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Archival Resources for the History of Genetics & Allied Sciences
ISSUED BY THE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
New Series, No. 19 November 2012
IN THIS ISSUE
Stephen Jay Gould Papers at the Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University — Jennifer Johnson and Myrna Perez 3 The Amram Scheinfeld Papers at Columbia University — Nathan Q. Ha 9 The Walter M. Fitch Papers in the American Philosophical Society — Charles Greifenstein 14 Collections at the Center for Biology and Society — Nathan Crowe and Stephanie Crowe 19 2013–2014 Resident Research Fellowships in Genetics, History of Medicine and Related Disciplines 22
THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY Philadelphia
The Mendel Newsletter November 2012
The Mendel Newsletter American Philosophical Society Library 105 South Fifth Street Philadelphia PA 19106-3386 U.S.A.
www.amphilsoc.org/library
Editor Managing Editor Michael Dietrich Earle E. Spamer, American Philosophical Society Department of Biological Sciences [email protected] 215 Gilman Hall, HB 6044 Dartmouth College Hanover NH 03755 The Mendel Newsletter [email protected] [email protected]
Editorial Board
Mark B. Adams, University of Pennsylvania Barbara Kimmelman, Philadelphia University Garland E. Allen, Washington University Martin L. Levitt, American Philosophical Society John Beatty, University of Minnesota Jane Maienschein, Arizona State University Frederick B. Churchill, Indiana University Diane B. Paul, University of Massachusetts, Boston Michael R. Dietrich, Dartmouth College Jan Sapp, York University,Toronto Bernardino Fantini, Institut Louis Jantet d’Histoire Vassiliki Beatty Smocovitis, University of Florida de Medicine, Geneva
The Mendel Newsletter, New Series, No. 19 (November 2012). Issued by The American Philosophical Society Library. Available only in digital format, readers may print and redistribute copies. The current issue and many back issues may be downloaded from The Mendel Newsletter webpage at www.amphilsoc.org/library/mendel.
Inquiries relating to article contributions to The Mendel Newsletter may be sent to the Editor.
Photograph of Gregor Mendel, ca. 1860, from the Curt Stern Papers, American Philosophical Society. APS graphics:2210.
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Stephen Jay Gould Papers at the Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University
Jennifer Johnson and Myrna Perez
TEPHEN JAY GOULD (1941–2002), notable by both the juvenilia series (containing Gould's American paleontologist, evolutionary school report cards and early family letters) as biologist and historian of science was a well as the artifacts, ephemera and memorabilia prominent figure in the technical devel- series. By the end of his career Gould was an opmentS and popular perception of evolutionary enormously well-connected individual, corre- biology during the last quarter of the twentieth sponding with biologists, writers, fans and major century. He passed away at the age of 60 after a political figures. His papers give a unique glimpse career as a professor at Harvard and at New York into the intellectual world of the last quarter of the University, a popular writer for Natural History twentieth-century and the ways in which his bio- Magazine, a scientific activist and an American logical identity played into his interactions with public intellectual. other public thinkers, writers and his lay audienc- es. This article will not attempt to summarize the In 2004, the bulk of Gould's papers were do- entirety of the collection (which would be nearly nated to Stanford University's Department of Spe- impossible). Instead, we will proceed thematically cial Collections and University Archives by his and roughly biographically through the collection widow, Rhonda Roland Shearer. Eight additional in order to give a taste of what is available in the smaller accessions were transferred to Stanford archive. between 2005 and 2011. To date, all of the mate- rials received by Stanford University have been Additionally, it should be noted that Stanford cataloged, and a published finding aid is available also took in the entirety of Gould's personal li- via the Online Archive of California: brary, which included his impressive rare and an- (http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt22 tiquarian book collection. Over 1,200 titles, 9036tr/). including some dating back to the 1400s, have all been cataloged. While Gould's book collection Gould's extensive papers are as wide-ranging was remarkable, he was not merely a collector of as his many scientific and intellectual interests. books-as-artifact. Used for his own research, Any historian working on transformations in theo- many of these books contain Gould's annotations retical biology, the place of public scientists in in the form of marginalia. The titles and topics in American culture, race and science and the evolu- Gould's personal library are truly representative of tion-creation debate will find a wealth of rich ma- his vast and varied scientific and intellectual in- terial in the collection. Additionally, those terests. All of the rare books from the Stephen Jay interested in Gould's biography will be fascinated
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Gould collection are slated to be scanned and de- and notebooks from elementary school through livered online by the Stanford University Librar- college. Some items of note include Gould's early ies (as of September 2012, approximately 80% of correspondence with his parents, with whom he Gould's books have been scanned and reviewed had a very strong and nurturing relationship, and for quality). As John Mustain, Stanford's Special with Edwin H. Colbert of the American Museum Collections Rare Books Librarian recently com- of Natural History about his interest in exploring a mented, “the scanning project was something of a career in paleontology. Other noteworthy items pioneering venture: to scan an entire collection, include drawings and paintings by Gould, baseball containing books from different centuries, differ- scorebooks, programs from choral performances, ent sizes, different sorts of illustrations, different and newspaper clippings about desegregation ef- bindings, the only thing in common being a Gould forts he followed closely and/or participated in book.” Once this effort is realized, researchers while attending Antioch College and the Universi- from around the globe will have the ability to ty of Leeds. digitally leaf through Gould's prized rare book Gould's papers from his student days reveal collection, which will provide yet another glimpse how keenly being a student activist shaped his into Stephen Jay Gould's unique 'view of life.' academic life, his political orientation and his un- Childhood and Early Years derstanding of the relationship between science and society. He came from a New York family Gould was born on September 10, 1941 to that was self-consciously left oriented,1 a perspec- Leonard and Eleanor Gould, in Queens, New tive which came to fruition during his undergrad- York. Later in his life Gould would recount—in uate education at Antioch College, which he both personal correspondence and in public ven- attended from 1959 to 1963. Antioch, a private ues—the story of his father taking him to the liberal arts college located in Yellow Springs, American Museum of Natural History in New Ohio, was considered a bastion of progressive York. Gould often recalled throughout his life thought, social activism and defense of free how viewing the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton dur- speech. It provided a holistic, liberal approach to ing this childhood trip marked the beginning of education that emphasized small classroom set- his lifelong passion for paleontology. His interest tings and communal governance rather than com- in paleontology continued to develop throughout petition and achievement.2 The college his childhood and teenage years, and was