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Samuel Gibson Dixon papers
Samuel G. Dixon was a leader in the United States in the discovery of the cause of tuberculosis and methods to contain and treat it. This collection encompasses the work of Dr. Dixon including dozens of publications and speeches related to tuberculosis and other infectious diseases (including smallp...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Collection: | Samuel Gibson Dixon Papers |
| Collection Number: | 1941 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects and Genres: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
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| LEADER | 09731ntc a2200301 u 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | ead-1941 | ||
| 008 | 210308i18791960xx eng d | ||
| 040 | |e dacs | ||
| 041 | 0 | |a eng | |
| 099 | |a 1941 | ||
| 100 | 1 | |a Dixon, Samuel Gibson |d 1851-1918 |e creator | |
| 245 | 1 | |a Samuel Gibson Dixon papers |f 1879 - 1960 |g 1884 - 1919 | |
| 300 | |a 4.5 Linear feet |f ; 9 boxes, 8 volumes, 6 flat files | ||
| 506 | |a The collection is open for research. | ||
| 520 | |a Samuel G. Dixon was a leader in the United States in the discovery of the cause of tuberculosis and methods to contain and treat it. This collection encompasses the work of Dr. Dixon including dozens of publications and speeches related to tuberculosis and other infectious diseases (including smallpox and typhoid). He was also at the forefront of the newest concepts regarding sanitation and nutrition. In addition to Dixon's own work, the collection includes newspaper articles referring to his work, photographs, and a limited number of personal correspondence. Dr. Dixon had a long and prolific career as a physician, researcher, and writer. He also held several public offices in Pennsylvania. The collection covers all aspects of his public life, primarily reflecting his scientific accomplishments. Little is learned of his personal life. | ||
| 520 | |a The bulk of the Samuel Dixon Gibson papers date from 1905 to 1918, with fewer materials from 1879, and some as late as 1953. There are printed copies of lectures, articles, and pamphlets, with occasional handwritten notes and drafts of speeches. The collection reflects his work on the cause, symptoms and prevention of the several diseases Dixon researched. This collection is an especially important contribution to the study of tuberculosis. The collection touches on his public messaging endeavors as well. Photographs include those of the Academy of Natural Science, and of Dr. Dixon and his laboratories, including one dated 1889 of his first laboratory of hygiene. A few personal photos depict Dr. Dixon as a young boy and as an older man. There are also photographs of a commemorative tablet and the ceremony in memory of Dr. Dixon after his death. Newspaper clippings date from 1882 to 1951 from Philadelphia, suburban, and other Pennsylvania newspapers, the bulk of which are from 1918 reporting on the First World War. The majority of documents are addresses, printed articles and pamphlets dealing with Dr. Dixon’s work as a researcher and clinical physician. His main interest was the study of tuberculosis. There are dozens of articles and speeches about analyzing the disease. Different methods used in the hope of a cure are discussed, for example: “The Koch Cure for Consumption,” from Nature Magazine, dated November, 1890. (In fact, the cure for tuberculosis was not made possible until 1943 with the discovery of streptomycin.) Dr. Dixon was at the forefront of the prevention of tuberculosis as shown by articles he wrote on the relationship between the disease and hygiene. The sanatoria he ran were ahead of his time. Also found in the collection are Dixon’s thoughts on sexual hygiene and reproduction, infant mortality, and the education of the young. In addition there are also writings on malaria and yellow fever as well as acne, tetanus, gout and cancer. Furthermore, the documents touch on government policies of the time. There are copies of the Acts of the Pennsylvania Assembly in their efforts to prevent the spread of tuberculosis; an article on government control of tuberculosis in Pennsylvania; and an address on legal rights and tuberculosis. It is unfortunate that there are few documents pertaining to his personal life. Most correspondence pertains to his undertakings at various institutions. However, there are some photos and letters written to his family after his death that give a glimpse into his personal relationships. Any researcher interested in the history of medicine will find this collection invaluable. One can trace the reality of the scourge of a terrible disease, tuberculosis, and the attempts to eradicate it. The collection gives the history of the first sanatoria in the Philadelphia area. And the researcher can find some information on early awareness of other diseases of which there was little known at the time, including cancer. Dixon was very much a product of his Philadelphia education and environment. This gives researchers interested in Philadelphia history in general a window into not only the medical scene in early 20th century Philadelphia, but also the life and times of the different classes in this urban environment. Dixon was born and bred in Philadelphia’s upper class, but his patients were from all walks of life. | ||
