Leo L. Stanley Scrapbooks and Papers, 1849-1974 (Bulk 1928-1965), MS 2061
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c80863rn No online items Finding aid to the Leo L. Stanley scrapbooks and papers, 1849-1974 (bulk 1928-1965), MS 2061 Finding aid prepared by California Historical Society staff. California Historical Society 678 Mission Street San Francisco, CA, 94105-4014 (415) 357-1848 [email protected] © 2001 Finding aid to the Leo L. Stanley MS 2061 1 scrapbooks and papers, 1849-1974 (bulk 1928-1965), ... Title: Leo L. Stanley scrapbooks and papers Date (bulk): 1928-1965 Date (inclusive): 1849-1974 Collection Identifier: MS 2061 Creator: Stanley, Leo L. (Leo Leonidas), b. 1886 Extent: 27 boxes (8 linear feet) Repository: California Historical Society 678 Mission Street San Francisco, CA, 94105 415-357-1848 [email protected] URL: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/ Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite. Language of Materials: Collection Materials are in English Abstract: Comprises scrapbooks, correspondence, writings, publications, and other materials created or collected by Dr. Leo Leonidas Stanley documenting his personal research and professional work as a prison doctor, ship's physician, and medical experimenter (1913-1974). The scrapbooks contain Stanley's observations of conditions at prison hospitals and road camps in the United States and abroad, as well as descriptions of his travels. Scrapbooks, autobiographical writings, and other materials document the experimental testicular transplant surgeries Stanley performed during his tenure at San Quentin. The collection also contains Stanley's correspondence with prisoners, including J.P. "Bluebeard" Watson; Watson's writings, including his novel Tangled; and official reports and records Stanley collected or transcribed from San Quentin. Restrictions on Access Documents in the Leo L. Stanley scrapbooks and papers (MS 2061) containing personally identifiable health information are restricted during the lifetime of the person in question. Individuals are presumed to be deceased 100 years after the date of their birth or the date of record creation, whichever occurs first. The following documents are sealed and closed until the date indicated: 1). All Pacific Cruise: Australia (vol. VI), Box 5, page 284: Sealed and closed until 2029. 2). All Pacific Cruise: New Zealand, Fiji, Pago Pago, Hawaii (vol. VII), Box 5, pages [330-334]: Sealed and closed until 2029. 3). Korea: San Francisco, Honolulu, Wake Island, Tokyo, Seoul: Sealed and closed until 2020. 4). Inspection Tour of Road Camps, Box 22, pages [12] and [19]: Sealed and closed until 2016. Page [13]: Sealed and closed until 2013. Restricted documents have been separated and sealed in Box 27. Publication Rights All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of Library and Archives, North Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Leo L. Stanley Papers, MS 2061, California Historical Society. Related Collections Leo Leonidas Stanley reminiscences, MS 3505 [concerning the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire]. Donor The collection was given to the California Historical Society by Dr. Leo L. Stanley in 1974. System of Arrangement This collection is arranged into three series: 1) Travel scrapbooks, which contain daily descriptions of journeys in the United States and abroad, with accompanying photographs and ephemera; 2) Prison scrapbooks and related material, which include materials pertaining to San Quentin State Prison and prison road camp inspections in California; and 3) Personal papers, articles, and writings, which contain several autobiographical manuscripts, newspaper articles and magazine Finding aid to the Leo L. Stanley MS 2061 2 scrapbooks and papers, 1849-1974 (bulk 1928-1965), ... clippings, correspondence, and a manuscript written by Stanley's father, Dr. Hartwell B. Stanley. Biographical Information Leo Stanley was born in Oregon in 1886 and raised in San Luis Obispo County, California. After receiving his bachelor's degree at Stanford University in 1903 and matriculating to Cooper Medical College in 1908, Stanley served his medical residency at San Quentin State Prison. In 1913, Stanley accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer at the prison, a position he held until his retirement in 1951. During his tenure at San Quentin, Stanley performed medical experiments on prisoners involving testicular transplants, attracting national media attention (the "Buck" Kelly case). This notoriety