Georgina Lever
Cataloguing Archivist, The Physiological Society

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.106.10

The archives of the Physiological Society have been deposited at the Wellcome Library since 1991, with additional deposits made by the History and Archives Committee (HAC) every few years. In July I was hired to catalogue the latest accrual of material, as well as the papers of Professor Maureen Young (1915-2013), donated to the Wellcome by her nephew Michael. I qualified as an Archivist from UCL’s Department of Information Studies in 2011, and have worked in a variety of archives including those of Kew Gardens, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the architect Richard Rogers.

I had 6 months to work my way through the 25 boxes of PhySoc material, mostly on paper but also CDs, cassette tapes and VHS videos; Professor Young’s papers were contained in 27 boxes.

A big challenge of the job was getting to grips with the existing catalogue and finding appropriate locations in the collection for
the new additions. On its arrival at the Wellcome Library, the decision was made to create an arrangement for the collection which would reflect the activities of the Society and its officers.

The present arrangement is as follows:

A. The Grey Book, 1888-2013
B. The Committee, 1895-2002
C. Scientific meetings, 1876-2004
D. Prize lectures, symposia and events,1955-2009
E. Membership, 1882-2005
F. Publications, 1877-2012
G. Animal welfare and research: issues, policy, and legislation, 1941-2007
H.Education, 1941-2010
I. Films and photographs sub-committees, 1951-1972
J. The Secretary’s correspondence and files, 1937-1997
K. Finance, 1951-2005
L. The Foreign Secretary’s files, 1955-2005
M. Grants and awards, 1968-2004
N. Archives and history, 1954-2016
O. Relationship with other societies including IUPS, 1923-2013
P. Histories, catalogues and publications commissioned by The Society, 1927-2007
Q. Governance (from 2001): Council and Executive Committee, 2001-2015
R. The Physiological Society’s Audiovisual Collection, 1948-2011
Z. The Physiological Society’s Photographic Collection, 1860s-2010

The majority of the papers I worked on could be slotted in neatly to these existing sections. Happily, many gaps were filled in the Council, Executive Committee and Editorial Board minutes, as well as substantial enhancement of the photographic collection. The oral history collection is a key new asset to the catalogue (reference: SA/PHY/T/1). Other highlights include a series of correspondence with heads of university physiology departments (reference: SA/PHY/H/6/9) surveying entrants and graduates to university courses, 1983-1992, and prize lecture VHS recordings, 1987-1997 (SA/PHY/T/2/1)

The oral history project was started by Tilli Tansey and Martin Rosenberg of The Society’s History and Archives Committee (HAC). It aims to interview physiologists and members of The Society about their backgrounds and work in the field of Physiology. Recordings have been made on cassette tape and more recently digitally, with transferral onto CD. Typed transcripts are also produced, many of which are available on the Society’s website at http://www.physoc.org/oral-history-transcripts

Professor Maureen Young’s papers

Professor Maureen Young (1915-2013) studied physiology at Bedford College for Women, graduating in 1938. She spent much of her career at St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School in London, specialising in advancing understanding of placental transport, fetal growth and nutrition.

The papers have been arranged into three main sections:

1.Correspondence (1953-2008)

This includes letters filed alphabetically by the author, letters relating to grant applications, societies and journals, conferences and events, and teaching roles.

2.Writing (1940-c.2011)

Manuscripts, drafts, research notes and correspondence with researchers relating to specific published and unpublished papers and chapters.

3.Research (1930s-1982)

The files generally consist of laboratory notes, including graphs and data tables, and some correspondence with collaborators on particular experiments.

For more information on Maureen Young’s papers see the Wellcome Library blog: http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/

Accessing the Wellcome Library

The catalogue for The Physiological Society’s archive can be searched and browsed on the Wellcome Library website – archives.wellcome.ac.uk – by searching for the reference ‘SA/PHY’ and the relevant key word(s) for the material you’re interested in. Professor Maureen Young’s papers can be found by searching ‘PP/MYG’.

Registering for the Library is straight forward via http://wellcomelibrary.org/using-the-library/joining-the-library/ Fill in and email the registration form, and an account will be created. This will allow you to access the archives by ordering items from the catalogue to view in the rare materials room. On your first visit bring in two forms of identification to complete the registration process.

Acknowledgements

For the support provided on this project I would like to thank Amanda Engineer at the Wellcome Library and Chrissy Stokes, Anisha Tailor, Tilli Tansey and Jennie Wallace at the Physiological Society.