encour- administration considered it “very important in aged by his family and teachers. In addition to the process of education for students to involve steadfast support of their boy's academic pursuits, themselves in matters of social action.”3 As the the Goulds were doting parents who sought to ex- materials in this series reveal, Gould’s experienc- pose their child to a wide range of culture and ac- es during this period were very influential tivities, as well as a sense of civic responsibility. throughout many aspects of his life and career. Though Gould's early childhood and teenage years were largely focused on his two prevailing Leftist Activist passions, paleontology and the New York Yan- This perspective of civic engagement and left- kees, he also sang in school and city choirs, and ist sensibilities were carried with Gould into his was a zealous advocate for civil rights and sup- career at Harvard. Throughout his career he wrote porter of many progressive social issues of the on the relationship between science and society, day. The juvenilia series contains an array of ma- and the proper role of science in social policy. terials from Gould's youth that document the de- Gould was deeply immersed in the philosophy velopment of many of his lifelong scientific and history of science, and saw context as a con- interests, hobbies, and passions. The bulk of this stitutive part of scientific knowledge. Though series is made up of Gould's academic coursework Gould maintained that he was not a complete rela-
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tivist when it came to scientific practice,4 he often The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (2002). used social context in his writings as an explana- Gould was also a lifelong baseball fan, and often tion for how scientists distort their knowledge for referenced the sport in his essays. Many of his political and social aims. In The Mismeasure of baseball essays were anthologized in his posthu- Man (1981), for instance, Gould argued that the mously published book Triumph and Tragedy in science behind the biologically deterministic un- Mudville (2003). derstandings of intelligence were motivated by 5 Although the correspondence held in the Stan- cultural racism. And his contributions to the so- ford collection documents Gould's entire career, it ciobiology debate in the 1970s and early 1980s is particularly rich in relation to Gould's publish- also hinged on his repudiation of anything he per- 6 ing career. The correspondence series is made up ceived as advocating biological determinism. of incoming and outgoing letters, as well as files Gould's writings on race and science, as well as containing his correspondence with publishers. his participation in the sociobiology debate can be Included are letters, postcards, and other docu- explored through the correspondence series, as ments sent to Gould by colleagues, editors, pub- well as in his subject files. The subject files series lishers, and a considerable number of letters from is comprised of the records Gould maintained on the public. Letters from fans and laypersons in- his many scientific research interests, including clude both praise and criticism of Gould's books, biological determinism; creationism; evolution; scholarly articles, popular science works, and in- the history of science and scientists (particularly volvement in the fields of evolutionary biology, Charles Darwin); the intersection of art and sci- paleontology, and the history of science. Gould ence; the intersection of science and religion; mol- routinely kept copies of outgoing letters for some lusks; paleontology; punctuated equilibrium; race time. Primarily these consist of letters to profes- and intelligence; and sociobiology, to name only a sional colleagues, though there are some respons- fraction. Included are grant projects and proposal es to fan mail, typically replies to children who files; original bibliographic research and notes; wrote letters to Gould about their interest in sci- subject index cards; a collection of letters to and ence and to fans who wrote to Gould in regards to from notable scientists; and an amassed collection their battles with cancer. of evolution related iconography, often clipped or saved from popular culture sources. Other files Captured in this series is the correspondence include research materials for Gould's many between Gould and his first editor at Natural His- books, book reviews, and Natural History col- tory, Alan Ternes. Gould was approached by umns. Ternes in the summer of 1973, who was looking for a few new regular columnists. Writing to Popular Writer Ternes, Gould proposed a column “firmly based A prolific writer, Gould authored 300 consec- in evolutionary theory and its implications but try- utive essays for his monthly column This View of ing to synthesize under that rubric my divergent Life that appeared in Natural History, the journal interests in the history and philosophy of science, of The American Museum of Natural History, social and political questions bearing upon scien- from 1974 to 2001. He also authored over 20 best- tific issues, and the phenomena of life's history on a grand scale.”7 Ternes was amenable and told selling books, and wrote nearly a thousand scien- 8 tific papers. Many of Gould's Natural History es- Gould to “try a couple.” After Gould had written says were reprinted in collected volumes, such as a draft of the first three, he told Ternes that he had Ever Since Darwin and The Panda's Thumb. Pop- had enough fun to be willing to continue writing ular treatises included books such as The Mis- them on a monthly basis. measure of Man (1981), Wonderful Life (1989), And, of course, these columns were trans- and Full House (1996), and his landmark work formed into ten highly successful edited antholo-
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gies. Gould had established a following at the by year of publication. Lastly, the “figures” subse- magazine and everyone connected with the pro- ries includes illustrations, charts, diagrams, ject hoped this would translate to successful book graphs, and other visual works used in Gould's sales. There was only so much work to be done on various books and articles. the editorial front, as the columns had already been edited once. Gould noted, with some surprise Paloebiology and Neo-Darwinism and pleasure, that the columns went together re- Throughout his scientific career, Gould was markably well, as he wrote to his publisher at often regarded as a representative of evolutionary Norton, Inc. theory to a public audience while simultaneously I just had the most unexpected and satisfying ex- being at odds with many other evolutionary think- perience of discovering how coherent a set these ers. Although Gould considered himself to be a apparently disparate essays form—coherent to me strict Darwinian, his rejection of gradualism, at least . . . whether or not they cohere for anyone adaptationism and gene-centered understandings else, I leave to your judgment. But since I have of evolution were often portrayed (in both tech- never once, in three and a half years, given the nical and popular writings) as revolutionary. slightest thought to balance or connection . . . . I Gould's criticisms of the Neo-Darwinian synthe- was surprised and delighted when they fell into sis10 were often focused on what he considered to eight “natural groupings, each with four or five es- 9 be the central premise of the modern synthe- says. sis―that natural selection orders random variation Researchers can trace the progress of Gould's by selecting for adaptive features in organisms. publishing career through the manuscript series. He believed that this rigid view of evolution as- This series consists of drafts and related materials sumed an understanding of human consciousness from Gould's many books and publications, as that was entirely adaptive. Under this view human well as many unpublished writings. Included are beings were only able to act according to princi- typed and handwritten manuscripts, research ples derived from adaptation itself. In other notes, galleys, design proofs, promotional materi- words, Gould perceived a direct connection be- al, reviews of publications, and related corre- tween the 'central logic of the synthesis' and a bio- spondence. Research materials and logically deterministic understanding of human correspondence related to individual pieces re- nature. Gould's published disagreements with var- main with each work. The manuscripts series con- ious aspects of the Neo-Darwinian synthesis tains several discrete subseries. The “books” raised the issue of whether internal debates among evolutionary theorists should be aired to the pub- subseries includes works arranged by volume title. 