Record details

Finding and requesting archive items [PDF 147k] | My Library Account

search again

Reference	PP/LEW
	See this in context
Level	Collection
Extent	13 boxes, 1 o/s
Title	Lewis, Sir Thomas
Date	1907-1982
Name	Lewis, Sir Thomas (1881-1945)
Description	The papers contain little concerning Lewis' work before 1914, and no clinical research notes, except for a few odd items in section F, which is largely composed of abstracts and notes on journal articles. However, there is extensive correspondence with colleagues internationally about cardiac research 1910-1944 (sections A, B), and material relating to his wartime work at the military heart hospitals at Colchester and Hampstead and with the Ministry of Pensions (section C). The papers contain much to do with the establishment of Lewis's department as the first MRC clinical research department, in 1919, and his subsequent support for the establishment of other such departments and for the expansion of clinical research in general, through the Medical Research Club, which he founded in 1930. Reviews of, and correspondence concerning, Lewis's publications, including Heart and Clinical Science Incorporating Heart, can be found in section E. An index compiled from the two indexes to the previous lists has been incorporated into the catalogue, but this is not comprehensive. Section F has not been indexed. Reprints of many of Lewis's publications can be found in the publication collections of the Wellcome Library.
Arrangement	In 1994 it was decided to amalgamate all the separate accessions and to catalogue them as one unit, because there was no logical reason why some material had remained at Lewis's home and the rest at the Medical Research Council - for example, correspondence series were split between accessions, as were papers to do with medical research and Lewis's wartime work. Old reference numbers have been included in the Previous Numbers field where appropriate. This information can also be found in appendix A of the hard copy catalogue available in the Rare Materials Room of the Wellcome Library. Arrangement is as follows: A CORRESPONDENCE B BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL C MILITARY MEDICINE AND MINISTRY OF PENSIONS D CLINICAL RESEARCH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY E PUBLICATIONS: CORRESPONDENCE WITH PUBLISHERS AND REVIEWS F NOTES AND ABSTRACTS
Historical Background	Sir Thomas Lewis was an eminent cardiologist, and a founder of what is now recognised as clinical research. 1881 Born at Cardiff, December 26 1898 Entered University College Cardiff 1901 BSc pass degree double honours 1902 First paper 'The proteins of unstriped muscle', with teacher Vincent Swale, Journal of Physiology 1902 MB BS London (Gold Medal) Entered University College Hospital Medical School 1904 Elected member of Physiological Society 1905 DSc Wales 1905-1906 House Surgeon to Thomas Barlow 1906 Period in Berlin. First cardiac paper in Journal of Physiology 1907 Fellow of UCL MRCP MD 1907-1908 Work in EH Starling's Laboratory, UCL 1907-1912 Medical Registrar, Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich 1907-1913 Out-Patient Physician, City of London Hospital 1909-1916 Private practice, Wimpole Street 1909 Founded journal Heart 1910 Appointed first Beit Memorial Fellow 1911 Lecturer in Cardiac Pathology UCHMS First book The Mechanism of the Heart Beat 1912 Clinical Disorders of the Heart Beat Assistant Physician, UCH 1913 Clinical Electrocardiology Elected FRCP 1914 Visited USA 1916 Married Lorna Treharne James of Merthyr Tydfil Appointed Physician Medical Research Committee 1916-19 Directed clinical services of Military Heart Hospitals at Hampstead and Colchester, work on 'effort syndrome' 1917 Croonian Lecturer, Royal Society 1918 FRS Consulting Physician to Eastern Command 1919 Consulting Physician to Ministry of Pensions Appointed full Physician at UCH 1920 CBE 1921 Knighthood 1927 Blood Vessels of the Human Skin Gold Medal, Royal Society 1930 Re-named department 'The Department of Clinical Research' Founded Medical Research Society 1932 Endowment of post by Rockefeller Trust 1933-37 Member of MRC Council 1933 Diseases of the Heart 1934 Clinical Science Illustrated by Personal Experiences 1936 Vascular Disorders of the Limbs 1938 Research in Medicine, and Other Addresses 1941 Copley Medal, Royal Society 1942 Pain 1939-1944 First Aid Commandant, Rickmansworth MRC Committee for Care of Shipwrecked Personnel MRC Committee for Vascular Injuries 1943 Vice-President of Royal Society (Council 1925-6, 1930-32) Honorary Fellowship, Royal Society of Medicine 1944 Conway-Evans Prize, Royal College of Physcians 1945 Died on March 17 See article in the Journal of Medical Biography vol.2 (1994), pp.63-70. The Dictionary of National Biography article on Sir Thomas Lewis, can be found here
