Robert Reid Newell collection MS112

Riain Ross-Hager

Medical History Center

09/12/2023

Stanford Medical History Center

300 Pasteur Drive

Room L109

Stanford, CA 94305-5123

dbourn@stanford.edu

URL: http://lane.stanford.edu/med-history/index.html

Contributing Institution: Medical History Center

Title: Robert Reid Newell collection

source: Newell, Paul A. (Paul Allen)

Identifier/Call Number: MS112

Physical Description: 1.4 Linear Feet 1 flip-top archives box and 1 flat box . 5W x 15 1/2L x 10 1/4"H (flip-top box), 11 3/4W x 15 3/4L x 3"H (flat box)

Date (inclusive): circa 1922-1993, bulk 1950-1960

Abstract: The collection consists of photographs, retirement appreciation letters, and photocopies of typescript transcriptions of oral history interviews. Photographic materials make up the bulk of the collection.

Language of Material: English .

Scope and Contents

The collection of Dr. Robert Reid Newell, MD includes a variety of photographic prints, appreciation letters sent to Dr. Newell upon his retirement from the Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory with an accompanying guest book of signatures, and transcripts of oral history interviews with Dr. Robert Newell's son, Dr. Allen Newell, conducted by Fred Glover and the Stanford Oral History Project in the 1980s. The collection also includes an album of photos taken during Dr. Newell's work as a consulting radiologist for the 1951 Medical Education Team for Japan.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Robert Reid Newell collection was donated to the Stanford Medical History Center by Paul Allen Newell, the grandson of Robert Reid Newell.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Robert Reid Newell, MD (1892-1965) was born in Stockton, California. He received his medical degree from the University of California in 1916. From 1920 to 1957, he held the positions of instructor, assistant professor, professor of radiology, and professor of biophysics at Stanford University School of Medicine and was head of the radiology department from 1937 to 1947.

As a physicist and physician specializing in radiobiology who researched radiation therapy and the protracted effects of radiation exposure, Dr. Newell entered the nuclear medicine and radiology field as it was emerging during the early 20th century. Throughout his professional career, he authored over 90 scientific papers. Dr. Newell resigned as head of the radiology department at Stanford in 1947 when the first clinical isotope laboratory was developed and was appointed to the then newly created chair of biophysics.

In 1957, Dr. Newell retired from Stanford and went on to work as a consulting scientist for the U.S. Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory (NRDL) at Hunter's Point in San Francisco, CA, where naval ships used in Operation Crossroads underwent decontamination. Dr. Newell was among those who witnessed Operation Crossroads and the nuclear weapons testing conducted at Bikini Atoll in 1946 as part of a radiation safety team tasked with measuring radiation exposure.

Dr. Newell had roles in numerous societies and organizations. He was a Fellow of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and was ACR president in 1939. Dr. Newell was also a member of the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society, the Optical Society, the Association of Physics Teachers, the Academy of Medicine, the Public Health League, the American Association for the United Nations, and the Planned Parenthood Association. He was also the director of the Medical Friends of Wine. In 1957, Dr. Newell was awarded the American College of Radiology gold medal.

Arrangement

Photographs: Among the photographic prints in this series are a photo of Dr. Newell at the Society of Medical Friends of Wine Dinner at the Bohemian Club on January 27, 1954; a photographic print of Dr. Robert Newell with the panel on "Biological Aspects of Nuclear Propulsion" at the 1961 Spring Meeting at San Francisco of Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers; 5 "official U.S. Navy photographs" of Dr. Newell at the U.S. Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory in San Francisco, California; a photograph of Dr. Robert Newell receiving a gold medal award at the 1957 Annual Meeting of the American College of Radiology; 3 photos of Dr. Newell as a baby and at the age of 2 and a photograph of Dr. Robert Newell taken sometime around 1922; 5 portrait photographs of Dr. Robert Newell, a photo of a commissioned portrait painting of Dr. Robert Newell by artist Mark Wickham; and 7 photographs of Dr. Robert Newell engaged in leisurely activities and with family.