11 The subseries, “Natural History magazine col- lic. umn: This View of Life,” contains published arti- There are several series in the collection of cles; typescripts and galleys; correspondence; and particular relevance to Gould' scientific career. In other miscellany related to Gould's column. The the correspondence series there is a smaller sub- “articles, essays, and other writings by Gould” category of incoming letters from prominent fig- subseries includes works that are listed by title. A ures, which is a discrete collection of letters from significant amount of this subseries includes par- scientists and public figures that Gould main- tial, unlabeled, or unidentified works. Working tained separately from his other letters (many of titles often vary from published titles. The “book them major figures of evolutionary biology, in- reviews” subseries consists largely of reviews cluding Francisco Ayala, Ernst Mayr, G.G. Simp- written for the New York Review of Books, though son and G. Ledyard Stebbins). Series eleven there are a substantial number of reviews written contains Gould's conference, lecture, and sympo- for other publications. Publications in the “re- sia materials. Gould presented throughout his ca- prints & articles by Gould” subseries are ordered reer at conferences, lectures, and symposia around
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the world. Series ten focuses on Gould's work in spondence, manuscripts, and juvenilia; while the various organizations, on numerous committees second phase consisted of basic arrangement and and boards. Gould was a longtime fellow of the description of the remainder of the collection. In American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the addition to these textual materials, Gould's com- American Association for the Advancement of puter files, audiovisual materials, and personal Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Sci- book collection were all cataloged/processed in ences (NAS), and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. separate efforts by various Special Collections Gould was the recipient of many prestigious fel- staff members. lowships throughout his career; in 1981 Gould The Stephen Jay Gould papers and artifacts was among the first group of recipients of the were processed by Jenny Johnson, with assistance MacArthur Foundation Prize fellowship. He from Laura Williams and Beth Goder. Born digi- served as an officer and advisor on numerous tal files were imaged, assessed, and processed by boards for organizations such as the Bermuda Peter Chan. Gould's born digital files were among Biological Station, the Rockefeller Foundation, the first to be handled by Stanford's nascent Digi- and the Smithsonian Institution. Files in this series tal Archives program, and were used as a test case are listed in alphabetical order by organization. for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funded Conclusion “Born Digital Collections: An Inter-Institutional Model for Stewardship (AIMS)” project. Audio- Here we have attempted only to provide an visual materials were inventoried by Crystal intriguing glimpse into the rich array of materials Rengal. The cataloging and handling of Gould's available in the Stephen Jay Gold papers. We rare and antiquarian books was capably handled have not even touched on Gould's active role in by Janet Sakai, John Mustain, and Peter Whidden. the public controversy with American creationists, The scanning of Gould's books is being carried his work as an expert witness before the US Sen- out by Stanford's Digital Library Systems and ate, or the details of his technical work with Services (DLSS) group, and will be made availa- Cerion. Indeed, it would be nearly impossible to ble via Searchworks, Stanford's online catalog convey the vast array of materials produced and system. collected by Stephen Jay Gould during his prolific and varied career as a biological writer and think- er. The archival material collected by the Stanford University Special Collections Department will go Collection Contact Information far to enriching our understanding of the work of Special Collections and University Archives this intriguing and provocative evolutionary Stanford University thinker. Stanford, CA 94305
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/uarch/ Organization of the Gould Papers Email [email protected] The Stephen Jay Gould papers consist of 564.5 linear feet of material, which includes over 1 Gould, Stephen Jay. The Structure of Evolutionary Theory. 850 boxes of textual, photographic, and artifactual 1ST ed. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002. materials; approximately 450 audiovisual items; 2 Algo Donmyer Henderson, Antioch college: its design for and 1,180 computer media files (52 megabytes). liberal education (Harper & brothers, 1964). The papers were processed largely in two phases 3 Antioch College Community Council in Antioch Notes over the span of approximately two years. The Vol 38, May 191, Number 8 in Stephen Jay Gould Papers, first phase was focused primarily on a detailed M1437. Box 122, Folder 10-12 Dept. of Special Collec- processing of the three main series: his corre- tions, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
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4 Gould was explicit on his reflections about scientific real- 9 Letter from Stephen Jay Gould to Edwin Barber 20 De- ism and relativism. See particularly Stephen Jay Gould, cember 1977 in Box 149, Folder 8 in Stephen Jay Gould “Deconstructing the 'Science Wars' by Reconstructing an Papers, Stanford University. Old Mold,” Science. 287 (January 14, 2000): 253-261 10 The terminology for the “modern synthesis,” “evolution- 5 Gould goes through the measures of the biological deter- ary synthesis” and “neo-darwinism” is a moving target, miners of intelligence: craniometry and IQ tests. He ar- according to Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, Unifying Biolo- gues that such researchers as Samuel George Mort- gy: The evolutionary synthesis and evolutionary biology on, Louis Agassiz, and Paul Broca committed the fallacy (Princeton University Press, 1996). By this terminology of using their expected racist conclusions as part of their we most generally mean both the theoretical articulation reasoning. that combined genetic variation with natural selection, but 6 The most famous example of this—Allen, Elizabeth et al. also the research and institutional programs that arose (1975) “Against Sociobiology” (letter) New York Review from the 1940s onward to constitute “evolutionary biolo- of Books 22 (Nov. 13): 184-186. gy,” with the understanding that these are historically and 7 intellectually complicated terms. Letter from Stephen Jay Gould to Alan Ternes 25 June 11 1973 in Box 230, Folder 3 in Stephen Jay Gould Papers, For a summary of the ideological, disciplinary and institu- Stanford University. tional aspects of the public understanding of science: Bri- an Wynne. “Public Understanding of Science” in Sheila 8 Letter from Alan Ternes to Stephen Jay Gould August 17, Jasanoff and Society for Social Studies of Science, Hand- 1973 in Box 230, Folder 3, Stephen Jay Gould Papers, book of Science and Technology Studies (SAGE, 1995). Stanford University.
