MSS 2/076-05: Vivisection correspondence, 1883 - 1919

Series

Scope and Contents

The collection contains letters received by William W. Keen and copies of his replies, 1883-1919, along with a few newsclippings concerning controversies over vivisection in the late 19th and early 20th century. Keen's letters define his defensive position on vivisection.

Correspondents are physicians, political figures, or social activists and include: James M. Brown and Jacob H. Gallinger on alleged experimentation on human beings; Simon Flexner on a serum for cerebrospinal meningitis; William S. Pierce and Floyd W. Tomkins on the moral arguments against vivisection; and Caroline Earle White on Keen's use of a dog for experimentation with nerve reattachment. Other correspondents are Horace K. Regar, George Henry Simmons, and William Henry Welch. A calendar of the correspondence is included.

Dates

1883 - 1919

Extent

1 Box (16 folders)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Custodial History

The source of this collection of William W. Keen correspondence is unknown, though it may have been separated from a larger collection of Keen correspondence which was donated to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia by Keen's daughter, Florence Keen, on 17 May 1933 (MSS 2/007604). That collection contains related correspondence on vivisection and the Gallinger bill.

The collection was processed and catalogued in 1991.