The collection is freely and publicly available via the Albert  B. Sabin website at http://sabin.uc.edu/ and includes approximately 35,000 letters and accompanying documents totaling 50,000 pages of correspondence between Sabin and political, cultural, social, and scientific leaders around the world. Also included are nearly 1,000 photographs documenting the events and activities worldwide that were part of Sabin’s crusade to eradicate polio.

“This is what every biographer dreams of – so easy to use and complete,” said Charlotte Jacobs, MD, emerita professor of medicine at Stanford University and an accomplished biographer.

The project, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a “We the People” initiative designed to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America.

The Sabin digitized correspondence and photographs are of great relevance to the research efforts of historians, social and political scientists, ethicists, biomedical researchers, and physicians, as well as students and scholars worldwide. Marguerite Rose Jimenez, a postdoctoral fellow at American University researching Sabin and his polio eradication efforts in the Americas, commented, “[T]he archives just keep getting better and better! The search functions and  thoroughness of the searches generated is really amazing and so incredibly helpful! I’ve found all sorts of things using key search terms that I never  would have found searching through the documents as hard copies.”

The correspondence and photographs are part of the Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives. Sabin’s wife, Heloisa, donated his papers, medals, and other artifacts to the University of Cincinnati upon his death in  1993. They reside in the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health  Professions where they have been organized and preserved with the support of the John Hauck Foundation.

In addition to providing easy access to the 50,000 pages of digitized correspondence and photos, the Albert B. Sabin website includes a biography and timeline of Sabin’s life and career, a section about the vaccination program referred to as “Sabin Sundays,” and information about the complete Sabin Collection, which encompasses 400 linear feet and consists of correspondence, laboratory notebooks, manuscripts, photographs, audio and video recordings, and other research papers generated by Sabin during his long and active medical career from 1930-1993. Also included on the website are lessons plans created to encourage high school teachers to use the Sabin digital collection in their classrooms.

For more on the Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives and the digitization of the correspondence and photographs, contact the Winkler Center at (513) 558-5120 or by e-mail at chhp@uc.edu. In addition, a blog was kept by Stephanie Bricking, Sabin archivist, as she worked on the collection. The blog, available at www.libraries.uc.edu/liblog/topics/albert-b-sabin-archives/,  provides insight into Sabin’s life and accomplishments. Stephen Marine, UC Libraries’ associate dean for special collections and the project’s principle investigator, adds that the blog is also, “a gold mine of potential research topics for medical historians, historical epidemiologists, medical ethicists, historians of the Cold War, public health officials, and many others.”

[Sabin Archivist's Note: This week features the first blog post on the Sabin project from Jeff O'Flynn, one of our new student assistants. Jeff is pursuing a doctoral degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He will be blogging on different Sabin-related topics as we work on the project. Please give Jeff a warm welcome by reading his posts! -SB]

The first assignment I handled when I started at the Sabin Archive nearly a month ago was to inventory a recent acquisition. Mrs. Sabin and her son sent us another large shipment of documents, photographs, awards, videos, and almost everything else imaginable. Sifting through these items served as my introduction to Albert B. Sabin’s life and legacy. This donation offered insight mainly into his later years and his posthumous honors with nearly all the items dating from 1970 forward. I learned many interesting things as I sorted through hundreds of fascinating items and I will share some of the most memorable items on this blog. First, I want to highlight an essay Dr. Sabin wrote in 1992 as an introduction to Paul de Kruif’s “Microbe Hunters” which influenced his life greatly.

Written ca. 1992, Dr. Sabin’s essay offers an autobiographical glimpse into his formative years. He mentioned many times that “Microbe Hunters” affected his career path. This essay describes its influence and, of even greater interest, his first forays into scientific experimentation.

Dr. Sabin first moved to New York City to study dentistry where he lived with his uncle, Dr. Sigmund Sidney, who sponsored his education. Dr. Sidney stipulated that young Sabin join his dental practice upon graduation but his nephew was feeling the pull of a different branch of medicine. After studying for three years, including a course called Bacteriology, Dr. Sabin read a first edition of “Microbe Hunters” (1926) that convinced him to “spend [his] whole life as a microbe hunter”. He moved away from his uncle’s house and patronage and began medical school as well as his own research.

Dr. Sabin describes his first challenge as a microbe hunter.

Sabin was generously given a small area at the Bureau of Laboratories of New York City where he could pursue his own research concurrent with his medical studies. He closely observed the department’s staff while doing his work and thus was afforded an extra benefit. He also worked at Harlem Hospital where he encountered his “first challenge as a ‘microbe hunter’”. When he started, “pneumonia was the big killer” and Sabin was responsible for determining which type of pneumonia each patient had contracted. He quickly discovered that patients died before he could complete the 24-hour test. Tasked with quickly identifying the strain, Sabin developed a rapid 3-hour test that his mentor named in his honor. This was his first victory as a microbe hunter and the discovery became well known. In this essay, Dr. Sabin notes that the following question appeared on his examination for a license to practice medicine in the State of New York: Describe the Sabin method of rapid typing of pneumococci. You can imagine Dr. Sabin, recently graduated from New York University, had a satisfactory answer for that!