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The Amram Scheinfeld Papers at Columbia University
Nathan Q. Ha
RAM SCHEINFELD (1897–1979) was a From Cartoons to Genetics scientific journalist and professional Scheinfeld was born in Louisville, Kentucky cartoonist, based in New York City. but grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his After high school, Scheinfeld worked father was a rabbi. Upon graduating high school A as a newspaperman before he learned in 1914, Scheinfeld began working as a cartoonist about genetics and became a vocal advocate and and journalist for several Milwaukee newspapers. popularizer of the discipline. He sold hundreds of Local editors quickly recognized Scheinfeld’s tal- thousands of books, including: You and Heredity ents as a cartoonist, satirist, and writer; they re- (1939), Women and Men (1944), Why You are warded him with steady assignments and You (1959 children’s book), Your Heredity and promotions that ferried him to America’s eastern Environment (1965), and Twins and Supertwins seaboard and, ultimately, to New York City. By (1969). These books represent Scheinfeld’s endur- the late 1920s, however, Scheinfeld had grown ing fascination with the hereditary basis of human restless with his profession. After some soul- difference, especially the origins of sex, race, and searching, he realized that his work as a journalist talent. Scheinfeld also meditated upon these had exposed him to a broad cross-section of socie- themes in the numerous articles that he wrote for ty that left him wondering about the ultimate major American magazines, such as Reader’s Di- causes of human achievement and difference. gest, Collier’s, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Cos- Scheinfeld then turned to genetics for the answers mopolitan. Most of these articles are preserved in to these burning questions. the Scheinfeld papers. The papers also include his correspondence with intellectual luminaries grap- During the early 1930s, he read voraciously in pling with the questions of sexual and racial dif- the field and even took a genetics class at New ference, including Ashley Montagu, Alfred York University. First and foremost a dramatist, Kinsey, and Theodosius Dobzhansky. The Scheinfeld wrote a play, “Chromosome,” about Scheinfeld collection is a rich resource that offers his newfound passion. When he finished the draft historians an opportunity to examine scientific in 1935, however, he realized that audiences popularization and to explore a crucial period in might not appreciate his clever jokes about fruit American history when biologists, social scien- flies and chromosomes. Indeed, he had struggled a tists, and journalists challenged and reformulated great deal to master the technical language and scientific discourses about sex and race. details of genetics in textbooks and professional articles, the only available sources on the subject. Inspiration struck: Scheinfeld resolved to write a book that could present the latest findings of ge-
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netics in a format that would be accessible and compelling to a general audience.1
You and Heredity Published in 1939, You and Heredity ex- plained basic genetic concepts in plain language and was rich illustrated. The book proved a commercial success and earned Scheinfeld im- mediate notoriety. You and Heredity made the Book-of-the-Month Club list, sold over 150,000 copies, and was lauded by professional biologists and lay readers, alike. It established Scheinfeld’s credentials as a scientific journalist and encour- aged him to spend the rest of his life writing books as well as newspaper and magazine arti- cles that popularized recent biological and psy- chological studies about human behavior. For the next forty years, Scheinfeld revised You and Heredity several times in an effort to keep to keep the book current and his income steady. He also produced other books, most no- tably Women and Men, which sold thousands of copies, but did not achieve the same widespread distribution as You and Heredity. Scheinfeld continued to maintain a respectable career as a free-lance writer for magazines. His articles in Collier’s and Ladies’ Home Journal borrowed material from his books, disseminating the “facts” about the biological bases of differences eugenics and highlighting how the “new” human between men and women. From 1951–1965, he genetics could be useful for treating diseases, es- 2 also authored a column in Cosmopolitan called pecially mental illness. He gave lectures at Yale “Looking into People,” which provided a digest of University and Cornell University where he was psychological, biological, and medical studies introduced as a doctor or professor. And by the about the hereditary and environmental compo- end of his life, he was a member of the American nents of human preferences and peccadilloes. Association for the Advancement of Science, American Psychological Association, American At the same time, Scheinfeld garnered credi- Society of Human Genetics, New York Academy bility in the circles of professional science. He of Sciences, American Sociological Association, published articles in specialist journals such as and the Eugenics Society (of England). In 1974, Psychoanalysis, Eugenics Quarterly, and Today’s Hebrew University in Jerusalem opened the Health, a newsletter of the American Medical As- Scheinfeld Center for Human Genetics, a behav- sociation. In these publications, Scheinfeld con- ioral genetics center named for Scheinfeld and his tributed to efforts to rebrand the study of human brother, Aaron, a successful entrepreneur who had heredity, by distancing it from the past abuses of endowed the center.3
