Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Guenter B. Risse Research Files
- Dates:
- 1853-1925 and 1963-2017
- Creators:
- Risse, Guenter B.
- Abstract:
- Contains research files of Dr. Guenter B. Risse for his books, Plague, Fear, and Politics in San Francisco's Chinatown, and Driven by Fear: Epidemics and Isolation in San Francisco's House of Pestilence, and journal article, "Translating Western Modernity: The First Chinese Hospital in America."
- Extent:
- 2 cartons, 1 manuscripts box (2.4 cubic feet)
- Language:
- Collection materials are in English and Chinese.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Guenter B. Risse Research Files, (SFH 86), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Contains the research files of Dr. Guenter B. Risse for his books, Plague, Fear, and Politics in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and Driven by Fear: Epidemics and Isolation in San Francisco's House of Pestilence, and journal article, "Translating Western Modernity: The First Chinese Hospital in America."
The collection documents Risse's studies of San Francisco Chinatown during the plague years 1900-1905, and the larger plight of late-nineteenth-century Chinese migrants to San Francisco and into the twentieth century, focusing on healthcare policy. Included are photocopies of English- and Chinese-language newspapers, translations from Chinese-language newspapers, a spreadsheet of relevant advertisements published in the Chung Sai Yat Po (Chinese Western Daily), Risse's notes on the newspaper accounts and laws targeting the Chinese, his Chinese Hospital article, and two of his unpublished papers delivered at conferences. His writing sheds light on local political, economic, and cultural contests amidst an environment of racial discrimination and political power struggles, as well as deep social and cultural divisions during the early twentieth-century plague epidemic.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Guenter B. Risse is a physician, historian, and professor emeritus of the history of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, Seattle. Besides Plague, Fear, and Politics in San Francisco's Chinatown and Driven by Fear: Epidemics and Isolation in San Francisco's House of Pestilence, he authored Hospital Life in Enlightenment Scotland and Mending Bodies, Saving Souls: A History of Hospitals.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Guenter B. Risse in 2014 with additional materials received in 2016, 2017, and 2023.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Tami J. Suzuki.
- Arrangement:
-
Organized into three series: Series 1. Plague, Fear, and Politics in San Francisco's Chinatown Book; Series 2. Driven by Fear: Epidemics and Isolation in San Francisco's House of Pestilence Book; and Series 3. Chinese Hospital Article.
Within series, arranged chronologically.
- Physical location:
- Open for research. The collection is offsite and advance notice is required for retrieval. Material must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Chinese Americans -- California -- Newspapers.
Chinese Americans -- California -- San Francisco -- History -- 20th century.
Chinese -- Health and hygiene -- Social aspects -- California -- San Francisco -- History.
Chinese Hospital -- History.
Plague -- California -- San Francisco -- History.
Quarantine -- California -- San Francisco -- History.
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-09-14 21:40:35 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research and available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. Photographs are available during Photo Desk hours. This collection must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright for Guenter B. Risse's original documents retained by Risse until his passing. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Guenter B. Risse Research Files, (SFH 86), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
- Location of this collection:
-
San Francisco Public Library100 Larkin StreetSan Francisco, CA 94102, US
- Contact:
- (415) 557-4567