Call Number:

1998-008

Repository:

Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Extent:

6.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1924-1997

Abstract:

Waldo Emerson Nelson (1898-1997) was born in McClure, Ohio, and obtained his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1926. He was an intern at Cincinnati General Hospital, and went on to completed his residency at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 1929. Nelson subsequently joined the Cincinnati Children's Hospital's medical staff. In 1940, he moved to Philadelphia where he served as the chairman of the department of pediatrics at Temple University and the medical director of St. Christopher's Hospital. Nelson was the author of the Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics and was the editor of The Journal of Pediatrics from 1959 through 1978.

The Waldo Emerson Nelson papers contain a variety of materials relating to Emerson's professional career. The collection includes an oral history taken by the American Academy of Pediatrics. There are transcripts of speeches from the 1940s to the mid-1960s, as well as post-retirement visits and speeches. Topics covered in the speeches include pediatrics, fluid therapy, cerebral palsy and infectious diseases. Some film and glass slides that accompanied his talks are present. The collection also includes material relating to his Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, such as correspondence with editors, clippings of notices, reviews of the textbook and a history of the textbook by Nelson. Correspondence relating to the Journal of Pediatrics, and files regarding his work at Temple and St. Christopher's hospitals are present. Other types of materials include awards; research on diabetes such as charts, photographs of patients, and research findings; a small amount of research on tuberculosis and low birth weight; reprints; and medical school notes.