New York City Health Commissioner Records, 1929-1991, Processing Project

FAIN: PW-253848-17

New York City Department of Records and Information Services (New York, NY 10007-1210)
Sylvia Kollar (Project Director: July 2016 to November 2019)

Folder-level processing and description of 831 cubic feet of records created by successive commissioners of the New York City Department of Health from 1929 through 1991.

The Municipal Archives requests Endowment support for an implementation project to process and describe a significant series of records, totaling approximately 831 cubic feet, created by successive Commissioners of the New York City Department of Health, from 1929 through 1991.  The significance of the collection derives from the pre-eminence of the City's Health Department as it defined the role and scope of public health services, not only locally, but for the entire nation.  Although the records are in good condition and the original order is intact, there is not a useful inventory or content description, and the original containers are acidic and damaging to the materials.  The purpose of this application will consist of processing the materials, creating a finding guide and identification of documents for future digitization in a second phase.  The proposed work plan specifies that all project activities will be performed in-house.  The project timetable is twelve months.

Associated Products

Mass Inoculation or: How New York Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Polio Vaccine (Blog Post)
Title: Mass Inoculation or: How New York Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Polio Vaccine
Author: Katie Ehrlich and Clint Johnson
Abstract: The city’s first major polio epidemic struck in 1916, killing nearly 2,500 people. Almost 9,000 cases were reported in total that year. Smaller outbreaks were reported over the next few decades with two occurrences in the 1940s, continuing to terrify the populace. On average, over 800 cases and 40 deaths were reported yearly. Doctors were soon developing and experimenting with preventive treatments including gamma globulin, an injectable solution made with the polio antibodies. Gamma globulin was introduced to the public in 1950 and showed some effectiveness in preventing the disease. Because the solution was made from blood, supply was limited and could not be a long-term remedy. Parents’ desperation to protect their children coupled with the restricted availability of the treatment led to sit-ins and protests demanding more access to gamma globulin from the Department of Health.
Date: 5/24/2018
Primary URL: http://http://www.archives.nyc/blog/2018/5/24/mass-inoculation-or-how-new-york-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-polio-vaccine?rq=health
Website: For the Record, Blog of the New York City Department of Records and Information Services

Got Milk (Regulations)? (Blog Post)
Title: Got Milk (Regulations)?
Author: Katie Ehrlich and Clint Johnson
Abstract: Throughout the early and mid-1900s, dairy products were a significant source of foodborne illnesses. Hundreds of children died due to the consumption of milk, leading to the 1911 creation of milk stations that dispensed free pasteurized milk. During the 1930s and 40s the New York City Department of Health, under commissioners Shirley W. Wynne (1928-1933) and John L. Rice (1934-1942), took many steps to regulate the production and storage of dairy products, which were regularly consumed in high quantities by New Yorkers of all ages. Milk and ice cream were of particular concern.
Date: 2/28/2018
Primary URL: http://http://www.archives.nyc/blog/2018/2/8/got-milk-regulations?rq=health
Website: For the Record, the Blog for the New York City Department of Records and Information Services

Milk, Midwives, and Medical Quackery: Records of the Commissioners of the New York City Health Department (Blog Post)
Title: Milk, Midwives, and Medical Quackery: Records of the Commissioners of the New York City Health Department
Author: Katie Ehrlich and Clint Johnson
Abstract: A team of archivists has begun sorting through 60 years of Department of Health (DOH) records thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. During the next year, they will process 800 Bankers Boxes of historical records from 21 NYC Health Department Commissioners, ranging from Shirley W. Wynne in 1929 to Woodrow Myers in 1991. The final result will be a detailed guide to the collection. The records document New York City’s long-recognized leadership role in disease prevention, vaccinations, health education, food safety, drug and alcohol addiction treatment, family planning, and health care for infants, school children, and expectant mothers. The records also show how city government reacted to, and managed, acute outbreaks of infectious illnesses such as diphtheria, measles, polio, typhoid fever, and HIV and AIDS. For example, the DOH implemented and upheld strict regulations on the production of milk to control typhoid fever outbreaks.
Date: 11/30/2017
Primary URL: http://http://www.archives.nyc/blog/2017/11/30/milk-midwives-and-medical-quackery?rq=health
Website: For the Record, Blog for the New York City Department of Records and Information Services

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