would cling to him until his death in 1976. Throughout his life, Stanley traveled the world, working as a physician, studying prison hospitals, and observing conditions at prison road camps. He penned a number of articles for San Francisco Bay Area newspapers and medical journals and published several books, including My Most Unforgettable Convicts. The final years of his life were spent writing and working on his farm ("Crest Farm") in Marin County, California, with his second wife Bernice Holthouse. Scope and Content Collection materials document Stanley's personal research and professional work as a prison doctor, ship's physician, and medical experimenter (1913-1974). The scrapbooks contain Stanley's observations of conditions at prison hospitals and road camps in the United States and abroad, as well as descriptions of his travels. Much of the material contains personal and professional anecdotes, and punctuated throughout the collection are a number of autobiographical works ( News Men I Have Known, Three Ways To Win, A Long and Happy One: Autobiography of Leo L. Stanley, and Twenty Years at San Quentin). Significantly, this material includes disparate versions of the experimental testicular transplant surgeries Stanley performed during his tenure at San Quentin. Also noteworthy is Stanley's correspondence with prisoners, including J.P. "Bluebeard" Watson (1879-1939), who was incarcerated and ultimately died at San Quentin State Prison after he was convicted of the murder of fifteen women. As executor of Watson's estate, Stanley retained a number of his writings, including poems, musings, and two versions of Watson's novel Tangled, which are included in the collection. The collection also contains a number of official reports and records Stanley collected or transcribed from San Quentin, including a published register of convicts complete from 1851-1859 ( Register of State Prison at San Quentin 1889). Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog: California State Prison at San Quentin--Officials and employees. California State Prison at San Quentin. Watson, J. P. Convict labor--California. Human experimentation in medicine--California. Prison physicians. Prisoners--California--San Quentin--Fiction. Prisoners--Medical care. Prisons. Ship physicians. Voyages and travels. Voyages around the world. Scrapbooks. General Note The following items were formerly cataloged as MS 1303: Korea: San Francisco, Honolulu, Wake Island, Tokyo, Seoul, 1956; Reports of State Prison Directors on San Quentin, 1855-1912; Register of State Prison at San Quentin 1889; Federal Executions at the California State Prison at San Quentin, 1895; The Evolution of a State Prison, by James Wilkins; and News Men I Have Known. Finding aid to the Leo L. Stanley MS 2061 3 scrapbooks and papers, 1849-1974 (bulk 1928-1965), ... Series 1: Travel scrapbooks 1911-1972 (bulk 1928-1956) Series 1: Travel scrapbooks 1911-1972 (bulk 1928-1956) Scope and Contents Scrapbooks contain daily accounts of each trip and include photographs, maps, travel brochures, news clippings, and other printed matter from places visited. Stanley's observations of conditions at prisons and prison hospitals, and health conditions aboard ships, are often intermingled with personal descriptions of his travels. Box 1 Trident, Scalpel, and Probe: The Adventures of a Ship's Doctor (vol. I) 1928 October 4-1928 November 2 Scope and Contents Stanley acted as the ship's doctor on the S.S. City of Los Angeles voyage around South America. The scrapbook contains notes on the preparation for the trip and the first ports of call, including Callao and Lima, Peru; Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile; the Straits of Magellan; Punta Arenas; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. News from San Quentin is also featured in this volume. Box 2 Trident, Scalpel, and Probe: The Adventures of a Ship's Doctor (vol. II) 1928 November 3-1928 December 6 Scope and Contents Travel itinerary includes Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Santos, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Port of Spain, Trinidad; La Guayra and Caracas, Venezuela; the Panama Canal Zone; San Salvador; Guatemala; and Mazatlan, Mexico. Significantly, the scrapbooks contain notes on visits to local prison hospitals. Box 2 All Pacific Cruise: Japan (vol. I) 1929 January 14-1929 October 3 Scope and Contents Stanley was the ship's doctor on the S.S. Malolo's cruise around the Pacific. The beginning of the scrapbook describes preparations and departure.