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cial and sexual differences, according to the social scientists, were socially constructed, not biologi- cally preordained.4 Scheinfeld’s papers reveal his ambivalent rela- tionship with this thesis and its proponents. His correspondence with physical anthropologist Ash- ley Montagu,5 for instance, demonstrates Scheinfeld’s mixed thinking about the biological basis of race and sex. Both Montagu and Scheinfeld rejected biological theories of racial difference, but the two did not follow other social scientists, such as Margaret Mead, in dismissing biological theories of sexual difference as well. In fact, both Montagu and Scheinfeld wrote books emphasizing the differences that did exist between male and female. Scheinfeld went so far as to al- lege that his book, Women and Men, prompted Ashley Montagu to write, The Natural Superiority of Women (1952). But Scheinfeld made it clear that he did not agree with the thesis of Montagu’s book. Women and men, according to Scheinfeld, possessed unique strengths and weaknesses, and it did not make sense to argue that one was superior to the other.6 Alongside his correspondence with intellectu- als and experts, Scheinfeld’s vast collection of magazine articles and the occasional letters that he received from his general readers shed light on the kinds of questions that interested Americans at the time. “With your vast knowledge of human genet- Genetics, Sex, and Race ics,” one reader wrote, “would you encourage or discourage intermarriage between Negro and In the writings he produced throughout his white or Mongolian and white?” Scheinfeld re- life, Scheinfeld advocated the science of genetics sponded that racial intermarriages were not bio- as the exemplary source of knowledge for infor- logically detrimental: “The problem was purely a mation about differences in human physicality, social one.” Other readers wanted to know more psychology, and behavior. As his book explained about paternity tests, especially when a dark- to children, genetics told them: “Why you are skinned baby was born to white parents. Race, you.” Scheinfeld’s biologically essentialist posi- sex, and miscegenation in other words, were top- tion, however, was being challenged at the time. ics that figured prominently in the minds of During the middle decades of the twentieth centu- Americans during the middle decades of the twen- ry, social scientists, following the leads of anthro- tieth century. By examining Scheinfeld’s papers, pologist Franz Boas and psychoanalyst Sigmund we can learn about how some Americans, includ- Freud, gained much traction by arguing that cul- ing Scheinfeld, vacillated between biological and ture and early childhood experiences produced the social scientific explanations of human differ- most salient differences in human behavior. Ra-
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ences, as they struggled to resolve their concerns In 1953, Scheinfeld actually spent time at Kin- about sexual and racial transgressions.7 sey’s Institute for Sex Research. Ultimately, how- ever, Scheinfeld ended up publishing articles that The Scheinfeld Collection were somewhat critical of Kinsey’s work. Boxes Most of Scheinfeld’s papers are located at Co- 22 and 23 contain his research on twins, especial- lumbia University’s Rare Books and Manuscript ly the Dionne quintuplets, biologically identical Library, although some are held at Milwaukee sisters whose lives took drastically different tra- Public Library. Only the Columbia University pa- jectories. pers, consisting of four sections, are discussed Finally, Part III contains business correspond- here. The first section is a box of catalogued cor- ence with Scheinfeld’s publishers. These files respondence with individuals that Scheinfeld were helpful for getting a sense of the sales and deemed significant, especially Montagu. Also distribution of his books, as well as his struggles noteworthy is his brief correspondence with Mary with particular publishing houses. Calderone, in which he claims to have suggested the name “Planned Parenthood” to her. For those interested in the history of scientific journalism and popularization, the Scheinfeld pa- The other three parts of Scheinfeld’s papers pers present a rare opportunity to investigate the are far more extensive. Part I consists of eight career of an individual who had no formal scien- boxes that contain manuscripts for his most fa- tific training, but still managed to serve as a suc- mous books. The richest materials, however, are cessful intermediary between the worlds of contained in Part II (18 boxes). This part holds professional science and the mass media. In addi- manuscripts of his articles, stories, and cartoons, tion, Scheinfeld’s lifelong commitment to genet- as well as published copies of his periodical arti- ics and hereditary explanations of human behavior cles. These boxes are not organized chronologi- allows for potentially rich explorations of the rela- cally, and the available finding aid does not detail tionship between sex, race, and science during the their contents so I will cover the highlights here. middle decades of the twentieth century. Transcripts of his interviews on radio and televi- sion reside in Box 9. Boxes 15, 17, and 19 hold high school memorabilia and newspaper articles Collection Contact Information that Scheinfeld wrote for the Milwaukee Free Press, Wisconsin News, and Baltimore-area news- Columbia University Libraries Rare Book and Manuscript Library papers. They might be especially useful to those Butler Library, 6th floor East looking for material about the angst and concerns 535 West 114th St. of teenage life during the 1910s and World War I. New York, NY 10027 Cartoons and comic strips, drawn during the 1920s and 1930s, are held in Boxes 12 through Phone 212-854-5590 | Fax 212-854-1365 Email [email protected] 14. The cartoons poke fun at the trials and tribula- tions of the publishing industry, while the comic strips depict the urban lives of poker players, 1 Amram Scheinfeld, “Notes for Biography”, January “Eddie’s Friends,” and modern women such as 1939, 3–6, Box 19, Folder Biography A.S. Old, Amram “Plain Katie Smith, an orphan making it in the big Scheinfeld Papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, city.” Box 18 contains nearly all of the “Looking Columbia University, New York City, New York; into People” columns that Scheinfeld wrote for Amram Scheinfeld, “Chromosome”, 1935, Box 10, Folder “Play Chromosome,” Amram Scheinfeld Papers, Cosmopolitan. Boxes 19–21 are full of materials Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia Universi- related to his research about sex, including corre- ty, New York City, New York. spondence with John Money and Alfred Kinsey.
