcher... More about the Isabella Sarah Peyre Porcher Plantation Recipes and Prescriptions

Roper Hospital Digital Collections

The Roper Hospital Digital Collections consist of archival records documenting the construction, management, and administration of Roper Hospital. Roper Hospital was established by the Medical Society of South Carolina "to treat all sick and injured people without regard to complexion, religion, or nation." In 1856 the first Roper Hospital building, located adjacent to the Medical College of South Carolina building on Queen Street in Charleston, opened to patients. In addition to caring for patients, Roper Hospital also served as a teaching facility for the medical students at the Medical College. Please note that this collection is intimately related to the Medical Society of South Carolina Digital Collections and all researchers should consult both collections to obtain a complete picture of the management of Roper Hospital. The records detail all activities of the Roper Board of Trustees concerning the administration of Roper Hospital.

A Sanitary Survey of Rural Charleston County, 1921

The survey is a summary of public health conditions and challenges in Charleston County in the early 1920s. Areas addressed include child and maternal health; the condition of housing, schools, and jails; sanitation and water supply; communicable diseases such as typhoid, malaria, smallpox, venereal diseases, and others; and more. Statistical reports and observations are included.

J. Marion Sims Letters

The J. Marion Sims Letters, 1858-59 and 1880-1881, consist of four original letters from J. Marion Sims to Gen. Waddy Thompson of Greenville, South Carolina (1858-1859); to O.B. Mayer (1880); and Tom Taylor (1881). His letters refer to patients suffering with fibrous tumors of the uterus and ovarian cysts or tumors. He also inquires of a physician who treated a patient with rectal alimentation. The letters provide detailed accounts of his techniques in attempting to treat the patients.

Horace Gilbert Smithy, Jr., M.D. Papers

The Horace Gilbert Smithy, Jr., M.D. Papers, 1946-1948, document Dr. Smithy’s research and publications on the groundbreaking surgical treatment (valvulotomy) he developed for scar tissue of the aortic valve. Dr. Smithy received national acclaim for this procedure, and the instrument used in the surgery, known as the valvulotome, was fabricated at MUSC. The collection contains negatives, photographs, and original drawings used in his publications, correspondence of Dr. Alfred Blalock regarding Dr. Smithy, and a news clipping from the Atlanta Journal Constitution detailing Dr. Smithy’s first valvulotomy.

South Carolina Dental Association Records

The South Carolina Dental Association was established in 1869. Among its early purposes was to advocate against quack dental practitioners who lured clients with deceptive advertising. In 1875, the SCDA achieved passage in the SC General Assembly of the state’s first dental practice act which called for the election of a board of examiners authorized to issue licenses to graduates of accredited dental colleges without examination and to all other applicants upon examination. The SCDA held statewide meetings for its members, and in 1928 organized regional districts within South Carolina for the more manageable administration of the association. In 1959, the SCDA opened an office in Columbia from which the association was administered. The SCDA continues to provide professional support and leadership to members of the dental community in South Carolina... More about the South Carolina Dental Association Records

South Carolina Hospital Postcards

Collection predominantly features postcards from 1900-1950 with illustrations of South Carolina hospitals and medical centers. Some postcards include handwritten correspondence, postmarks, and postage stamps.

Waring Historical Library Inaugural Theses

The 1,858 inaugural medical theses in the collection of the Waring Historical Library are, in the words of eminent medical historian John Harley Warner, "one of the finest extant collections of antebellum American medical theses." He went on to write that "The collection of the Medical College of the State of South Carolina deposited at the Waring Historical Library represents a remarkably large and complete collection spanning a critical period of transition in the history of both of American medicine and of the South.

Waring Historical Library Medical Caricatures

A collection of colorful illustrations satirizing both doctor and patient, illness and treatment. Notable artists represented in the collection include Louis Crusius, M.D., James Gillray, and Louis Boilly.

Waring Historical Library Manuscript Collections

The Waring Historical Library Manuscript collection consists of the first group of original documents transferred from the Medical Society of South Carolina to the Medical College of the State of South Carolina Library in 1933.

C. Wayne Weart Apothecary Trade Cards, 1870-1920

The C. Wayne Weart Apothecary Trade Cards collection includes late-19th century advertising cards from the private collection of Dr. C. Wayne Weart. The cards advertise pharmaceutical products, and typically feature colorful artwork on the front. The back of the cards usually had information about the product advertised and where it could be purchased. Some cards featured calendars or puzzles. Children, animals, and nature scenes were popular themes for the artwork. The cards range in size from 2 to 5 inches.

C. Wayne Weart Pharmacy History Collection

The C. Wayne Weart Pharmacy History Collection features photographs of show globes, also known as carboys, as well as late-19th and early-20th century pharmacy catalogs and apothecary trade cards. These items are from the private collection of Dr. C. Wayne Weart, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the MUSC College of Pharmacy.