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Lewis Thomas Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Lewis Thomas, M.D., noted physician, scientist, and author, was born on November 25, 1913, to Joseph S. and Grace Emma (Peck) Thomas in Flushing, New York, where his father, a surgeon, had a medical practice. After four very successful years in high school, he entered Princeton University at the age of fifteen. Thomas's first three years at Princeton, however, were desultory at best, until his senior year when a biology course sparked his interest. He received a B.S. from Princeton in 1933 and entered Harvard Medical School, graduating Cum Laude in 1937. The next two years were spent as an intern at Boston City Hospital (1937-1939), and another two as a resident in neurology at Columbia's Neurological Institute (1939-1941).
He began his investigative work as a Tilney Memorial Fellow at Thorndike Lab, Boston City Hospital (1941-1942), and in 1942 joined the Naval Medical Research Unit at Rockefeller Institute, studying infectious diseases of importance to the armed forces for the next four years. Also at this time, on January 1, 1941, he married Beryl Dawson. During these years Dr. Thomas began publishing some important scientific papers, the earliest material in this collection.
In 1946, Dr. Thomas moved to Johns Hopkins University as an assistant professor of pediatrics, where he initiated a series of investigations on acute rheumatic fever. He continued this work as an associate professor at Tulane University for the next two years (1948-1950). In 1948 he published a paper on the Schwartzmann Phenomenon, a subject of significant scientific importance. He became a full professor of medicine at Tulane in 1950, and the same year moved again for four years (1950-1954) to the University of Minnesota to be a professor of pediatrics and medicine and director of pediatric research laboratories at Heart Hospital.
Dr. Thomas went to New York University in 1954 where he was professor of pathology until 1969. Pathology became his main interest, and he was publishing papers of this nature during those years on such subjects as cortisone and infection, serum sickness, and drug allergy, as well as many papers on endotoxin.
In 1973, Lewis Thomas became president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and chancellor in 1980. During these years he guided the Center and served on many of its committees, such as the Subcommittee on Informed Consent, the Standing Committee of the Medical Board, the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Sloan-Kettering Institute Senate and its Board of Scientific Consultants. He also received copies of reports, minutes, and correspondence related to other committees in which he was not directly involved, thereby allowing him to oversee all aspects of the Center. The years of his presidency and chancellorship saw many grants bestowed on the Center by the American Cancer Society and the Rockefeller family, to name a few; many grants given by MSKCC to other research centers such as the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; and major corporate reorganizations and additions, such as the creation of a joint library facility for Rockefeller University, Cornell University Medical College, and MSKCC, a joint genetics department with Cornell University Medical College at Sloan-Kettering Institute, and the dedication of a new hospital in November 1973. Dr. Thomas served on various other joint committees to further these ends.
When he left MSKCC in 1983 for the State University of New York at Stony Brook to be a professor, he was no less active. He was on various boards of corporations and non-profit organizations, some spanning the years at MSKCC and beyond: Biocyte Corporation (board member, 1984-1990), the Aaron Diamond Foundation (1985-1990), Monell Chemical Senses Center (1979-1991), and the National Research Council (1986-1988), among others. Dr. Thomas also served as "communicator" to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which involved submitting scientific papers by others to a review committee for possible publication in the Proceedings.
Lewis Thomas is probably best known to the public from his column in The New England Journal of Medicine, "Notes of a Biology Watcher," which appeared from 1971 to 1980, and from the resulting book-length compilations of these essays, The Lives of a Cell (1974) and The Medusa and the Snail (1979). Dr. Thomas has published a number of other books, such as The Youngest Science: Notes of a Medicine Watcher (1983), Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony (1983), Et Cetera, Et Cetera: Notes of a Word Watcher (1990), and The Fragile Species (1992), as well as a plethora of articles and essays. These works, expressed in an informal friendly tone, earned him the National Book Award for The Lives of a Cell, the American Book Award for The Medusa and the Snail (1981), and many other literary awards, as well as recognition for being one of the best modern scientific essayists who writes non-technically about the meaning of biology and, by extension, the meaning of life.