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2 Amram Scheinfeld, “Changing Attitudes Toward Hu- respondence,” Amram Scheinfeld Papers, Rare Book man Genetics and Eugenics,” Eugenics Quarterly 5, no. and Manuscript Library, Columbia University, New 3 (September 1958): 145–153. For other papers, see York City, New York. For Scheinfeld’s critique of femi- Box 16 of the Scheinfeld papers. nine “superiority” and women’s liberation, see Amram 3 Scheinfeld, “Notes for Biography”; Ernie Meyer, “From Scheinfeld, “The Sex Differences and ‘Women’s Liber- Cartoonist to Geneticist,” The Jerusalem Post, May 10, ation’”, 1973, Folder “Science Looks at W’s Lib,” Box 1974. 20, Amram Scheinfeld Papers, Rare Book and Manu- 4 Joanne Meyerowitz, “‘How Common Culture Shapes the script Library, Columbia University, New York City, Separate Lives’: Sexuality, Race and Mid-Twentieth- New York. Century Social Constructionist Thought,” Journal of 7 Ernest Pettinger to Amram Scheinfeld, January 6, 1953, American History (March 2010): 1057–1084. Folder “Corresp. Heredity,” Box 9, Amram Scheinfeld 5 See also Adam Najarian, “The Ashley Montagu Papers at Papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia the American Philosophical Society,” The Mendel News- University, New York City, New York. Other corre- letter, n.s., No. 18 (August 2010), pp. 3-9. spondence with readers can also be found in Box 9. 6 Ashley Montagu to Amram Scheinfeld, January 12, 1945, Folder Montagu, Ashley, Box 1 “Catalogued Cor-
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The Walter M. Fitch Papers in the American Philosophical Society
Charles Greifenstein Associate Librarian & Curator of Manuscripts, American Philosophical Society
ALTER MONROE FITCH (1929– amounts of data, a task made much easier by the 2011) was born in San Diego. He 1980s with the widespread use of computers. Yet, received both an AB in chemistry at its heart, a phylogenetic relationship is simple: (1953) and a PhD in biochemistry species x and species y have a common ancestor as (1958) from the University of Cal- demonstrated by the sharing of a protein, DNA, or W 2 ifornia, Berkeley. From 1962 until 1986 he was RNA sequence. Figure 2, undated but found with professor in the Physiological Chemistry De- the 1966–67 research notes, shows the speciation partment at the University of Wisconsin, Madi- process in its simplest form. (Note the questioning son, then, after a few years at the University of of the third step, in red.) Fitch’s and Margoliash’s Southern California, became Distinguished Pro- paper demonstrated conclusively that gene sequenc- fessor and Chair, Department of Ecology and es could be traced molecularly over time and across Evolutionary Biology at the University of Cali- species. fornia, Irvine in 1989. Much of Fitch’s work thereafter explored the After an initial investigations into rat metab- burgeoning field he helped create. For instance, in olism, Fitch’s interest shifted to analysis of nu- 1971 he developed the Fitch Parsimony Algorithm,3 cleotide sequences. In 1967, he and Emanuel designed to determine which possible phylogenic Margoliash published their ground breaking pa- tree shows the least evolutionary change—that is, is per in Science,1 “The Construction of Phylogen- the most parsimonious, and thus most likely the best ic Trees: A Generally Applicable Method tree constructable with the available data. Perhaps Utilizing Estimates of the Mutation Distance most importantly, he, along with Masatoshi Nei, Obtained from Cytochrome c Sequences.” A founded Molecular Biology and Evolution. Fitch mitrochondrial protein, cyto-chrome c shows served as first editor-in-chief. To say he was a rig- little change in its sequencing across species (is orous and demanding editor is not an overstatement. said to be “highly conserved”) and thus proves He worked hard, set high standards and expected useful in studying speciation. contributors to meet them. The Fitch Papers have research notes from The papers contain relatively little that is direct- the time the paper was being written. Figure 1 ly about his ten years as editor, but his rigor, atten- shows some of the complex calculations needed tion to detail, and professionalism are evident in a to develop genetic relationships (including a letter he wrote Motoo Kimura dated August 11, proposed theorem). Phylogenetic relationships 1983. Kimura had complained to Nei about changes are only made clear by sorting through large made to the manuscript of an article that would
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appear in the first issue of MBE.4 Addressed 1992, with Fitch as first president and Nei as presi- “Dear Motoo,” the letter is worth quoting at dent-elect. length: Two other aspects of Fitch’s work deserve men- Masatoshi has, as you wished, conveyed to me tion. Fitch was concerned with the spread of Crea- your complaint and I am frankly dismayed at your at- tionism and its effect on the teaching of evolution. titude. I’ve never pretended to be a population ge- neticist; indeed, I have never taken a genetics course. Among his activities promoting science education Nonetheless I suspect I know at least as much genet- were developing a class on creation and evolution at ics as you know about biochemistry. But what dif- Irvine for undergraduates and as a member of the ference does it make that neither of us knows working group of the National Council for Science everything except that we should try to help each Education that produced Evolution, Science, and other? Help is what I was trying to give you and what I wrote in rephrasing your words was intended Society: Educating a New Generation (1998). The partly to show what you could seem to be saying. If title of his last work, The Three Failures of Crea- that rephrasing was wrong, it means you had not been tionism: Logic, Rhetoric, and Science, pithily sums sufficiently clear. Most changes, however, were up where he stood. (The book was just published simply to improve the English. What I am dismayed by University of California Press.) about is that, instead of using my efforts as a basis for improving your manuscript so that non-population Finally, Fitch investigated the construction of geneticists may more easily understand your im- phylogenetic trees for the human influenza virus. It portant contributions, you simply ignored all of them is a great concern of the scientific and health estab- on the grounds that I am ignorant (“lacks knowledge”), that I am careless and that I am im- lishments about both the appearance of new influ- modest. The fact is that “who” is a pronoun used for enza strains and if any emergent strains could be as persons and “which” for non-persons and the noun deadly as the strain that killed 20 to 50 million peo- “number” take a singular, not a plural, verb. Those ple 1918–19. Fitch published a number of papers are hardly important items in a Japanese scientist’s with other on about the influenza virus, including life but when I quietly make those corrections on the manuscript, and you ignore them, who is more lack- “Predicting the