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Charles Wistar Stevens Papers: Finding Aid
mssStevens papers
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Title: Charles Wistar Stevens Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1823-1888
Collection Number: mssStevens papers
Creator:
Stevens, Charles Wistar, -1901.
Extent: 59 items in 1 box.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence and notes of New England doctor Charles W. Stevens (died 1901) and
offers insight into 19th century medical
practice.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Charles Wistar Stevens Papers, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
On permanent deposit from the Los Angeles County Medical Association, 1992.
Charles W. Stevens (died 1901) practiced medicine in Boston and his native New Hampshire
throughout much of the 19th century. A Harvard graduate, Stevens cultivated
relationships with several important 19th century figures. He exchanged letters with
prominent Boston area physicians including Jacobi Abraham, a leading figure in the
study of pediatrics. He was personally endorsed by the famed Fireside poet, James
Russell Lowell. He also corresponded with the biblical scholar Osmon C. Baker and
his family. Finally, Stevens conversed with the less well- off: the street dregs,
the unemployed, and the undesired. He published a book,
Revelations of a
Boston Doctor
(1882), where he described his encounters with poverty.
Several chapters highlighted the plight of orphans, pregnant women, and tuberculosis
victims. Well-born and well-off, Stevens’ concern for society’s less fortunate
suggests the complexity of 19th century class relations.
This collection contains correspondence and notes of New England doctor Charles W. Stevens (died 1901) and
offers insight into 19th century medical
practice. Included are Steven's inquiries concerning dropsy, diphtheria, and other
diseases. The collection contains several diplomas and certificates received by
Charles Wistar Stevens. Also included are three lists of the Stevens and Baker
families. Among the notes included, three are in French (prescription lists) and one
is in Spanish (a poem).
Notable participants include Clarence J. Baker, Ephraim
Cutter, Henry M. Field, Austin Flint, Abraham Jacobi, James Russell Lowell, Justin
McCarthy, Edwin Whipple, Henry W. Williams, and Robert C. Winthrop.
The collection is organized chronologically from 1823 to 1888. In addition, 10 pages
of biographical notes concerning the various correspondents are located at the end
of the collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Stevens, Charles
Wistar, -1901.
Diphtheria.
Edema.
Medicine -- United States -- History --
19th century -- Sources.
Physicians -- United States --
Correspondence.
Los Angeles County Medical Association
Collection.
Certificates -- United States -- 19th
century.
Diplomas -- United States -- 19th
century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 19th century.
Notes -- United States -- 19th
century.
Blake, Clarence J.
Cutter, Ephraim, 1832-1917.
Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn),
1822-1907.
Flint, Austin, 1812-1886.
Jacobi, A. (Abraham), 1830-1919.
Lowell, James Russell, 1819-1891.
McCarthy, Justin, 1830-1912.
Whipple, Edwin Percy, 1819-1886.
Williams, Henry W. (Henry Willard),
1821-1895.
Winthrop, Robert C. (Robert Charles),
1809-1894.
Los Angeles County Medical
Association, former owner.