Hand Written Note by Dr. Newell to His Wife, Jeannette née LeValley: This series includes a short note by Dr. Newell dated October 30, 1962, that says: "To my patient wife to help her put up with me – for a long time, I hope."

Fred Glover and the Stanford Oral History Project on Dr. Robert Newell: This series includes typescript and handwritten correspondence; photocopy transcriptions of an oral history interview with Dr. Allen Newell (Son of Dr. Robert Newell) and Noel Marie Newell on Dr. Robert Newell; Stanford Oral History Project release forms; photocopies of photographs of Dr. Robert Newell, some of which can be found as photographic prints in the photographs series; a photocopy of a book chapter on Dr. Robert Newell from Gunther Nagel's book "A Stanford Heritage" with marginalia; materials used to create the Robert Reid Newell Memorial Award which includes photocopies of Dr. Robert Newell's "Letters to the Editor" published in the San Francisco Chronicle between 1953 and 1964, photocopies of handwritten anecdotes about Dr. Newell, a photocopy of a list of aphorisms pertaining to radiology written by Dr. Robert Newell; photocopies of the journal articles "The Psychology of Radiation Injury" and "Teaching Physics to Medical Students" by Dr. Robert Newell; and a photocopy of a Robert Reid Newell Memorial Award presented to Dr. J. Robert Stewart.

Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory Retirement Letters of Appreciation to Dr. Robert Newell: This series includes an album of letters of appreciation sent to Dr. Robert Newell upon his retirement from the Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory (NRDL) in 1964. Among the appreciation letters are documents sent to Dr. Newell from former California Governor Edmund Gerald Brown, former U.S. House of Representative Chet Holifield, senior staff at NRDL, and various Naval and government agency officials. Interspersed among the appreciation letters are photos of Dr. Robert Newell giving lectures at NRDL, a photo of Dr. Newell at his desk, photos of Dr. Newell in staff meetings, a photograph of Dr. Newell at his farewell party, and a photograph of Dr. Newell receiving a Secretary of the Navy Award for Distinguished Achievement in Science. The album also contains around 400 guestbook signatures.

1951 Medical Education Team for Japan Photo Album: This series contains a photo album of the 1951 Unitarian Service Committee (USC) Medical Education Team mission to Japan. Co-organized by the Public Health and Welfare Section (PHW) of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) and the Unitarian Service Committee, this team of physicians from the US was the second mission to Japan after an initial visit in 1950. The 1951 Medical Education Team for Japan comprised four groups of three physicians who traveled to Japan between May 14th and July 1st, 1951, aiming to enhance the Japanese medical school system with the latest developments in American medical pedagogy and clinical practice. After World War II, medical schools in Japan became part of the Japanese university system. The Public Health and Welfare Section Committee in Japan believed that the Japanese public health and medical system in Japan required reform and thus assembled a team to provide support to medical education in Japan.

Dr. Newell was one of the twelve physicians on the mission representing Stanford University School of Medicine as professor of biophysics and as a specialist in the field of radiobiology.

The team visited twelve Japanese university medical schools, among which were Keio University, Tokyo University, Jikei University, Chiba University, Tohoku University, Niigata University, Kanazawa University, Hokkaido University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Kobe University, and Kyushu University. Dr. Newell was part of multiple conferences where he gave lectures on various cancers, tuberculosis, clinical radiology, and pulmonary shadows. Dr. Newell also visited X-ray departments to assess equipment and provide counsel on the latest developments in radiology and cancer treatment. The team interacted with an estimated 7,000 teachers and students.

The album contains photos of only some Japanese universities the team visited. Among the locations photographed in the album are Tokyo, Kobe, Niigata, Sado Island, and Mikimoto Pearl Island.