Dr. Sabin describes his medical license exam.

Then, before Dr. Sabin began his internship, a polio outbreak devastated New York City leaving more than 6,000 children paralyzed or dead. His mentor, Dr. William H. Park, convinced Dr. Sabin to change his focus to polio and thus the seeds were planted for his most famous research. After accepting a position at the Children’s Hospital Research Foundation of the University of Cincinnati, he briefly describes his war on polio through the oral polio vaccine he developed. In the closing, he writes: “It is 67 years ago that Paul de Kruif’s ‘Microbe Hunters’ started my career, and I remain deeply indebted to the book he wrote.”

Dr. Sabin describes the impetus of his switch to studying polio.

This essay gives us a first-hand perspective on Dr. Sabin’s formative years and motivations and is an interesting read. If you want to read the entire story, feel free to contact us at the Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives at chhp@uc.edu.

In 2010, the University of Cincinnati Libraries received a $314,258 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to digitize the correspondence and photographs of Dr. Albert B. Sabin. This digitization project has been designated a NEH “We the People” project, an initiative to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. and Mrs. Sabin feeding deer at a temple in Japan.

I’ve been working with the Sabin Archives for a little over three months now and am still somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of material Dr. Sabin accumulated during his long career. So when we recently received a shipment of even more materials from Mrs. Sabin and her son, I was rather surprised. Not simply because there were items we didn’t have – because judging by where we store our archival collections, it seems we have everything Dr. Sabin ever touched – but because of the amount we received. Looking over the boxes, it’s hard to imagine how one person could amass this amount of materials. Dr. Sabin kept himself quite busy, it seems.

The newly received material has already been roughly organized into boxes. Browsing through the organized materials, I instantly go to the photo albums. A picture is worth a thousand words they say, and I do enjoy looking at albums. One of the first albums I came across was an album of Dr. Sabin’s visit to Japan. (Perhaps you remember seeing a picture of me rifling through this particular album in a previous blog post.) The album consists of pictures of Dr. Sabin’s trip to Japan in 1980 and most of the photos are of a casual nature. There is a photo Dr. Sabin dancing and another of him feeding deer. A good number of the pictures show him enjoying a casual lunch or dinner with friends and colleagues. This sort of softens the image of Dr. Sabin. We often hear about his commitment to his work and his rather forward personality, and sometimes that lends itself to a certain image. However, watching him happily feed chips to a deer in a Shinto temple reminds us that Dr. Sabin was more than just his work.

Dr. Sabin meeting Paraguayan President Alfredo Stroessner in 1985.

After looking through the album, it’s placed back into a neatly organized box of other photo albums. Visible are albums marked “Panama” and “Paraguay” as well as a multitude of others. The Paraguay album was rather interesting. It summarized Dr. Sabin’s trip to Paraguay to receive the National Order of Merit, announce the first National Day of Anti-polio Vaccination, and to meet President Alfredo Stroessner. This trip was a scheduled destination as part of the Rotary International inspired PolioPlus tour which spanned several countries in Central and South America.[1]

About this collection, one thing is for certain – the more materials we get about Dr. Sabin, the better we’ll be able to understand him as a person. Much of what has been collected in the Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives is viewable to the public. We always encourage people to come by and admire Dr. Sabin’s work. Or at least come by and admire our effort in preserving his work! Feel free to contact the Winkler Center at chhp@uc.edu or (513) 558-5120 if you would like to schedule an appointment!

Reference
[1] “World Understanding, World Peace, and Polio” by Dr. Albert B. Sabin, 1985. Found in Professional and Personal Engagements, Sub-series Awards and Honors, Box 5, Folder 5.

In 2010, the University of Cincinnati Libraries received a $314,258 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to digitize the correspondence and photographs of Dr. Albert B. Sabin. This digitization project has been designated a NEH “We the People” project, an initiative to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

[Sabin Archivist's Note: This week features the first blog post on the Sabin project from Mary Kroeger Vuyk, one of our new student assistants. Mary is pursuing a Master of Library Science degree from Clarion University. Previously she has worked in the Winkler Center as an intern, processing the UC Public Relations Collection. She will be blogging on different Sabin-related topics as we work on the project. Please give Mary a warm welcome by reading her posts! -SB]

While rearranging several photos albums as part of the Albert B. Sabin digitization project, I ran across the Certificate of Citizenship for a very young Albert Sabin. This certificate reveals that the 23 year old Albert Sabin gained United States Citizenship on April 15, 1930.[1] While the certificate shows other important information about Dr. Sabin, such his height, weight, address, and marital status at the time of naturalization, a photo on the certificate also reveals another interesting detail – Albert Sabin was into facial hair. But, as I continued to look through the photos, I realized that as Dr. Sabin changed, so did his whiskers.

The photo of Dr. Sabin at 23 years old shows a dark and more slender moustache than found in later photos. His moustache at this age reminds me of those see on members of a barbershop quartet. Known as the English moustache, it is narrow and begins at the middle of the upper lip. The whiskers are long, pulled to the side, and are slightly curled at the ends. To achieve this look, Sabin would have to have used moustache wax.

