Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
John Field collection of history of medicine course syllabi and lecture notes, 1952-1967
440
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: John Field collection of history of medicine course syllabi and lecture notes,
Date (inclusive): 1952-1967
Collection number: 440
Creator: Field, John 1902-1983
Extent:
1 document box
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections for the Sciences
Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
Abstract: Materials pertaining to "History of Medicine," Anatomy 201 and later Anatomy 240, a one-unit elective course emphasizing the
historical development of concepts relating to basic medical sciences, presented to UCLA sophomore medical students. Included
is correspondence relating to the development of the course, course syllabi, reading lists, and lecture notes, mainly by Dr.
Field. The correspondence also discusses the creation of the Division [later, Department] of Medical History at the UCLA David
Geffen School of Medicine.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection.
Language of Material: Collection materials in English
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Property rights in the physical objects belong to the UCLA Biomedical Library. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish if the Biomedical Library does not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], John Field collection of history of medicine course syllabi and lecture notes (Manuscript collection
440). Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections for the Sciences, University of California, Los
Angeles.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
7328404
The collection was given by the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, which had absorbed the Department of Medical History,
to the UCLA Neuroscience History Archives, which subsequently transferred it to the UCLA Biomedical Library.
John Field (known as Jack) was born in Philadelphia in 1902. After high school he moved with his family to Palo Alto, entered
Stanford University, and received B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry. He remained at Stanford until 1948, rising from
Assistant Professor to Professor of Physiology, performing research in the biochemistry and physiology of muscle, oxidative
and glycolytic metabolism, and general thermoregulatory mechanisms. After leaving Stanford Dr. Field held appointments in
the Office of Naval Research and directorial posts in the National Science Foundation. In 1951 he became the first chairman
of the Department of Physiology at the new UCLA School of Medicine and staid there until his retirement in 1969, serving also
as Associate Dean of the Medical School for many years..
Dr. Field's achievements in physiology, in addition to research, teaching, and administration, included the herculean task
of editor-in-chief of the first section of the "Handbook of Physiology" published by the American Physiological Society in
1959. His broad intellectual interests also encompassed medical education and medical history, and he lectured widely and
published in both these fields.
This file from Dr. Field's office illustrates his deep interest in medical history and belief in the necessity of including
the subject in contemporary medical education. It documents how he joined with like-minded colleagues to fashion a course
on the historical development of basic medical concepts, and to organize it for the Medical School's first class. The file
also provides a little information about the creation of the Division of Medical History in the School of Medicine and its
development.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
University of California, Los Angeles. Department of Medical History
Field, John, 1902-1983 -- Archives
History of Medicine --education --United States