Gregory Pincus Papers

Gregory Pincus Papers A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2014 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Additional search options available at: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms015004 LC Online Catalog record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm78047993 Prepared by Manuscript Division Staff Revised by Brian McGuire Collection Summary Title: Gregory Pincus Papers Span Dates: 1920-1989 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1950-1967) ID No.: MSS47993 Creator: Pincus, Gregory, 1903-1967 Extent: 44,000 items ; 211 containers plus 2 oversize ; 85.2 linear feet ; 1 microfilm reel Language: Collection material in English Location: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summary: Biologist. Correspondence, diaries, speech, article, and book file, research files, and miscellaneous material relating to Pincus's life and career, especially his role in developing and testing the contraceptive pill. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Ercoli, Alberto--Correspondence. Garcia, Celso-Ramon, 1921- --Correspondence. Lasker, Mary--Correspondence. McCormick, Katherine Dexter, 1876-1967--Correspondence. Pincus, Gregory, 1903-1967. Rocamora, Hector--Correspondence. Rock, John, 1890-1984--Correspondence. Sanger, Margaret, 1879-1966--Correspondence. Organizations G.D. Searle & Co.--Correspondence. Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. Subjects Birth control. Contraception. Contraceptives. Oral contraceptives--Haiti--Testing. Oral contraceptives--Puerto Rico--Testing. Oral contraceptives. Occupations Biologists. Administrative Information Provenance The papers of Gregory Pincus, biologist, were given to the Library of Congress by Pincus and his family, 1966-1989. Processing History The papers of Gregory Pincus were arranged and described in 1970 and revised in 1978, 1989, and 2014. Gregory Pincus Papers 2 Transfers A video recording has been transferred to the Library's Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where it is identified as part of these papers. Copyright Status Copyright in the unpublished writings of Gregory Pincus in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public. Access and Restrictions The papers of Gregory Pincus are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Microfilm A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on one reel. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. Preferred Citation Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Gregory Pincus Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Biographical Note Date Event 1903, Apr. 9 Born, Woodbind, N.J. 1924 B.S., Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 1924 Married Elizabeth Notkin 1927 M.S., Sc.D., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 1927-1930 Fellow, National Research Council 1930-1931 Instructor of biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 1931-1938 Assistant professor of biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 1936 Published The Eggs of Mammals. New York: Macmillan Co. 1937-1938 Visiting investigator, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England 1938-1945 Visiting professor of experimental zoology, Clark University, Worcester, Mass. 1939-1941 Guggenheim Fellow 1944 Established with Hudson Hoagland the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsburg, Mass. 1944-1956 Director of laboratories, Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsburg, Mass. Gregory Pincus Papers 3 1946-1950 Research professor of physiology, Tufts Medical School, Boston, Mass. 1950-1967 Research professor of biology, Boston University, Boston, Mass. 1956-1960 Chairman, Endocrinology Panel, Cancer Chemotherapy National Service Center, National Institutes of Health, Washington, D.C. 1956-1967 Research director, Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology 1960 Received Albert D. Lasker Award 1965 Published The Control of Fertility. New York: Academic Press 1967 Received American Medical Association Scientific Achievement Award 1967, Aug. 22 Died, Boston, Mass. Scope and Content Note The papers of Gregory Goodwin Pincus (1903-1967) span the period 1920-1989, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the years 1950-1967. The collection consists of diaries, correspondence, writings, research files, and miscellaneous material relating to Pincus's life and career, especially his role in developing and testing the contraceptive pill. The papers are organized into eight series: Diaries; Personal Correspondence; Professional Correspondence; Speech, Article, and Book File; Research Material; Notebooks; Financial Papers; and Miscellany. The largest portion of the collection, the Professional Correspondence series, is compartmented into four subseries: General File, G. D. Searle & Company File, Cancer Chemotherapy National Service Center File, and Grants File. Prominent in the General File subseries of the Professional Correspondence are materials pertaining to the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, which Pincus helped found, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Among the studies documented are projects conducted by Pincus in Haiti and Puerto Rico while developing and testing the oral contraceptive. Correspondence and reports concern the women who participated in the project and note their experiences, side effects, and thoughts and feelings about the contraceptive pill. Significant correspondents include Alberto Ercoli, Celso-Ramon Garcia, Mary Lasker, Edris Rice-Wray, Hector Rocamora, and Margaret Sanger. Files relating to the G. D. Searle & Company, which manufactured most of the compounds investigated by Pincus in the search for the oral contraceptives, document his relationship with Searle from as early as 1942, including research projects that predate its association with the pill. The Grants File subseries of the Professional Correspondence documents the range of research grants provided Pincus and his staff from many sources. Also in the collection are data files and experiment books kept by Pincus, the reports of his staff at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, and manuscripts and correspondence relating to the many articles he wrote concerning the results of his research. The chronological arrangement of the Research Material series reveals the development of his interests and the thrust of his research at different periods in his life. The volume of writings in the Speech, Article, and Book File on the topic of the contraceptive pill suggests the importance of this development and some of the controversy which surrounded it. The Diaries series contains two volumes, one from 1920, with original poetry, recounting the thoughts and experiences of Pincus as a youth of sixteen, and the other, from a few months in 1941, describe the research in which he was engaged and prospects for the future. Arrangement of the Papers This collection is arranged in eight series: Gregory Pincus Papers 4 • Diaries, 1920-1967 • Personal Correspondence, 1934-1967 • Professional Correspondence, 1942-1967 • Speech, Article, and Book File, 1926-1967 • Research Material, 1933-1967 • Notebooks, 1949-1963 • Financial Papers, 1939-1967 • Miscellany, 1923-1989 Gregory Pincus Papers 5 Description of Series Container Series BOX 1-3 Diaries, 1920-1967 Diaries and appointment books. Arranged chronologically. BOX 4-7 Personal Correspondence, 1934-1967 Letters received and copies of letters sent. Arranged chronologically by year and alphabetically thereunder. Condolences on Pincus's death are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent. BOX 8-134 Professional Correspondence, 1942-1967 Letters received and copies of letters sent. Organized in the general arrangement in which it was kept by Pincus and his staff. The subseries reflect divisions in the records when they were received by the Library. Since these were working files, they are generally in reverse chronological order within folders. BOX 8-104 General File, 1938-1967 Letters received and copies of letters sent, reports, memoranda, near print, and printed matter relating to Pincus's professional work. Arranged chronologically by year and alphabetically thereunder. Container 29 includes an article by Margaret Sanger that is also available on microfilm, shelf no. 19,422. BOX 105-115 G. D. Searle & Company File, 1942-1967 Letters received and copies of letters sent, including related material concerning the G. D. Searle & Co. and Pincus's relation to it. Arranged chronologically by year. BOX 116-120 Cancer Chemotherapy National Service Center File, 1956-1960 Correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports, memoranda, and related material concerning Pincus's work with the center. Arranged by type of material and chronologically thereunder. BOX 121-134 Grants File, 1944-1966 Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and data concerning grants received by Pincus and his staff. Arranged by grant and alphabetically by title of research project.

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