Evolution of Human Influenza A” ing in modesty? (Science, 1999) and “Effects of Passage History and I think you need greatly to understand better Sampling Bias in Phylogenetic Reconstruction of what Masatoshi’s and my role is. We want good sci- Human Influenza A Evolution” (Proceedings of the entists publishing good work that is read by the wid- National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.), 2000). est spectrum of scientists that would profit from understanding that work. You are a good scientist do- There is at least one folder with material relating ing good work and Masatoshi and I are well aware of to Fitch’s influenza researcher. The whole collec- that. To accept a manuscript showing such good work tion is about 25 linear feet of material. The collec- does not, however, mean that it is incapable of im- tion is roughly organized, and shows there to be, for provement. We both try very hard to help every au- example, classwork, research data (about two linear thor make his paper more easily understood to a wider audience. We are not so arrogant as to believe feet), work on the Proceedings of the National that all our suggestions are correct but every author Academy of Science, work with the Centers for Dis- would profit from trying to understand why we might ease Controls, material covering campus life at Ir- think there is a problem and trying to solve it. vine, and about four linear feet of correspondence At the beginning of his editorship, Fitch dating back to 1958, with other correspondence knew exactly how he would proceed. And the found throughout the collection. founding and success of the journal proved Thanks to the assistance of Walter Fitch’s friend more fruitful than bringing forth better papers. and colleague Francisco Ayala and to the generosity The community brought together by the journal of Prof. Fitch’s wife Chung Cha Ziesel-Fitch, Wal- evolved into the Society for Molecular Biology ter Fitch’s papers have been deposited at the APS. and Evolution, becoming a separate entity in
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Collection Contact Information 1 Vol. 155, 279-284. American Philosophical Society Library 2 This is a simple overview. Gene ancestry can also be tracked 105 South 5th St. within an organism; such ancestral genes are called Philadelphia, PA 19106 paralogs. Genes in speciated organisms with a common an- cestor are called orthologs. Phone: 215-440-3400 3 “Toward Defining the Course of Evolution: Minimum http://www.amphilsoc.org/library Change for a Specific Tree Typology,” Systematic Zoology, Email: [email protected] 20, 406-16. 4 “Rare Variant Alleles in the Light of the Neutral Theory” (1)1: 1983, 84-93. Motoo’s original does not appear to be in the papers.
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Collections at the Center for Biology and Society, Arizona State University
Nathan Crowe and Stephanie Crowe
HE CENTER FOR BIOLOGY AND SOCIETY Biology). The collection contains records relating to (CBS) at Arizona State University his work in these positions, which provide rich de- maintains a small collection of archival tails about Hull’s professional life and about the holdings in the history and philosophy workings of these groups. The collection also in- Tof biology. The Center’s collections include ma- cludes valuable correspondence, both professional terials from four prominent scholars: David and personal. The remainder of the David Hull Pa- Hull, Richard Jeffrey, Philip Pauly, and Alfred pers can be found in the Archives of Scientific Phi- Sturtevant. In all but Pauly's case, the collec- losophy at the University of Pittsburgh. tions at CBS supplement these scholars’ person- Richard Jeffrey (1926–2002), whose family do- al papers at other archives around the country. nated his collection to CBS in 2003, was an influen- David Hull (1935–2010) was an important tial probability theorist. He worked at UC–Irvine philosopher of biology whose work became and several other institutions before spending the foundational for much of the discipline. After majority of his career as a professor of philosophy being awarded the first PhD in the history and at Princeton University. Jeffrey was a prolific philosophy of science from Indiana University scholar who wrote five books (including his influ- in 1964, Hull took a position at the University of ential The Logic of Decision), edited or co-edited Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where he taught until six others, and authored or co-authored 67 articles. 1984. From 1985 to his retirement in 2000, Hull His collection at CBS consists of approximately was the Dressler Professor in the Humanities at seven cubic feet of reprints and articles by a variety Northwestern University. Hull published prolif- of philosophers on a wide range of philosophical ically throughout his career on a range of sub- topics. Many of Jeffrey’s own articles are also in- jects, many of which are reflected in the papers cluded in the collection. His personal library of he donated to CBS in 2009. books on philosophy, which is twenty-nine three- foot shelves in extent, is also located at the Center The David Hull collection at CBS consists for Biology and Society. Jeffrey’s collection at CBS of mainly of books, reprints, and professional is a useful supplement to the Richard C. Jeffrey Pa- materials, as well as a smattering of correspond- pers, which are, like Hull’s, in the Archives of Sci- ence. As a leader in the field, Hull reviewed entific Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. many manuscripts and related materials, many of which he saved. Hull also served as president The Center for Biology and Society also main- of the Philosophy of Science Association and tains a collection of papers from historian Philip Society for Systematic Zoology and editor of Pauly. Pauly (1950–2008) graduated from Catholic Systematic Zoology (now known as Systematic University in 1971, received his M.A. from the
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University of Maryland in 1975, and worked from 1979–1996. The correspondence files in par- under Donna Haraway at Johns Hopkins Uni- ticular provide an intriguing glimpse into the pro- versity where he was awarded a PhD in 1981. fessional life of an extremely significant historian of Soon after receiving his PhD, Pauly began his biology from the late twentieth century. long career at Rutgers University, where he dis- Finally, CBS maintains the Alfred H. Sturtevant tinguished himself as an outstanding historian of Collection of Reprints, sixty cubic feet in extent. science, publishing three books and numerous Sturtevant, one of the founders of genetics, was a articles. He was also professionally active, serv- long-time associate of T. H. Morgan in his fly lab at ing on committees and editorial boards through- Columbia University and later at Cal Tech. The col- out his career. lection is an extremely detailed and well-organized The Pauly Papers at the Center for Biology collection of reprints in a wide variety of biological and Society consist of eighteen