Suggested Research Topics - Biographies/Intellectual Histories of UM Medicos
Frederick G. Novy (bacteriologist)
Secondary sources include biographies by E.R. Ling and S.E. Gould. Good points of contrast include Sinclair Lewis' Arrowsmith and DeKruif's The Microbe Hunters. Novy is an interesting figure in that he travelled to Germany in the 1880s (with Victor Vaughan) to learn the latest on laboratory technique and bacteriology. Upon his return he wrote Directions for Laboratory Work in Urinalysis (1892). His personal papers comprise less than 3 linear feet of correspondence and pertinent notes. He is a figure of such local prominence that he is cross-referenced in the card catalog as a correspondent.
Warren P. Lombard (fatigue physiologist)
Mentioned by Geison is his global look at American physiology?, but a good biography of Lombard remains to be done. Lombard, like many on the UM faculty, seemed to have been influenced by European research; in this case Lombard extended Mosso's research on human fatigue. Lombard reduced fatigue to its simplest possible measurable terms (initially index finger function, later recovery pulse rate) and was prominent locally as a speaker. Pertinent papers consist of 11 folders of correspondence and 11 folders of research notes in the Lombard collection and the Lombard lectures in the UM Science Club. Other sources include articles in American Journal of Physiology and American Physical Education Review. Simple enough for unmotivated student.
George Dock Notebooks (clinical pathologist)
Secondary source consists of Davenport's biography of Dock which focused primarily on these notebooks. The notebooks themselves are evidently quite a rich source on patient treatment, disease etiology, and pathology. (I know this only by hearsay). If they can support the extended work of Davenport, I am confident they could bear the weight of an undergraduate seminar. The danger inherent here is that student lassitude might lead to a mere reprise of Davenport. Unfamiliar as I am with either the Dock notebooks or Davenport's book, I can offer no defense against such an eventuality.
In an effort to encourage creative thinking about possible research topics for students unfamiliar with archives and their inevitable complexities, archivists and student employees of the Bentley Historical Library have authored "suggested research topics ." The purpose of these is not to define a topic but rather to stimulate thinking about a topic where the holdings of the Bentley Library are particularly strong.