Acquisition Details	These papers came to the CMAC in four accessions, which were initially listed separately. They were recatalogued as one entity in 1995. Accession 56 was acquired by the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine on long loan from the Medical Research Council in April 1977. In 1977 a brief list of these papers had been made by Sir Edward Pochin, and they were subsequently rearranged and catalogued by the CMAC after its establishment in 1979. Accession 109 was presented by Sir Edward Pochin in February 1982, and consisted of one file of Lewis's correspondence with Sir George Pickering. Accession 88 was presented by Lewis's widow, Lady Lewis, in February 1981, who also gave some books from Lewis's library to the WIHM Library. The papers comprised 11 box files, apparently untouched since Lewis's death, and underwent little rearrangement when catalogued by the CMAC. Accession 319 was presented by Mr RS Lewis, the executor of Lady Lewis, in July 1989, and consisted of a small quantity of miscellaneous items, including notes, correspondence and press cuttings, which had presumably become separated from the rest of the material held by Lady Lewis. In 1995 Dr A Hollman gave a few letters and an article about birds, which he had received from the Lewis family. He also lent further items to be photocopied. These have been amalgamated with the rest of the collection. Acc.1540: received in Sep 2007 and catalogued as B.12 (pocket diaries of Lewis)
Accession Number	56
Accession Number	88
Accession Number	92
Accession Number	109
Accession Number	266
Accession Number	319
Accession Number	1050
Accession Number	1540
Appraisal	Two boxes of reprints, mostly on cardiology c.1925-1940, collected by Lewis and received with accession 56, have been transferred to the publication collections of the Wellcome Library.
Access Status	Certain restrictions apply
Access Conditions	The majority of the papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking. PP/LEW/D/3/12 is closed until 1 January 2044 Please note that part of file PP/LEW/D/6/1 (formerly PP/LEW/N.8) is missing (Memoranda Part I 'A preamble on present needs in medical education' Part II 'Principle in educational reforms' submitted to Inter Deptl Cttee Dec 4 1942. Marked 'Confidential').
Reproduction Conditions	Images are supplied for private research only at the Archivist's discretion. Please note that material may be unsuitable for copying on conservation grounds. Researchers who wish to publish material must seek copyright permission from the copyright owner.
Related Material	Much material is held elsewhere: Reprints of articles mainly on cardiology, collected by Lewis, and oral history tapes held in the Library; correspondence with Sir Edward Pochin in PP/EEP; some Lewis material in PP/EJW and PP/GWP; 2 boxes of Lewis material held by UCL archives including photographs; papers and notes of Lewis's assistant held by Science Museum; ts 'recollections of my father' donated by Lewis's son Dr Christopher Lewis to the Library of the Royal College of Physicians. Further material relating to Lewis is held by the British Cardiovascular Society.
Notes	The catalogue is available on microfiche via the National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS). Acc 1050 uncatalogued.
Subject	Cardiology
Subject	Research
Subject	First Aid
Subject	Hospitals
Subject	Health Services Administration
Subject	Vivisection
Subject	World War I
Subject	World War II
Subject	Physiology
Subject	Audio-visual materials
Subject	Disabled Persons
Subject	Education, Medical
MaterialType	Archives - Non-digital

Wellcome Library, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK tel:+44 (0)20 7611 8722 email: library@wellcome.ac.uk library@wellcome.ac.uk	Sitemap\|Privacy statement\|Disclaimer