cubic feet of his fields, including genetics and heredity, agriculture, research and teaching materials. The vast major- and cancer research, among others. The vast majori- ity of the collection contains copies of primary ty of reprints are in English, but other languages and secondary sources and research notes, re- represented include French, German, Russian, and flecting the scope and breadth of his intellectual Japanese. The Sturtevant reprints were donated to pursuits throughout his career. Many of the arti- CBS by colleague Edward Novitski (and Novitski, a cles and notes relate to his three books: Control- former student of Sturtevant’s and also a Drosophi- ling Life: Jacques Loeb and the Engineering la researcher, added some of his own reprints to the Ideal in Biology (1987), Biologists and the collection as well). They offer a look at the mind Promise of American Life: From Meriwether and interests of one of the most prominent biolo- Lewis to Alfred Kinsey (2000), and Fruits and gists of the twentieth century and provide a wealth Plains: The Horticultural Transformation of of associated publications that would be difficult to America (2008). Along with numerous primary pull together even in today's digitized library envi- sources that Pauly collected from both print ronments. The remainder of Sturtevant’s papers are sources and archives, his materials concerning available in the archives at the California Institute Jacques Loeb include a transcript of an oral his- of Technology. tory that Pauly did with Loeb’s brother Leonard, Finding aids for each of the collections are in as well as Pauly’s notes from interviews with B. process. All of the collections are available to re- F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlov. searchers. Though much of the Pauly collection re- volves around research connected to his three largest monograph projects, several boxes con- tain research and materials related to other as- Collection Contact Information pects of his career. There are many folders Center for Biology and Society associated with his work on alcoholism and Arizona State University prohibition, for instance. Pauly also dutifully PO Box 873301 kept many of the history of science papers he Tempe AZ 85287 wrote throughout his education, from under- graduate through graduate school. In addition, Phone 480-965-8927 | Fax 480-965-8330 Email [email protected] the collection includes approximately 0.5 cubic feet of Pauly’s professional correspondence
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References Maienschein, J. (2012). Eloge: Philip J. Pauly, 3 September 1950–2 April 2008. Isis 100: 369-371. Fellman, Megan. “David L. Hull, Philosopher of Science, Dies,” Northwestern University News Center, August 12, 2010. http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2010/0 8/david-hull-philosophy-obituary.html Center for Biology and Society. Collections Descriptions. http://cbs.asu.edu/library/collections/index.php
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2013–2014
Resident Research Fellowships in Genetics, History of Medicine and Related Disciplines
The American Philosophical Society Library in Philadelphia offers competitive short-term funded fellowships supporting in-residence studies with its collections
The American Philosophical Society Library Our collection strengths include, but are not limited to We are a leading international center for historical research with holdings renowned for their depth and • Studies in Genetics and Eugenics interdisciplinary value to scholars. Resources include • History of Physiology, Biochemistry and Bio- more than 11 million manuscript items, 350,000 print- physics ed volumes, thousands of maps, prints and photo- • American and European Science and Technology graphs, and thousands of hours of audio recordings. • Natural History Through the 19th Century Among the Library’s most well known collec- tions are the papers of many noted scholars, academ- History of Genetics Collections ics and statesmen particularly of the 18th through The American Philosophical Society began spe- 20th centuries. Significant research collections of far- cifically collecting manuscripts and books relating to reaching social and political interests embrace topics the history of genetics in the early 1960s at the insti- as diverse as first-person historical accounts and the gation of the mouse geneticist L. C. Dunn, but it was official records of research organizations. Our hold- the project conducted by H. Bentley Glass between ings have great depth in many fields of history, sci- 1977 and 1985 that led to truly outstanding growth. ence, and art, conserving centuries of intellectual Funded by the Mellon Foundation, Glass surveyed pursuits, professional achievements and the personal and indexed the existing collections at the library and reflections of men and women worldwide. The Li- prepared a printed guide to them for researchers. This brary does not hold collections on philosophy in the was the original basis for the comprehensive guide to modern sense. Interested parties unsure if the Library the American Philosophical Society’s own collec- has materials related to their research are invited to tions in genetics, which include the papers of L. C. inquire. Dunn and H. Bentley Glass, among numerous others.
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See the web version of Glass’s guide to the APS Who May Apply holdings at Candidates are www.amphilsoc.org/library/guides/glass • U.S. citizens or foreign nationals This online guide contains links to the collection de- • Holders of the Ph.D. or equivalent scriptions prepared by Glass, to abstracts of some collections acquired since, and, when available, the • Ph.D. candidates having passed their preliminary complete finding aids. Researchers must also exam- examinations ine our comprehensive, up-to-date online finding aids • Degreed independent scholars for all collections through our main page at A stipend of $2,500 per month is awarded for 1 www.amphilsoc.org/library (and there see the drop- to 3 months. Awardees may take their fellowships at downs under “Library”). any time between 1 June 2013 and 31 May 2014. The APS continues to seek out new collections in Fellows must maintain a presence in the Library for the history of genetics and to make them available to consecutive weeks during the term of the fellowship. scholars. Applications are evaluated based on the quality of the project, the letters of recommendation, and the relevance of the Library’s collections to the project. Candidates living more than 75 miles from Philadel- phia receive some preference.
APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ONLY ONLINE
Information and Instructions
www.amphilsoc.org/grants/resident
Next application deadline : 1 March 2013 Notifications are sent in early May
Specific inquiries relating to the Library fellowship program may be sent to [email protected]
Inquiries relating to the APS’s manuscripts, printed-materials, and other collections may be sent to
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