Oregon State Medical Society records
Scope and Contents Note
The Oregon State Medical Society Records contain bulletins, letters, correspondence, newspaper articles, U.S. Post Office forwarding address cards, telegrams, and V-mail primarily relating to the publication of the Service Bulletin.
The material, dating from 1943-1948, is arranged by type, then chronologically.
Series:
I. Publications
The Service Bulletin, 1943-1946.
II. Subject Files
Index files consist of excerpts from the Service Bulletin.
Committee, miscellaneous, news, and record files consist of correspondence, clippings, documents, and miscellaneous notes regarding the war effort and the return of military physicians to civilian practice.
III. Physician Correspondence Files
These files include changes of address and rank information, reports of medals and citations, newspaper clippings, and personal correspondence of physicians from 1943-1946. Some of the correspondence includes personal reflections on war, descriptions of areas visited, racial repression/relocation camps, first testing of DDT, and prisoner of war experiences. There is also information on the U.S.S. Comfort (hospital ship), Forty-first Division, Forty-sixth General Hospital, Ninety-first Evacuation Hospital, One Hundred First Airborne Division, and One Hundred Fourth Infantry Division.
IV. Physician Card Files
Accumulation file: The purpose of the file was to avoid keeping unnecessary notes on subjects that would not be repeatedly tabulated, and also to avoid overloading the regular address cards (see the Address and Military Status Cards below). Information, such as voter registration data, new addresses, etc., was listed on the cards as it came in on the physicians.
Address & Military Status: Includes current addresses and status of the Oregon military physicians, information on military rank and honors, addresses of various boards and committees, names and addresses of people willing to help on the Service Bulletin (“foreign correspondents”), and reestablishment information.
Non-Current Address & Military Status: Includes physicians given honors, awards, or citations; continued cards for non-current addresses and status; and status of prisoners of war, missing in action, and wounded in action.
Dates
- Creation: 1943-1948
Creator
- Oregon State Medical Society (Organization)
Restrictions on Access
There are no restrictions on access. This collection is open to the public.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
OHSU Historical Collections & Archives (HC&A) is the owner of the original materials and digitized images in our collections, however, the collection may contain materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials. Consult with HC&A to determine if we can provide permission for use.
History Note
The Oregon State Medical Society was founded in Salem, Oregon, in September 1874. On July 10, 1943, the Council of the Oregon State Medical Society adopted a resolution to publish a Service Bulletin in the interest of Oregon physicians serving with the armed forces during World War II. It was to contain news of medical activities at home and of the physicians in service. The editor was G.B. McLean, chosen because of her interest in the publication and medical affairs, with Lois Douglas and Jerrine Haslinger as assistants. The Service Bulletin was published from August 1943 through September 1946, financed entirely by a voluntary special assessment on civilian members of the society. The final issue, September 1946, contained a complete list of Oregon doctors who were or had been in service during World War II. The Service Bulletin went out without subscription fee to all members, both civilians and servicemen.
Extent
10 Linear Feet (23 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Oregon State Medical Society Records contains bulletins, letters, correspondence, newspaper articles, U.S. Post Office forwarding address cards, telegrams, and V-mail primarily relating to the publication of the Service Bulletin.
Acquisition Information
The original files of the Service Bulletin (except letters in which men asked for information to assist them in the solution of personal problems, which were reportedly destroyed) were turned over to the Oregon State Archives. The files were later deposited with the University of Oregon Medical School Library in 1962. An overlooked, separate box in storage with Merle Evans at her home was sent directly to the University of Oregon Medical School Library (now OHSU) in February of 1962. It contained 182 physicians’ correspondence files that were in use to the last moment. These materials were processed by OHSU Library staff in October-November 1997.
Subject
- United States. Army. General Hospital, 46th (Organization)
- McLean, G. B. -- History (Editor, Person)
Genre / Form
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Oregon State Medical Society records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Janet Crum, Karen L. Anderson Peterson, and Sylvie Dakota Huhn
- Date
- 1997
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Health & Science University, Historical Collections & Archives Repository