| 524 | 8 | |a Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Samuel Gibson Dixon papers (Collection 1941), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. | |
| 541 | 1 | |a Gift of Mrs. John S. Sharpe, 1967. | |
| 545 | |a Samuel G. Dixon was born March 23, 1851, in Philadelphia, and he died in Philadelphia on February 26, 1918. His family home was in Philadelphia (near Bartram Garden), and Black Rock Farm in Bryn Mawr was his place of residence for many years. He studied at Mantua Academy in Philadelphia, and went to Vienna for further study. After his return he studied law at the University of Pennsylvania and was admitted to the bar in 1877 (he contracted typhoid fever while in law school). After practicing for six years, he turned to medicine, graduating from the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in 1886. He went abroad again after graduating Penn for additional study and graduated from the Department of Bacteriology of Kings College, London. The list of Dixon’s public service commitments is long. He held various leadership positions in more than twenty scientific, medical and historical groups. Also, he was president of the Academy of Natural Science from 1896 to 1918. He was Pennsylvania’s first commissioner of health, and he led the newly formed Pennsylvania Department of Health from 1905 until his death in 1918. He was on the board of the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, the field in which he was most renowned. As a scientist, he was able to induce an immune response to tuberculosis in guinea pigs. This discovery was a precursor to an effective treatment for the infection in humans. As a physician, he treated innumerable people for tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. As a community leader, he sought to educate the populous about hygiene and nutrition. A man of many interests, he was also a founder of the Geographical Society of Philadelphia. Three state tuberculosis sanitaria were under Dixon’s direction when he was the commissioner of health in Pennsylvania: Mount Alto, Cresson, and Hamburg. Dixon was responsible for the development of Mont Alto State Sanatorium in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. This facility was founded in 1901 when the construction of a single shack started taking in sufferers of what was then called consumption. Its direction changed when an effective antibiotic for tuberculosis was discovered in the mid 1940s. It is still in operation today as the South Mountain Restoration Center, serving as a recovery and mental health center. Cresson Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients was located between Johnstown and Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was built on 500 acres donated by Andrew Carnegie and had approximately 700 beds. Between 1913 and 1964 thousands of people who contracted tuberculosis were treated in this well run, compassionate institution. Hamburg State Tuberculosis Sanatorium was located in Berks County, Hamburg, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1914 and closed as a tuberculosis hospital in 1959. It was reopened in 1960 as a facility for people with intellectual disabilities. It remains active today. The impetus for the development of these tuberculosis institutions was one of Dixon’s most visible achievements. Dr. Dixon, however, was involved in the study of several other disorders, aside from tuberculosis, such as diabetes, gout, typhoid, and bubonic plague. In addition, his other interests included preventive medicine, educating children on health issues, nutrition, and hygiene. The history of the discovery, research and the ultimate discovery of a vaccine for tuberculosis is a fascinating one. During the decades of Dixon’s work tuberculosis had the odd reputation of bestowing upon its sufferers a spiritual purity. “Consumption” or “the White Plague” was romanticized and was known as the disease of artists. However, the disease had a high mortality rate and its symptoms were far from pleasant. They included chills, fatigue, fever, night sweats, loss of muscle, phlegm, severe weight loss, and swollen lymph nodes. Research on tuberculosis was being done in Europe, particularly France, at the same time Dr. Dixon was involved in his work. In the United States, it was Dixon who was the forerunner in developing a tuberculosis vaccine. | ||
| 555 | |a Finding Aid Available Online: | ||
| 650 | 7 | |a Academy of Natural Sciences--Philadelphia (Pa.) |2 Local sources | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Health and hygiene |2 Local sources | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Medicine--Practice--20th Century |2 Local sources | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Public Health and Hygiene--Early 20th Century |2 Local sources | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Tuberculosis Research--Early 20th Century |2 Local sources | |
| 650 | 7 | |a University of Pennsylvania--Department of Hygiene--Early 20th Century |2 Local sources | |
| 852 | |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania |b Samuel Gibson Dixon Papers |l 1941 | ||
| 856 | 4 | 2 | |y Link to finding aid |u http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/d/Dixon1941.html |