The bulk of the photos in the album are of the three-person team that consisted of Dr. Newell, Dr. Malcolm H. Soule, and Dr. Charles S. Davidson and their trip to Niigata University Medical School. Among the Niigata photographs are a photo of Dr. Newell with an X-ray of gangrene of the lung; a photo of Dr. Katsura (given name unidentified) at Niigata University giving a lecture on the chemical compound Hinokitol; a photo of the dean presiding over a conference on medical education; Dr. Nozaki's (given name unidentified) radiographic room and darkroom with an assistant developing film; a photo of a patient receiving what appears to be radiotherapy treatment (the back of this photo includes text describing the thickness of the concrete walls in the room); and a photograph of the X-ray department library. There are four photos of a trip to Sado Island. Twenty-one of the Niigata photographs were taken by Katsuichi Matsuda, M.D., Professor of Pharmacology at Niigata University; Dr. Matsuda's meishi (名刺) (Eng: business card) is mounted among his prints in the album. Among Dr. Matsuda's prints are photos of an event with the mayor of Shibata city and a trip to the garden of Shimizu-en. Also among the Niigata prints is a group photo of Dr. Newell, Dr. Charles S. Davidson, and Dr. Malcolm H. Soule posed in front of the Niigata Medical School building with thirty of the medical school faculty.

Some of the photos indicate that they were taken by Dr. Paul Beeson, among which are photos of gatherings in Kobe. Also among the Kobe photos are images of Dr. Narabayashi's (given name not indicated) radiology department and equipment.

There are multiple photos at Jikei University Medical School in Tokyo with Dr. Newell and Jikei Professor of Radiology Dr. Sukehiro Higuchi. Other noteworthy Jikei University photographic prints include photos of a party at the School of Medicine, a group photo of members of the Nippon Radiological Society, a photo of the Meeting of the Japanese Committee on X-ray injuries with Dr. Newell seated next to his interpreter Dr. Nakahara (given name unidentified), and a photo of Dr. Newell with three female radiologists from Tokyo Women's Medical College: listed on the back of the photo as Dr Takahashi, Dr. Shimazu, and Dr. Fukai (given names unidentified).

Among the Tokyo prints are three photos of Dr. Newell's interpreter Dr. Katou (unidentified given name) at his residence in Tokyo standing in his garden. Dr. Katou was a radiologist at Keio University Medical School in Tokyo.

Nine of the photos in the album were taken at Mikimoto Pearl Island with snapshots of Koichi Mikimoto's residence "Shinju-kaku."

Also in the album is a group photo of 23 Japanese physicians with Dr. Newell. The back side of the print indicates that the photo was taken at the "Fuji Co. plant." On the back of the photo are what appear to be the English signatures of some of the Japanese physicians in the picture.

There are also four prints of photographs of the US Counter Intelligence Corps (CIS) billet in Niigata.

Medical Education Team members shown in the photos include Executive Officer Dorothy Snavely, Chairman Dr. Paul Beeson, Dr. Malcolm H. Soule, Dr. Phillip B. Price, Dr. Daniel C. Darrow, Dr. Charles G. Johnston, Dr. Charles S. Davidson, Dr. Lauren V. Ackerman, Dr. Perry P. Volpitto, Dr. Salvatore P, Lucia, and Dr. Philip Handler.

Remarkably, the majority of the prints contain detailed information about persons, places, and functions captured in the photos. The majority of people in the photos are described by last name only, e.g. Dr. Katou, Dr. Davidson, etc.

Processing Information

Processed by Riain Ross-Hager, September 2023.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights are held by the Stanford Medical History Center. Legal publication or use of collection materials outside the scope of the public domain and fair use is the sole responsibility of the researcher.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Stanford University. School of Medicine

Stanford University. Biophysics Program

Stanford University. Biophysics Laboratory

Radiologists--United States

Nuclear medicine

Biophysicists

Japan--History--Allied occupation, 1945-1952

Medical education--Japan

Newell, Paul A. (Paul Allen)

American College of Radiology

Society of Medical Friends of Wine

U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (1946-1969)

Medical Education Team for Japan (1951)

Unitarian Service Committee

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Public Health and Welfare Division

Newell, Allen.