As the collection reflects (from 1966 to 1990), Dr. Thomas was much in demand as a speaker and lecturer in this country and abroad. He presented papers and gave speeches and commencement addresses, many of which found their way into widely-known medical journals and popular magazines. Among the many honors Dr. Thomas has received are the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award (May 1980) and the coveted Woodrow Wilson Award (February 1981). In April of 1986 Princeton University honored him by naming its new molecular biology building the "Lewis Thomas Laboratory." In addition, Dr. Thomas has received 20 honorary degrees in science, law, letters, and music. A few of them are from Yale University, the University of Rochester, Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, the Medical College of Ohio, and Reed College.
Nov. 25, 1913 Born in Flushing, New York 1933 B.S., Princeton University 1937 M.D., Harvard University 1937-1939 Intern, Boston City Hospital 1939-1941 Resident in neurology, Neurological Institute, NYC 1941-1942 Tilney Memorial Fellow at Thorndike Lab, Boston City Hospital 1942-1946 Visiting investigator, Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research 1946-1948 Assistant professor of pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University 1948-1950 Associate professor, Tulane University, New Orleans 1948-1950 Director of Division of Infectious Disease, Tulane 1950 Professor of medicine, Tulane 1950-1954 Professor of pediatrics and medicine and director of pediatric research laboratories at Heart Hospital, University of Minnesota 1954-1969 Professor of pathology, New York University 1954-1958 Head of department, New York University 1959-1966 Director of University Hospital 1966-1969 Dean of School of Medicine, New York University 1969-1973 Professor of pathology and head of department, Yale University 1971-1973 Dean, Yale University School of Medicine 1973-1980 President, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NYC 1974 Published The Lives of a Cell 1979 Published The Medusa and the Snail 1980-1983 Chancellor, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NYC 1983 President Emeritus, MSKCC 1983 University professor, State University of New York, Stony Brook 1983 Published The Youngest Science: Notes of a Medicine Watcher 1983 Published Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony 1988 Adjunct professor of medicine, NYU School of Medicine 1988 Scholar-in-Residence, Cornell University Medical College 1988 President, New York Academy of Science (council, 1966-1972) 1990 Published Et Cetera, Et Cetera: Notes of a Word Watcher 1992 Published The Fragile Species
The Papers reflect the multi-level career of Lewis Thomas (Princeton Class of 1933)—as medical practitioner, research center director, and best-selling writer on scientific and medical topics. The bulk of the collection dates from the years (1973-1983) Dr. Thomas served as president and, later, chancellor, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City. Included are extensive correspondence with an international group of colleagues, such as Fred Plum, Robert A. Good, Baruj Benacerraf, Edward Boyse, Bernard Amos, Edward Beattie, Attallah Kappas, Benno Schmidt, George Cotzias, Otto Westphal, Ion Gresser, and Rene Dubos (all well-known research scientists); administrative files dealing with policies, issues, and activities of MSKCC, such as the Committee on Scientific Policy, the Managers and Overseers Committee, By-laws of the Center, the Commission on the Humanities, conflicts of interest and ethics, patents, patient complaints, Blue Cross and Medicaid-Medicare; correspondence with boards of trustees; files related to his publications—editorial correspondence, fan mail, permissions, etc.—as well as reprints of his column "Notes of a Biology Watcher" and of his scientific papers; and a chronological series containing all of his presentations, lectures, and awards from 1966 to 1990, including commencement addresses, statements before congressional committees, and conference speeches, seminars, and talks at awards dinners.
Lewis Thomas donated his papers to Princeton University in the fall of 1992. The papers came directly from his offices in New York City.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Jennifer Lindabury in 1993 . Finding aid written by Jennifer Lindabury at the end of 1993 .
No appraisal information is available.
