Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives (CHOMA)

Edward Francis (1872-1957) graduated from Ohio State with a B.Sc. in 1894, and from the University of Cincinnati with an M.D. in 1897. After an internship at Cincinnati General Hospital, he was commissioned Assistant Surgeon in the U.S. Marine Hospital Service (now the U.S. Public Health Service.) He became Surgeon in 1912, and Medical Director in 1930, retiring from that position in 1937.

Francis traveled widely through the U.S. for the Public Health Service, performing duties in immigration, quarantine, hospitals, epidemics and scientific research. His main area of research was Tularemia (of which he is considered the principal investigator), but he worked on many other infectious diseases, four of which he contracted during his investigations: tularemia, brucellosis, psittacosis and relapsing fever. He recovered from all these infections.

This collection consists of material collected by Dr. Susan Rockwood of Miami University of Ohio, who was working on a biography of Francis at the time of her death in 1983. The finding aid was prepared by Helen Zilinskas, and updated by Jeff Karr. Please contact ASM Archivist for further information.

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Box 1:

About the Collection

• List of contents; correspondence of the Archivist (L.S. McClung, D.E. Shay) with Susan Rockwood (SR); 1983-85

 

Biographical Material

• Biographical sketch, n.d.; bibliography 1901-1949; news paper clippings 1928-1983

 

Miami Medical College

• misc. information; news paper clippings, n.d., 1938

 

Honorary Degree, Ohio State University, 1933; Other OSU Material

• correspondence and clippings, 1924-33

 

Honorary Degree: Miami University

• Correspondence and clippings, 1929

 

AMA Gold Medal, 1928

• News paper clippings, 1928; correspondence of Susan Rockwood, 1979.
• Photograph of medal see Box 1 "Photographs"

 

Nobel Prize Nomination

• Correspondence with Reid Hunt, 1928-29

 

Radio Manuscript - "The Automatic Man"

• Manuscript, correspondence 1932

Retirement

• Family correspondence, 1938; correspondence with Dr. E. Joslin re EF's diabetes, including clinical records, reprints and brochures, 1938

 

Obituaries, 1957

 

Photographs

• List in folder
• List of lantern slides in Boxes 5 & 6

 

Rockwood, Susan W.

• Misc. notes and correspondence, 1979-80; also includes notes and correspondence of William Jellison, 1956-57
• See also Box 2 "Ohara, Hachiro; Ohara, Shoichiro"

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Box 2:

 

Downs, Cora

• Correspondence 1934-42

 

Foshay Lee

• Corresopndence, 1932-42; notes by E.F., n.d.; reprints. 1931-42

 

Gay, Frederick, P.

• Correspondence, 1932-33

 

Meyer, Karl

• Correspondence, 1931

 

Mooser, H.

• Correspondence, 1928

 

Ohara, Hachiro

• Ohara, Shoichiro
• H.O. correspondence w. E.F., 1925-27 (photocopies); S.H. correspondence w. S.R., 1980; E.F. notes, n.d.;reprints, 1965-74

 

Parker, R.R.

• Bound Correspondence, 1924-25; 1926-31

 

Simpson, Walter M.

• Correspondence, 1929

 

Vail, Derrick T. and Wherry, William B.

• Correspondence, 1925-31; reprints, 1914; biographical material (WBW), n.d..

 

Misc. Correspondence, 1927-49

 

 

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Box 3:

Black Tongue Notes, 1923

Deer-fly Fever Correspondence, research notes, 1915-20 (photocopies)

Filariasis Correspondence, 1934-35; reprints, 1917, 1934, 1940 research notes

Relapsing Fever (Francis' own case) Correspondence, clinical records research notes, reprints, 1937-39

Spirillium Hemoelective MS by E.F. 1914[?]; correspondence, 1942, 1958

Tularemia Correspondence, research notes, 1919-1928

Yellow Fever Reprints, n.d., 1922; MS of article on Yellow Fever Institute by Wyndham Miles, n.d.

Misc. Research Notes Photocopies of note cards logging E.F. Army correspondence, 1900-18

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Box 4:

Francis, Edward - Reprints 1901-1947 List in folder

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Box 5:

Lantern Slides

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Box 6:

Lantern Slides

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Oversized Folder:

Photographs of certificates, awards and commendations