United States. Army. Counter Intelligence Corps

Photographs circa 1922-1963

Box 1, folder 1

Early Photos of Newell as an Infant and Young Man circa 1892-1922

Box 1, folder 2

Photos of Newell with Nurses and Physicians circa 1940

Box 1, folder 3

Society of Medical Friends of Wine Dinner 1954

Box 1, folder 4

Newell Family Photos circa 1920-1954

Box 1, folder 5

U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory and American College of Radiology Gold Medal Award Photos 1957-1961

Box 1, folder 6

Newell Portrait Photos circa 1949-1960

Box 1, folder 7

Photos of Mark Wickham's Newell Portrait Painting 1963

Box 1, folder 8

Handwritten Note by Dr. Newell to His Wife, Jeannette LeValley Newell 1962

Box 1, folder 9

Fred Glover and the Stanford Oral History Project on Dr. Robert Newell 1986-1993

Box 1, folder 10

Provenance Record

Box 2, Item 1

Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory Retirement Letters of Appreciation to Dr. Robert Newell 1964

Box 2, Item 2

Medical Education Team for Japan Photo Album 1951

Addendum (Slides and Film Reels)

Box 3

35 mm Slides 1951-1961

Scope and Contents

Many of the 35 mm slides contain photographs Newell took during his stay in Japan as a member of the 1951 Medical Education Team for Japan. There are also slides of functions and events that contain images of Dr. Newell and other physicians. Also among these slides are:

Images of an American Medical Association party.

Images of the reactor at Vallecitos Nuclear Center.

Slides of the HYDRA IIA test program at San Clemente Island, California.

Functions and events at the US Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory (NDRL).

Photographs taken at the US Army Base at Camp Parks, California.

A meeting at the National Committee on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP).

Images of Newell and residents at Shriners' Hospital in San Francisco, California.

Slides of the Ninth International Congress of Radiology in Munich, Germany.

Processing Information

Robert Newell's original alphanumeric organization system and slide order were retained (each magazine holds up to 36 slides). The original magazine labels containing brief handwritten titles of each slide are included in this sub-series. Except for only a few slides, all individual slides contain brief handwritten descriptions of the date, location, and event depicted in the image. The slide magazine labels are ordered: A, B, C, D, F, G, J, K, and L. Magazines A, C, D, F, G, J, K, and M include selections made by the donor prior to acquisition.

Box 3

Stereo Slides 1958-1960

Scope and Contents

The stereo slides contain various images of individuals, events, and functions. There are slides of faculty dinners, American Medical Association parties and picnics, a farewell party at the US Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory, slides of the 1959 Dedication of Hansen Stanford Radiobiology Lab, and functions at NDRL and Camp Parks. Of particular note are slides from the 1960 Camp Parks Shelter Test and a slide containing an image of Robert Newell at his 70th birthday party.

Processing Information

Stereo slides are arranged according to the identification system that Dr. Newell used. This sub-series also contains Dr. Newell's original handwritten list of stereo slides and notes provided by Dr. Newell's grandson, Paul Newell.

16 mm Film Reels 1930-1960

Nuclear Fallout Shelter Test at Camp Parks, California 1960

Physical Description: Two 16 mm film reels with no sound; 100 feet each.

Scope and Contents

This sub-series contains 2 reels of 16 mm film footage of the US Naval Radiological Defence Laboratory nuclear fallout shelter experiment in 1960 at Camp Parks, California. The experiment lasted 48 hours and involved 99 men, women, and children, of which Robert Newell and his Wife Jeanette took part. Each film reel (100 feet) is approximately 4:00 minutes long.

Processing Information

These items have not been digitized.

Paris Cancer Congress, Chateau Versailles and Selections 1950, 1930-1934

Physical Description: 16 mm film reel with no sound; 400 feet.

Scope and Contents

This reel contains footage of the 5th International Cancer Congress in Paris, which took place between July 15-22, 1950, as well as footage of the Palace of Versailles. The film canister contains the handwritten text: "selections from 1930-34;" it is not clear what this footage is of. The length of this reel is approximately 30 minutes.

Processing Information