Organization
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
- Princeton University—Alumni (Class of 1933)—Correspondence
- Princeton University—Alumni (Class of 1933)—Manuscripts
Subject
- Biologists—United States—20th century—Correspondence
- Biologists—United States—20th century—Manuscripts
- Cancer—Research—United States—20th century
- Medical policy—United States—20th century
- Medical research personnel—United States—20th century—Correspondence
- Medicine—Research—United States—20th century
- Pathologists—United States—20th century—Correspondence
- Pathologists—United States—20th century—Manuscripts
- Physicians—United States—20th century—Correspondence
- Physicians—United States—20th century—Manuscripts
- Pathology—United States—20th century
- Research intitutes—New York (N.Y.)—Administration—20th century
- Science and state—United States—20th century
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Jennifer Lindabury
- Finding Aid Date
- 2005
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
The series has been subdivided by grouping together original and related material for each of the genres in which Dr. Thomas published: books; columns in the New England Journal of Medicine ("Notes of a Biology Watcher") and Discover magazine; general works—articles, reviews, forewords, etc.; and scientific papers. Files covering Dr. Thomas's relationship with the media (TV, radio, and film) conclude the series.
This series is arranged into five subseries: Books, Columns, General Works, Scientific Papers, and The Media: TV, Radio, Films, etc.
Physical Description31 boxes
Many of Dr. Thomas's book-length works are represented in the files. A completed, book form version of The Lives of a Cell (1974) and related correspondence, including fan mail, begin the book section. Correspondence for The Medusa and the Snail (1979), his second book, follows, arranged by date. Material for other titles includes: an appendix for and interviews related to The Youngest Science (1983); correspondence about Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony (1983); a word list, a final, typed draft, and fan mail for Et Cetera, Et Cete a: Notes of a Word Watcher (1990); and a spiral-bound publisher's copy of The Fragile Species (1992). Generalized correspondence with editors, publishers, from "notable" people, and relating to book translations follow, as well as chronological correspondence regarding his writings in general. Permissions granted by Dr. Thomas to reproduce his work conclude the book section of the series.
Material related to a specific book title have been gathered together, and the titles appear in chronological order.
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Dr. Thomas's two columns, "Notes of a Biology Watcher" (1971-1980) and his essays which appeared regularly in Discover magazine (1980-1986), are arranged alphabetically; some are in draft form, some are reprints, and for some columns both are present. General correspondence (1971-1979) regarding his "Notes of a Biology Watcher" column and correspondence with the editorial office of The New England Journal of Medicine follow. Some issues of Discover are included, as well as related correspondence and reprint requests.
Arranged by publication and then alphabetically by title.
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General published works consist of articles, reviews, forewords, introductions, and prefaces written by Dr. Thomas for various newspapers, journals, medical and popular magazines. There are drafts of these writings and some copies of the publication in which they appeared. Also included are interviews of Dr. Thomas.
These writings are arranged alphabetically by title.
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A bibliography (1941-1980) of Dr. Thomas's scientific publications is provided at the beginning of this section. Reprints of the papers, if present, follow the chronological order of the bibliography; where they are lacking, a full citation is given. Later (post-1980) papers continue the chronological order. At the end have been foldered miscellaneous material, including electron microscope photographs and requests for reprints of Dr. Thomas's papers.
Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.
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These Media Files include transcripts of radio and TV interviews ("The Dick Cavett Show," July 10, 1979; the New Year's Day Program with Gene Shalit, NBC, January 1, 1982). Projects for TV, film, and radio are present in draft form. Also included are related correspondence, scripts, and Xeroxed material.
These files are arranged alphabetically by title of show or program.
