Earl F. Nation Collection: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Steven Collicelli, April 7, 2011.
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
© 2011
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.


Overview of the Collection

Title: Earl F. Nation Collection
Dates (inclusive): 1896-1980
Collection Number: mssNation collection
Creator: Nation, Earl F., 1910-.
Extent: 231 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 papers of Dr. Earl F. Nation (1910-2008), a Southern California physician and biographer of physician Sir William Osler (1849-1919), a founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital. The collection chiefly consists of photocopies of correspondence between Sir and Lady William Osler to Charles Nicoll Bancker Camac.
Language: English.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Earl F. Nation Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

On permanent deposit from the Los Angeles County Medical Association, 1992.

Biographical Note

Dr. Earl F. Nation (1910-2008) was a prominent physician in the Southern California community. After graduating from the Western Reserve Medical School in 1935, he began a long and distinguished career as a prominent community physician and active member of various national professional groups. He served as president of the Western Section Association of Urological Association (AUA) in 1970. In 1978, he became president of the national American Urological Association. Throughout his tenure, he helped preserved urologic history. He also became a devoted biographer of the influential early-twentieth century physician, Sir William Osler. Nation collected Osler’s correspondence and published the collection under the title Student and Chief: the Osler-Camac Correspondence (1980). Nation also annotated a bibliography of Osler’s works, An Annotated Checklist of Osleriana (1976). He continued to attend and participate in AUA meetings until his death at age 98.

Scope and Content

The correspondence between Sir and Lady William Osler to Charles Nicoll Bancker Camac forms the bulk of the Earl Nation Collection. Other correspondents include John M. Connor, librarian for the Los Angeles County Medical Association, Clifford Pilz and William Bennett Bean. For the most part, these letters are arranged chronologically and then according to author. The one exception is Clifford Pilz’s letter in Folder 3 explaining and enclosing copies of the letters from William Henry Welch to C.N.B. Camac; the letters in this folder are arranged as found in the original collection. The Osler and Camac reproductions span the years 1896-1926, while Earl Nation’s later correspondence about the collection covers the years 1960 to 1980.
Included are two folders of ephemera, mainly photographic copies of the Osler correspondence. In addition, these folders contain photographs of Sir William Osler and envelopes linking the photos to Earl F. Nation.

Arrangement

Correspondence chiefly arranged chronologically and then according to author, followed by ephemera.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

Subjects

Nation, Earl F., 1910-.
Osler, William, Sir, 1849-1919.
Medical libraries -- California -- Los Angeles.
Medicine -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
Medicine -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Physicians -- United States -- Correspondence.

Forms/Genres

Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century.
Photocopies -- United States -- 20th century.
Photographs -- United States -- 20th century.

Additional Contributors

Bean, William Bennett.
Camac, C. N. B. (Charles Nicoll Bancker), 1868-1940, recipient.
Osler, Grace Revere Gross, Lady.
Osler, William, Sir, 1849-1919.
Los Angeles County Medical Association, former owner.


Box 1

Correspondence and ephemera

Folder 1

1896-1919. Osler, William, Sir. 10 photocopied letters to C.N.B. (Charles Nicoll Bancker) Camac.

Includes notes, strips of negative film, and photographic copies of letters.
Folder 2

1903-1926. Osler, Grace Revere Gross, Lady. 7 photocopied letters to C.N.B. (Charles Nicoll Bancker) Camac.

Folder 3

1960, May 11. Pilz, Clifford. 1 letter to William Bennett Bean; [1899-1909] Welch, William Henry. 7 photocopied letters to C.N.B. (Charles Nicoll Bancker) Camac.

Folder 4

1970, Jan. 22.-1970, Feb. 10. Connor, John M. 2 letters to Earl F. Nation.

Includes photocopy of letter Irvin Klein to George Schwartz (1970, Jan. 5). Includes photocopy letter Bill Dock to Connor (1970, Jan. 28.).
Folder 5

1980, May 19-1980, Aug. 20. Bean, William Bennett. 2 letters to Earl F. Nation.

Folder 6

1980, Aug. 13. Pilz, Clifford G. 1 letter to Earl F. Nation.

Folder 7

[1968]. Ephemera. 100 items.

Folder 8

[undated]. Ephemera. 16 items.