GB 0120 PP/EHR - Ehrlich, Paul (1854-1915)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0120 PP/EHR

Title

Ehrlich, Paul (1854-1915)

Date(s)

  • 1898-1956 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

9 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Paul Ehrlich was a leading medical researcher of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1908. He is best remembered for 'Dr Ehrlich's Magic Bullet', Compound 606, the arsephanemine drug salvarsan which was a cure for syphilis, discovered in 1909.

Archival history

Shortly after the Second World War, Gunther Schwerin, one of the grandsons of Paul Ehrlich, located Ehrlich's copybooks in Germany, and sent them, along with other material, to the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum in London for safekeeping. While they were there, Martha Marquardt, formerly Ehrlich's secretary, and one of the few people able to read his handwriting, prepared seven sets of typewritten transcripts. These carbons are the 3rd set (of 4) copies, formerly in the possession of Sir Henry Dale, and presented by him to the Library early in 1958. The originals, and 3 sets of copies, are now held with the Paul Ehrlich archive in the Rockefeller Archive Center, 15 Dayton Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, New York 10591 USA, by whose kind permission this set of copies is made available in the Wellcome Library.

GB 0120 PP/EHR 1898-1956 Collection (fonds) 9 boxes Marquardt , Martha , d 1956 , Paul Ehrlich's secretary

Paul Ehrlich was a leading medical researcher of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1908. He is best remembered for 'Dr Ehrlich's Magic Bullet', Compound 606, the arsephanemine drug salvarsan which was a cure for syphilis, discovered in 1909.

Shortly after the Second World War, Gunther Schwerin, one of the grandsons of Paul Ehrlich, located Ehrlich's copybooks in Germany, and sent them, along with other material, to the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum in London for safekeeping. While they were there, Martha Marquardt, formerly Ehrlich's secretary, and one of the few people able to read his handwriting, prepared seven sets of typewritten transcripts. These carbons are the 3rd set (of 4) copies, formerly in the possession of Sir Henry Dale, and presented by him to the Library early in 1958. The originals, and 3 sets of copies, are now held with the Paul Ehrlich archive in the Rockefeller Archive Center, 15 Dayton Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, New York 10591 USA, by whose kind permission this set of copies is made available in the Wellcome Library.

These transcripts surfaced during the clearing out of the Bentley House stacks, April 2007.

Carbon copies of Martha Marquardt's transcripts of Paul Ehrlich's copybooks, 1898-1915, made by her during the early 1950s. There are 6 series, representing both copies of letters sent by him, and notebooks. There are not complete sets of transcripts for all of these: in some cases the originals themselves appear to no longer exist. Users should be aware that, according to a letter from Dr E A Underwood, Director of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, to Gunther Schwerin, 25 Mar 1963 (WA/HMM/CO/Eau/13), there are some misreadings by Marquardt of scientific terms in the originals, as, although she was capable of deciphering Ehrlich's writing, she was not herself a scientist. The originals are now in Boxes 4-22, 27-27A, 28-28A, 29-36 in the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archives Centre, and another set of transcripts in Boxes 80-86 there.

A. Series I, 1898-1900 B. Series II, Zettel Buch, 1900-1915 C. Series III, Carcinom, 1906-1913 D. Series IV, Direktor Ehrlich, 1903-1915 E. Series V, Direktor Ehrlich, 1902-1903 F. Series VI, Speyer-Haus, 1906-1912.

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Photocopies/photographs/microfilm are supplied for private research only at the Archivist's discretion. Please note that material may be unsuitable for copying on conservation grounds, and that photographs cannot be photocopied in any circumstances. Readers are restricted to 100 photocopies in twelve months. Researchers who wish to publish material must seek copyright permission from the copyright owner.

German

Paul Ehrlich archive in the Rockefeller Archive Center.

Material specifically relating to these materials in Wellcome Historical Medical Museum archives, and also re Ehrlich centenary exhibition; some correspondence with Ehrlich among archives of Wellcome Foundation; MS6078, papers of his colleague Alfred Berthheim, includes some correspondence; a few items of correspondence, etc, among papers of L Colebrooke (PP/COL) and Sir Henry Dale (PP/HHD).

Copied from the Wellcome Library catalogue by Sarah Drewery.

In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Jan 2009 Specialties, medical Allergy and immunology Treponemal infections Bacterial infections Scientific facilities Laboratories Syphilis Chemicals Organic chemicals Organometallic compounds Arsenicals Arsphenamine Tropical diseases Trypanosomiasis Pathology Diseases Spirochaetales infections Medical sciences Haematology Internal medicine Bacteriology Microbiology Vaccines Biological products Drugs Pharmacology Bacteriologists Bacterial infections and mycoses Pharmaceutical chemistry Ehrlich , Paul , 1854-1915 , researcher and Nobel Prize winner Medical personnel Personnel People by occupation People

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

These transcripts surfaced during the clearing out of the Bentley House stacks, April 2007.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Carbon copies of Martha Marquardt's transcripts of Paul Ehrlich's copybooks, 1898-1915, made by her during the early 1950s. There are 6 series, representing both copies of letters sent by him, and notebooks. There are not complete sets of transcripts for all of these: in some cases the originals themselves appear to no longer exist. Users should be aware that, according to a letter from Dr E A Underwood, Director of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, to Gunther Schwerin, 25 Mar 1963 (WA/HMM/CO/Eau/13), there are some misreadings by Marquardt of scientific terms in the originals, as, although she was capable of deciphering Ehrlich's writing, she was not herself a scientist. The originals are now in Boxes 4-22, 27-27A, 28-28A, 29-36 in the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archives Centre, and another set of transcripts in Boxes 80-86 there.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

A. Series I, 1898-1900 B. Series II, Zettel Buch, 1900-1915 C. Series III, Carcinom, 1906-1913 D. Series IV, Direktor Ehrlich, 1903-1915 E. Series V, Direktor Ehrlich, 1902-1903 F. Series VI, Speyer-Haus, 1906-1912.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Conditions governing reproduction

Photocopies/photographs/microfilm are supplied for private research only at the Archivist's discretion. Please note that material may be unsuitable for copying on conservation grounds, and that photographs cannot be photocopied in any circumstances. Readers are restricted to 100 photocopies in twelve months. Researchers who wish to publish material must seek copyright permission from the copyright owner.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

German

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Material specifically relating to these materials in Wellcome Historical Medical Museum archives, and also re Ehrlich centenary exhibition; some correspondence with Ehrlich among archives of Wellcome Foundation; MS6078, papers of his colleague Alfred Berthheim, includes some correspondence; a few items of correspondence, etc, among papers of L Colebrooke (PP/COL) and Sir Henry Dale (PP/HHD).

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Wellcome Library

Rules and/or conventions used

In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area