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Though the bulk of the collection dates from the period (1973-1983) Dr. Thomas was president and chancellor of MSKCC, these files directly relate to his administrative functions. They include employee, ad hoc, managers, and overseers committees, and other committees related to the Center of which Dr. Thomas was a part. There are files on employees, certain drugs that got much publicity such as Laetrile, the Center's library; reference letters and recommendations; and letters of refusal, such as one declining the offer to become Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Center for Biomedical Education (January 24, 1973). Events such as a dedication to a new hospital (November 14, 1973) and awards dinners at the Center reflect special moments, while files about malpractice insurance, food service, parking, and staff lists depict the Center's everyday concerns. There is correspondence with other doctors in the Center and elsewhere, files on assorted professional societies, and some personal files of Dr. Thomas on such matters as his apartment, travel expenses, and taxes. Also included are files of grants to the Center given by the American Cancer Society and by the Rockefeller family, including related correspondence, Abby Mauze Rockefeller's will, and newspaper clippings of John Rockefeller's death. There are copies of lawsuits, copies of congressional hearings on controversial topics such as the Abortion Bill, and correspondence and newspaper clippings related to scandals such as the Summerlin Affair (1974), in which an MSKCC researcher falsified important research, and the toxic waste disaster at Love Canal, New York (1978).
These files are alphabetically arranged by the subject names under which Thomas filed his MSKCC papers.
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This "general" correspondence, kept separate by Dr. Thomas, covers the whole gamut of his interests and responsibilities. Though the other series contain correspondence, too, this correspondence is not so closely identified with a specific function (Series I, II, V), such as publishing a book or managing an institution, or with a specific event (Series IV), such as delivering a commencement address. Present is correspondence with doctors at MSKCC and elsewhere in the United States and Europe, such as Dr. Ion Gresser in France and Dr. Otto Westphal in Germany. Other correspondents include laboratory assistants, foundations such as the Institute for the Advancement of Health, corporations such as General Motors, and research centers. A small amount of the correspondence at the end of the series, arranged by year (1970-1992), consists of Dr. Thomas's recommendation letters for assorted individuals seeking positions, entrance to medical schools, and acceptance into professional societies. Xeroxed articles and newspaper clippings have not been removed from their accompanying letters.
The correspondence is arranged alphabetically, except that noted above.
Physical Description48 boxes
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Dr. Thomas's schedule was extremely heavy giving presentations, speeches, commencement addresses, and lectures in this country and abroad. The compression of dates in this series reflects that. Copies of awards, along with drafts and reprints of speeches Dr. Thomas gave when receiving them, are included. Examples of Dr. Thomas's government involvement are a senate hearing on Laetrile (July 12, 1977), a statement presented to the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Science, Research and Technology (September 8, 1977), and the Presidential Commission on AIDS (February 18, 1988). Photos of Dr. Thomas and colleagues are dispersed throughout the series.
The files, which include any related correspondence, have been arranged chronologically; at the beginning of each year is a list of lectures given for that year, thus acting as a guide.
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Dr. Thomas was heavily involved, usually as a board member, with a myriad of non-profit organizations and corporations during his MSKCC years and beyond. These are his files for that work. Minutes of the board of directors meetings, memoranda, copies of magazines, and correspondence are included. Alphabetically-arranged scientific papers of the National Academy of Sciences are a "sub-section" of that organization, written by others and "communicated" by Dr. Thomas to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Other, more general material related to the Academy precedes the scientific papers. Also included are drafts of proposals.
The files of the organizations (non-profit and for-profit) which comprise this series are arranged alphabetically by organization/company name and then by date: Aaron Diamond Foundation (1985-1990), Biocyte Corporation (1984-1990), Cytogen Corporation (1983-1991), Hunt Associates, Inc. (1984-1987), Monell Chemical Senses Center (1979-1991), National Academy of Sciences (1974-1990), National Research Council (1986-1988), New York Academy of Sciences (1987-1991; president, 1988), Richard Lounsbery Corporation (1979-1991), and Scientists' Institute for Public Information (SIPI) (1980-1986).
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Dr. Thomas's daily schedule over an uninterrupted span of 13 years is revealed in 18 appointment books (However, there are many blank pages.)
Their arrangement is chronological.
Physical Description2 boxes
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