Bernard G. Sarnat papers,
1932-2010
LSC.1793
Finding aid prepared by Preliminary processing by Charlotte B. Brown; processed by Mary Priest, 2015; machine-readable finding
aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575
(310) 825-4988
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Finding aid last updated 28 June 2016.
Title: Bernard G. Sarnat papers
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1793
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
5.2 linear feet
(13 document boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1932-2010
Abstract: Bernard G. Sarnat was a UCLA professor in both the School of Dentistry and the School of Medicine, the chief of surgery at
Cedars-Sinai, and a widely-published scientific researcher. Items in the collection include correspondence, copies of publications,
surgery photos, lecture notes and recorded lectures, an early manuscript of his published book, course materials, and administrative
documents from his professorship at UCLA.
Language of Materials: Materials are in English.
Physical Location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Creator:
Sarnat, Bernard G.
Restrictions on Access
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.
Series 1 is open for research. Series 2 is restricted.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. 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 where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CD, DVD, and VHS materials are present and may need to be digitized prior to use or require special equipment for viewing.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Bernard G. Sarnat Papers (Collection 1793). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Materials from this collection were donated by Bernard Sarnat in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Processing Information
Preliminary processing by Charlotte Brown; processed by Mary Priest in 2015 in the
Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) with assistance from Jillian Cuellar. Processing of this collection was generously supported by the Constantine and Perina
Panunzio Endowment for University Archives.
Biography/History
Bernard G. Sarnat was the youngest of three children, born in Chicago, Illinois on September 1, 1912 to Russian immigrant
parents. He excelled in his studies from a young age, graduating high school with honors and gaining early admission to the
University of Chicago. It was there that Sarnat studied medicine and earned his degree in 1936. Throughout high school and
into college, Sarnat also worked roughly 30 hours per week at the family drugstore which his father owned. Shortly after obtaining
his medical degree, Sarnat applied to the University of Illinois and began dental school. While enrolled in dental school,
Sarnat was concurrently enrolled in a master’s program for science, he was an assistant professor in histology, and was actively
engaged in research. After obtaining his M.S. and D.D.S in 1940, Sarnat spent a year in a general surgery residency followed
by his appointment to full professorship and the head of the Oral and Plastic Surgery department at Washington University
School of Medicine. Sarnat opened his own private practice and continued to conducted research through the university until
his move to California in 1955.
Sarnat relocated to Beverly Hills and established a successful plastic surgery private practice. He also worked in conjunction
with the Cedars-Sinai plastic surgery for over 20 years, holding positions as both the chief of surgery and a researcher.
In 1967 Sarnat was appointed as an adjunct professor at the newly founded UCLA School of Dentistry. By 1974, Sarnat had gained
a second appointment as a professor in UCLA School of Medicine’s plastic surgery division. During this time, Sarnat also established
the internationally recognized Bernard G. Sarnat International Lectureship in Bone Biology and the Plastic Surgery Research
Council.
One of Sarnat’s major research contributions includes the use of a stain known as alizarin red S to document bone and teeth
growth. Sarnat also conducted extensive research on biological causes for facial deformities and how these factors affected
surgery. Prior to his retirement in 1991, Sarnat had published over 200 papers and books, had lectured extensively both domestically
and internationally, and had received dozens of prestigious awards for excellence in research. His research, publishing, and
lectureship continued even after his retirement. Sixty years of research was published in his 2010 book Craniofacial Biology
and Craniofacial Surgery. A biography of this life, Bernard G. Sarnat: 20th Century Plastic Surgeon and Biological Scientist,
was published in 2008. Bernard Sarnat died at age 99 on October 21, 2011.
Scope and Content
Items in this collection, created between 1932 and 2010, serve to document the professional career of scientist, professor,
and plastic surgeon Bernard G. Sarnat. The material focuses largely on Sarnat’s extensive research and publications. Items
in the collection include correspondence, photos of plastic surgery photos, copies of publications, lecture notes and recorded
lectures, an early manuscript of his published book, course materials, and administrative documents from his professorship
at UCLA. Also included in the collection are drafts of Sarnat’s biography with Sarnat’s marginal annotations.
