Guide to the Stanford University Medical Experimental Computer Resource (SUMEX)
Records SC1248
Daniel Hartwig & Jenny Johnson
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
January 2018
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford 94305-6064
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Stanford University Medical Experimental Computer Resource (SUMEX)
records
Identifier/Call Number: SC1248
Identifier/Call Number: 19328
Physical Description:
33 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1975-1991
Physical Location: Special Collections
and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 48 hours in advance.
For more information on paging collections, see the department's website:
http://library.stanford.edu/spc.
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original
format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must
be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford
University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent is given on behalf of Special
Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s) or assigns. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transfer, 2008.
Preferred Citation
Stanford University Medical Experimental Computer Resource (SUMEX) records (SC1248). Dept.
of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford,
Calif.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Artificial intelligence -- History. -- California -- San Francisco Bay
Area
Medical applications
SUMEX-AIM (Stanford University Medical Experimental Computer for Artificial
Intelligence in Medicine) TENEX computer files
Accession ARCH-2007-156
1974-1983
Physical Description: 18739.2
megabyte(s)(246,431 files in 5,218
directories)
Scope and Contents
The SUMEX-AIM network was a nationally-shared computing resource devoted entirely to
designing AI applications for the biomedical sciences. Headed by Ed Feigenbaum and
Joshua Lederberg, it demonstrated the power of the ARPAnet for scientific
collaboration.
SUMEX-AIM was built using LISP (INTERLISP), one of the earliest high-level programming
languages, which introduced many ideas such as garbage collection, recursive functions,
symbolic expressions, and dynamic type-checking. INTERLISP was a programming environment
built around a version of the Lisp programming language. Interlisp development began in
1967 at Bolt, Beranek and Newman in Cambridge, Massachusetts as BBN LISP, which ran on
PDP-10 machines running the TENEX operating system. When Danny Bobrow, Warren Teitelman
and Ronald Kaplan moved from BBN to Xerox PARC, it was renamed Interlisp. Interlisp
became a popular Lisp development tool for AI researchers at Stanford University and
elsewhere in the DARPA community. Interlisp was notable for the integration of
interactive development tools into the environment, such as a debugger, an automatic
correction tool for simple errors (DWIM - "do what I mean"), and analysis tools.
Access to Collection
The materials are restricted.
box 1
Book 4; Archive Listing (even); Tape 302-400
1977 Oct 4-1978 Nov 13
box 3
Book 5; Archive Listing (odd); Tapes 401-499
1979 Nov 22-1979 Dec 12
box 4
Book 2; Archive Listing (even); Tapes 102-200
1976 Apr 5-1976 Dec 22
Box 6
Final Tenex Dump
1983 Feb 25
Box 7
Archive Listing (ODD) 1-99
1974 Apr 19-1976 Mar
27
Box 8
Archive Listing (EVEN) 2-100
1974 Apr 19-1976 Mar
27
Box 9
Archive Listing (ODD) 101-199
1976 Apr 5-1976 Dec
22
Box 10
Archive Listing (ODD) 201-299
1976 Dec 28-1977 Sep
19
Box 11
Archive Listing (EVEN) 202-300
1976 Dec 28-1977 Sep
17
Box 12
Archive Listing (ODD) 301-399
1977 Oct 4-1978 Nov
13
Box 13
Archive Listing (EVEN) 402-500
1978 Nov 22-1979 Dec
12
Box 14
Archive Listing (EVEN) 502-600
1979 Dec 18-1980 Oct
3
Box 15
Archive Listing (EVEN) 602-700
1980 Oct 3-1981 May
20
Box 17
Transition notes 2060-SUN-4
Box 18
Reports old grant applications
Box 19
Reports old grant applications
