Papers of Hugh Macdonald Sinclair (D HS)
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Museum of English Rural Life Papers of Hugh Macdonald Sinclair (D HS) Records of Hugh Macdonald Sinclair covering his early life, academic career and work on the importance of human nutrition. Includes papers relating to early life, study at university and early career 1910-1936; papers relating to research including reprints of published articles, conference papers, copies of speeches, records of Eskimo study 1979, papers relating to Multiple Sclerosis and fluoridation research; papers relating to teaching at University of Oxford and Magdalen College 1934-80 and University of Reading 1970-80 including lecture notes and handouts; correspondence with academics and industry 1930s-1990; papers relating to Lady Place including plans and sale of contents 1934-94; books edited or authored by Sinclair; records of the Sinclair family 1800s-1990 including accounts, memoirs, letters, diaries and photographs; records of the Oxford Nutrition Survey (ONS) 1941- 44 relating to UK and overseas activities including correspondence, notes, papers relating to clinical examinations, survey forms, cope-chat cards, test results, photographs, reports on individual studies, notebooks, Hollerith cards and notes on visits to Netherlands and Germany for Control Commission for Germany; records of the Laboratory of Human Nutrition (LHN) 1945-58 including correspondence, memoranda and committee minutes, records of experiments and results and papers relating to closure; records of the International Institute of Human Nutrition (IIHN) 1972-1994 including annual accounts, correspondence, papers relating to staff, minutes, memoranda and staff notices; records of the Association for the Study of Human Nutrition, later known as the International Nutrition Foundation (INF) 1972- 94 including minutes, correspondence, papers relating to closure after Sinclair’s death; records of Courtenay Nurseries 1942-90 including accounts and correspondence. The Collection covers the year’s 1855-1994. The physical extent of the collection is approximately 555 boxes. Introduction Hugh Macdonald Sinclair was born in 1910 and came from a well-connected family. He was educated at Winchester and Oriel College. He continued his studies at University College Hospital and obtained his Oxford DM in 1939. Sinclair was elected as university demonstrator and lecturer in biochemistry at Oxford, and a fellow of Magdalen College, in 1937. Sinclair was the Director of the Oxford Nutrition Survey (ONS) from 1942-7. The ONS carried out surveys for the Government on a wide range of groups in the UK, such as pregnant women, students and manual workers. The surveys were used to help ensure that ration levels were sufficient for maintaining a healthy population. The ONS also carried out survey work in the British occupied areas of Germany and the Netherlands after the war where the people were suffering from malnutrition. The ONS became the Laboratory of Human Nutrition (LHN) in 1946. Sinclair was appointed Reader in Human Nutrition at Oxford in 1951. However, by this time the study of nutrition as a separate subject was not viewed by many in the Page 1 of 462 Museum of English Rural Life medical profession or academia to be necessary; it was felt all significant research on the subject had already been done. Sinclair lost his position at Oxford in 1958. The loss of Sinclair’s post was also contributed by other factors. One was his interest in the relative deficiency of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (EFAs) which he felt was the main cause of various ‘diseases of civilization’ such as heart disease. In 1956 he wrote a long and controversial letter outlining his views to The Lancet (6 April 1956, 381). He was widely disagreed with. We now know that Sinclair was ahead of the times and take for granted that EFAs play an important role in human nutrition. Another factor was Sinclair’s unfortunate manner of dealing with authority, something that many remember him for. Although he lost his readership he remained a fellow at Magdalen. Sinclair spent the next few years teaching abroad and raising money to set up an independent nutrition institute. Largely with independent means, he set up the International Institute of Human Nutrition (IIHN) in 1972 and spent the rest of his life trying to raise funds for what he saw as a key research institute for the study of nutrition. Sinclair continued to research the role of EFAs and particularly studied population groups such as Eskimos who had little instances of heart disease but had a diet high in fat. His interest in this area had first occurred during the War when he visited Canada to assist the Air Force in investigating snow-blindness. He made his initial observations about the Eskimo population and their diet during his time in Canada and in 1976 when he gained funding to study Eskimos in Greenland. In 1979 Sinclair set out to prove the importance of EFAs by living