Organization and Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Professional Materials, 1940-2010
- Series 2: Plastic Surgery Photos and Slides, 1932-2002
Each series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Sarnat, Bernard G. (Bernard George), 1912- -- Archives
Plastic surgeons--Archives.
Surgery, Plastic
University of California, Los Angeles. School of Medicine--Faculty--Archives
Series 1: Professional Materials
1940-2010
Scope and Content
This series focuses largely on Sarnat’s extensive research and publications from 1940-2009. Items in the collection include
correspondence, copies of publications, lecture notes and recorded lectures, manuscripts of his published book, course materials,
and administrative documents from his professorship at UCLA. Also included in the collection are drafts of Sarnat’s biography
with Sarnat’s marginal annotations.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CD, DVD, and VHS materials are present and may need to be digitized prior to use or require special equipment for viewing.
Box 1, Folder 1
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 1-2
c.2006
Box 1, Folder 2
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 3-4
c.2006
Box 1, Folder 3
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 5-10
c.2006
Box 1, Folder 4
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 11-12A
c.2006
Box 1, Folder 5
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 12B-15
c.2006
Box 2, Folder 1
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 16-18
c.2006
Box 2, Folder 2
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 19-20
c.2006
Box 2, Folder 3
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 21-30
c.2006
Box 2, Folder 4
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 31-37
c.2006
Box 2, Folder 5
Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Chapters 38-Appendix
c.2006
Box 3, Folder 1
Craniofacial Growth and Anomalies
1971-1996
Box 3, Folder 3
Correspondence: Craniofacial Biology and Craniofacial Surgery Book Publishing
2005-2008
Box 3, Folder 4
Course Materials
1966-2007
Box 3, Folder 5
Course Materials: Oral Biology
1966-2004
Box 3, Folder 6
Curriculum Vitae
1940-2010
Box 4, Folder 1
Endowed Chair in Craniofacial Biology
1991-2004
Box 4, Folder 4
Professional Photos
1984-2005
Box 4, Folder 5
Plastic Surgery Research Council (PSRC) Newsletter
2002-2005
Box 4, Folder 6
Presentation Slides
1954-2003
Box 5, Folder 1
Publications:Volume I
1940-1950
Box 5, Folder 2
Publications:Volume II
1951-1960
Box 5, Folder 3
Publications:Volume III
1961-1970
Box 6, Folder 1
Publications:Volume IV
1971-1980
Box 6, Folder 2
Publications:Volume V
1981-1991
Box 6, Folder 3
Publications:Volume VI
1993-1999
Box 7, Folder 1
Publications:Volume VII
2000-2010
Box 7, Folder 2
Publications: Additional
1952-2003
Box 7, Folder 3
Research Articles
1966-2003
Box 8, Folders 1-6, Box 9, Folders 1-2
Sarnat Biography Drafts
2003-2008
Box 9, Folder 3
Sarnat Lectureship
1983-2009
Box 10, Folders 1-2, Box 9, Folders 4-5
Speeches and Lectures
1956-2007
Box 10, Folder 3
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Surgery Department
1972-1985
Box 10, Folder 4
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Professorship
1969-2004
Box 10, Folder 5
Recorded Lectures: 15th Annual Bernard G. Sarnat Lectureship and Alpha Omega Award
1988-1999
Box 11, Folder 1
Recorded Lectures: 16th Annual Bernard G. Sarnat Lectureship
2000
Box 10, Folder 6
Recorded Lectures: Biography and School of Dentistry Lectures
2003-2008
Box 11, Folder 2
Recorded Lectures: Cedars-Sinai Interview and Award
1999-2004
Box 11, Folder 3
Recorded Lectures: Pioneers in Medicine
1999
Box 11, Folder 4
Recorded Lectures: Postnatal Growth of Bones
2006
Series 2: Plastic Surgery Photographs and Slides
1932-2002
Restrictions on Access
This series is currently closed. All patient information in this series is subject to the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) restrictions of life of the patient plus 50 years.
Scope and Content
Materials in this series include slides and photographs of Sarnat’s plastic surgery patients from 1940-1986. Many of the patients
depicted are those with craniofacial concerns, as this was Sarnat’s area of specialization. However, documented patients exhibit
a range of surgical needs, from burn victim treatment to breast reduction.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Slides are present and may need to be digitized prior to use or require special equipment for viewing
