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The Papers of Guido Pellegrino Arrigo Pontecorvo
In the second of our series introducing the digitised archive collections in the Codebreakers: makers of modern genetics resource, Dr Sam Maddra, archivist at the Glasgow Universtiy Archive Services introduces the Pontecorvo papers. The original papers are located at The… Continue reading
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“You will do just what I tell you” – the controversy of stage hypnosis
At Brighton hippodrome in December 1948, an 18 year old girl, Diana Grace Rains-Bath, volunteered to be hypnotized on stage by the Russian born American hypnotist, Ralph Slater who wrote the 1950’s classic book “Hypnotism and Self Hypnosis”. Duly rendered… Continue reading
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Archival top of the pops 2012
Referring back to the popularity contests of previous years reported in the Library blog, 2012’s most popular favourites were pretty predictable: The Royal Army Medical Corps Muniment Collection, the Wellcome Foundation archives, the Family Planning Association archive, the archives… Continue reading
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A Geneticist’s Shopping
In April 1952 Professor Guido Pontecorvo (1907-1999), a pioneer in fungal genetics, paid 20 shillings to the lending library, his wife Leni had her hair done for 6s 6d and their daughter, Lisa, got a new pair of sandals. I… Continue reading
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An outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in the archives
The Wellcome Trust ’s mission is to foster human and animal health. Sometimes these two areas converge. The BSE crisis of the late 1990s was one such occurrence. Sir John Pattison, former vice-provost of University College London School of Health,… Continue reading
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The ‘Spare-part biologist’: Sir Peter Medawar
“He was a big man. That was the first thing that struck you as he strode into the room. A big man – tall and vibrant with life. His sheer presence communicated a sense of power: not political power, not… Continue reading
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Camberwell House Asylum
One of the fastest-growing categories of Wellcome Library users in the past ten years has been family historians. Many people, of course, have medical practitioners among their ancestors: doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, opticians, vets… But the Library’s holdings for family historians… Continue reading
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Archives and Manuscripts cataloguing, March 2011
Last month’s archive cataloguing saw the release of three complete archive collections, as well as various manuscripts and supplementary items. The highlights are described below. John Wilson Boag (1911-2007), radiation physicist and peace campaigner: papers of the influential radiation physicist… Continue reading
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Digitising the archive of geneticist Hans Grüneberg
The Wellcome Library is host to numerous scientists who are famed for discovering important aspects of genetics, many of whose papers are being digitised as part of a major on-going project. While Arthur Mourant was the so-called ‘father of… Continue reading
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A Jersey connection: Arthur Mourant and Jacqueline du Pré
The Wellcome Library is not known particularly for its holdings of musical celebrities but the archives often reveal some unexpected items. The fate that struck the talented cellist, Jacqueline du Pré does fall within the Wellcome Library’s remit however, given… Continue reading