off of an Eskimo diet for 100 days. He ate only seal and fish and tested his blood clotting times. This self-experiment was controversial, and he did not receive any external funding as no ethics committee would approve the diet. Sinclair believed that self- experimentation was key and that testing animals alone was not enough to further research on human nutrition. His results were never properly written up, but he did find that his clotting time extended greatly. No other major research was undertaken by Sinclair although much work was carried out at the IIHN. He sat on many committees, attended a great number of conferences and advised on areas such as fluoridation of water and EFAs. He was a visiting lecturer at the University of Reading (1970-80) and oversaw many students at Magdalen. By the 1970s his ideas on EFAs had become much more widely accepted and the importance of his contribution acknowledged which he greatly enjoyed. He died in 22 June 1990. Dr Sinclair bequeathed his estate to the trustees of the International Institute of Human Nutrition who used the proceeds to establish a university Chair in Human Nutrition. The assets of the estate were transferred to the Hugh Sinclair Trust at the University of Reading in 1995 and in 1997 the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition was established, and the first Hugh Sinclair Professor was appointed. As well as Sinclair's property, the estate included his remaining library, research material and other papers. The Hugh Sinclair Trust at the University of Reading generously funded a project archivist in 2008 to sort and catalogue the archive and raise awareness of this unique collection to researchers. Page 2 of 462 Museum of English Rural Life D HS 1 Biographical and personal records 1855-95 Papers relating to Dr Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's personal life. Includes papers relating to Sinclair's childhood, education, properties, awards and his death. Also includes photographs. D HS 1/1 Correspondence with family members 1910-90 Correspondence with members of Dr Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's family. Largely letters to his mother, Rosalie Sinclair, but also to and from his father, his brother John, sister Catherine and members of the Jackson family (mother's side). 18 files D HS 1/1/1 Postcards to Hugh Macdonald Sinclair c1912-20 Postcards from Dr Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's mother and father, Rosalie and Hugh Montgomerie Sinclair written to their son when he was a small child. 1 packet D HS 1/1/2 Correspondence with Rosalie Sinclair 1919-69 Letters from Rosalie Sinclair to her son Hugh Macdonald Sinclair. There are 12 packets of correspondence from Rosalie from 1919-35. LAter files of correspondence consist of letters and notes to and from Hugh and some correpondence relating to financial arrangements, This series gives an insight into the life of Hugh Sinclair up to 1969 as the correspondence is regular and he describes much of what is going on in both his personal and academic life. 12 packets, 11 files D HS 1/1/3 Correspondence from Hugh Montgomerie Sinclair 1914-24 Letters from Hugh Montgomerie Sinclair to his son Hugh Macdonald Sinclair. These letters start when Hugh Macdonald Sinclair is 4 years old and continue until his father's death in 1924. Page 3 of 462 Museum of English Rural Life 1 file D HS 1/1/4 Correspondence with Hugh Montgomerie and Rosalie Sinclair 1914-21 Letters from Hugh Macdonald Sinclair to his parents, Hugh Montgomerie and Rosalie Sinclair. 1 file D HS 1/1/5 Correspondence from the Jackson family 1910-39 Letters and postcards from Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's maternal grandmother. 1 file D HS 1/1/6 Childhood correspondence c 1914-26 File of letters, postcards and drawings from Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's childhood days. Includes postcards from his nanny, letters from childhood friends whilst away at Winchester School, letters from the Bishop of New Guinea and two watercolours by Sinclair. 1 file D HS 1/1/7 Correspondence from the Hamilton family c1914-34, 1951-65 Letters and postcards from the Hamilton family, relations of Dr Hugh Macdonald Sinclair. 1 packet and 1 file D HS 1/1/8 Correspondence from Janet Sinclair 1930s Letters to Hugh Macdonald Sinclair from his Aunt Janet Sinclair. 1 packet D HS 1/1/9 Correspondence from Gertrude Cuffe, nee Jackson 1920s, 1946-83 Letters from Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's Aunt Gertie (Gertrude Cuffe) and his cousins. Page 4 of 462 Museum of English Rural Life 1 packet and 1 file D HS 1/1/10 Correspondence with John Alexander Sinclair and family 1920s-1977 Correspondence from John Alexander Sinclair, Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's uncle, and his aunt Clara and his cousins. 1 file D HS 1/1/11 Correspondence from Archie, Robin and Marogold Sinclair 1930s-50s Letters from Hugh Macdonald Sinclair's cousins, Archive, Robin and Marigold Sinclair.