Prosthetic Rehabilitation/Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 1963-01 - 1963-05

The Records of the Medical School Dean, Richard H. Young, fill 18 record cartons (18 cubic feet), spanning the years of his tenure as dean, 1949 to 1970. These records primarily consist of correspondence and documents relating to the administration of the medical school and affiliated hospitals. The records are divided into 12 subseries: Associations, Buildings and Grounds, Clinic, Dean's Office, Departments, Faculty, Fraternities, Hospitals, Library (Medical School), Medical School, Northwestern University, and Veteran's Administration. The most extensive of these subseries are: Departments, Faculty, Medical School (with numerous sub-subseries) and Hospitals.

In a few cases, records pre-date Young's tenure as Dean, but because they form part of a body of materials submitted to the Dean's office or because they informed his later actions, they have been retained in Dean Young's records.

The Associations subseries, spanning the years 1949-1970, documents Dr. Young's involvement in local and national medical and medical education associations, particularly the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The subseries includes both incoming and outgoing correspondence, meeting minutes, financial reports, memos and committee rosters. Dr. Young played a prominent role on the AAMC's Survey committee and many medical school surveys are included in the records.

The Buildings and Grounds files span the years 1949-1970 and include incoming and outgoing correspondence relating to the medical school's physical plant. They include some correspondence (1961-1963) about plans for constructing a new research facility and funding the construction. Many of the records focus on animal care facilities for animals used in clinical experiments. (Other information regarding the use of animals in experimentation is found under the Illinois and National Society for Medical Research in the Association subseries, record carton 2, folders 5-7.)

Records relating to the operation of the Montgomery Ward Clinic span the years 1949-1963. The umbrella title “Montgomery Ward Clinic” represented the approximately 18 outpatient clinics operated by the Medical School. Records include monthly reports from the individual clinics, and annual audits done by the Clinic's accountants. The Clinic's own reports document the number of patients seen by each department, services (tests, treatments) provided, and fees received.

The Dean's Office subseries consists primarily of Dean Young's general correspondence. It includes letters requesting medical opinions and referrals to other doctors, and inquiries about the medical school. Such letters as the numerous offers to donate the sender's body to science, each one answered by the Dean (via his secretaries), indicate the level of personal attention Dean Young gave to his correspondence. This subseries also includes correspondence with the Mather Home (Evanston), offering advice for the senior facilities, correspondence with other medical schools, and correspondence with the Egyptian Embassy about visitors from Egypt.

The extensive Departments subseries spans the years 1946 to 1970 (with only a few records from before 1949 for the Orthopedic Surgery Department.) It includes correspondence and reports for each Medical School department, from Anatomy to Urology. Department records include grant applications for research and research reports, as well as correspondence relating to curriculum and faculty. Several folders document searches for new department heads. The Nutrition and Metabolism Department records include extensive correspondence with Dr. Tom Spies regarding the administration and work of his nutrition clinics.

The Faculty subseries, spanning the years 1950-1970, begins with incoming and outgoing correspondence with faculty members, organized alphabetically by faculty member. Letters accepting appointments to the faculty and promotions dominate this correspondence. The Faculty Promotion, Appointment, Reappointment and Promotion files include faculty rosters, correspondence with department heads, and official university documentation regarding faculty positions. There is also correspondence and documentation surrounding assistant faculty and clinical assistants. The subseries also includes annual research questionnaires, completed by faculty, documenting their research activities during the past year.

The Fraternities files, 1949 to 1957, include correspondence surrounding lectures and other activities sponsored by Medical School fraternities.

The Hospitals files pertain to hospitals affiliated with Northwestern's Medical School and other medical facilities in the area, including Cook County, Evanston, Children's Memorial, Passavant, Wesley, and the Women's Hospital and Maternity Center. The many files document the administration of the hospitals and their relationship with Northwestern University Medical School, particularly the role of interns and residents from Northwestern at the hospital. Also included are records of committees established to maintain the relationships among the affiliated hospitals. The subseries spans from 1945-1969 (with a few records dating from before 1949) and consists of correspondence, meeting minutes, financial records, memos, and committee rosters.

The Library (Medical School) subseries, spanning from 1950-1970, includes correspondence and reports about the medical school library.

The Medical School subseries consists of general records relating to the Northwestern University Medical School, arranged alphabetically by category (sub-subseries). Material relating to alumni includes correspondence and records surrounding the medical school's relationship with its graduates. Of particular note in this section is the list of women graduates from the Medical School between 1931 and 1958. Other categories of correspondence include fellowships, scholarships and funding for students and faculty research. This subseries also documents the activities of numerous committees, organized by committee name. Prominent among these committees are the curriculum committee, the education policy committee and the Medical School Council. Substantial files cover the Medical School's annual reports and plans for the medial school centennial.

Correspondence with administration from the larger university is included in the Northwestern University subseries, which also includes records and reports regarding student health facilities at Northwestern University, and records of the Women's Faculty Club.

The Veteran's Administration subseries spanning the years 1949 to1969 documents Dean Young's involvement in many Veteran's Administration Hospitals committees, particularly the Dean's Committee, in the greater Chicago area. It includes correspondence, financial reports, meeting minutes and committee rosters relating to the operation of the VA Hines Hospital and the VA Research Hospital in Chicago, and the VA Lakeside Hospital.