By the 1950’s, Sabin’s facial hair began to change. Gone was the dark brown, full moustache with curled edges. Instead, Dr. Sabin chose a much more traditional look for his slightly graying moustache. Photos show Dr. Sabin with a thin, narrow, closely clipped mustache that outlines the upper lip.[2] This type of moustache could be considered a slightly fuller pencil-style moustache, sometimes called a mouthbrow. Sabin continued with this traditional look, with only minor alterations into the 1970’s. As Dr. Sabin’s hair color changed to completely gray, his moustache became a little thicker and not as closely clipped as seen in earlier photos.

Photos taken of Dr. Sabin in the late 80’s and early 90’s show another facial hair change which could possibly considered his most dramatic choice. Late in life, with snow white hair, Dr. Sabin went for the moustache and neatly trimmed beard. This classic facial hair choice reminded me, of course, of Santa Claus. Dr. Sabin’s new moustache and beard did not go unnoticed. Ruth Drozewski dropped Dr. Sabin a note on 7/15/1986 remarking on what a surprise it was to see him with a beard and noting how distinguished he looked.[3]

To follow the evolution of Dr. Sabin’s facial hair or to discover hundreds of other fascinating facts consult the Finding aid for the Albert B. Sabin Papers, 1930-1993.

References
[1] United States Certificate of Citizenship found in Sabin Binder Photos – Albert Sabin with Children: 1960-1990, File 5 (Misc).
[2] Photo of Albert Sabin taken by the U.S. Army found in The Albert B. Sabin Collection Photos, Dated: Box 2 – 1950’s.
[3] Letter to Dr. Sabin dated 7/15/1986 found in Sabin Binder Photos – Albert Sabin with Children: 1960-1990, File 5 (Misc).

In 2010, the University of Cincinnati Libraries received a $314,258 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to digitize the correspondence and photographs of Dr. Albert B. Sabin. This digitization project has been designated a NEH “We the People” project, an initiative to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A 1969 letter from Professor Ernest Borek to Dr. Albert Sabin, which is quoted below.

Throughout the redaction process, I have been asked by many people how we select what should be removed from letters and other documents prior to publication of the materials online. It’s quite a complicated process! A way to approach this question is to discuss things we typically would not remove from letters. One illustration of this concept is through the case of Dr. Sabin’s colleague, Dr. William Brebner.

First, a bit of explanation, just in case you are unfamiliar with the Sabin project. As an archivist, it is part of my “Code of Ethics” to follow principles of “Access and Use” and “Privacy.”[1] Because of the nature of the materials within Sabin project, these principles can come into conflict with each other.

In the Sabin collection there are documents which contain medical research and personal health information. Prior to publishing this material on the web, the Sabin project staff is going through the process of “redaction.” To “redact” a document is to “to select or adapt (as by obscuring or removing sensitive information) for publication or release” or “to obscure or remove (text) from a document prior to publication or release.”[2] By removing information related to medical research or personal health information before publication, the Sabin project staff hopes to balance the issues of privacy and access in a way that will benefit researchers all over the world.

Now back to the case of William Brebner. We have several files in our collection which refer to the “B” virus, which is a virus that was recovered by Dr. Sabin and Dr. Arthur M. Wright in 1932 from a patient who was bitten by a monkey during the course of poliomyelitis research. This man passed away in November 1932 from “respiratory failure secondary to acute ascending myelitis.”[3] A New York Times obituary appeared on November 10, 1932, with the headline “Bite by a Monkey Fatal to Physician” and identifies the physician as Dr. W. B. Brebner.[4] Other obituaries, which appeared in journals such as Archives of Pathology[5] and The Canadian Medical Association Journal[6] also described Dr. Brebner’s fate.

Years later, Dr. Sabin received letters asking about the origin of the “B” virus, such as the one seen above from Professor Ernest Borek. He wrote, “For a possible historical essay, I would like to know the name of the resident who is simply designated as Mr. B, who was bitten by a monkey in your laboratory […] I think the young man’s name might well be perpetuated.”[7] Dr. Sabin explained to Professor Borek and other researchers that he had wished to call it the Brebner virus, but the editor of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, where his research was originally published, “insisted that only the ‘B’ be used.”[8]

The association with Brebner and the “B” virus appears in later journals, such as a 1985 article on Dr. William H. Park, who ran the laboratory where both Brebner and Sabin worked in the early 1930’s. There it describes how “intern Sabin obtained tissue specimens from which he isolated a hitherto unknown virus which he named B virus, after Brebner. It was later shown that this member of the herpesvirus group was carried by otherwise healthy macaque monkeys.”[9] The author concluded that Dr. Sabin’s experience with the “B” virus and Dr. Brebner may have influenced his career in fighting poliomyelitis and other viruses.[10]

In order to maintain links and connections between the Sabin collection and previously published research, we have chosen not to redact Dr. Brebner’s name in any correspondence. We hope that preserving names in cases such as this will assist future researchers who use the collection.

Over the last year of this project, Winkler Center staff have put forth much effort to protect the privacy of those mentioned in the documents, including the creation and implementation of our redaction policy. Through this redaction process, we are attempting to redact documents in an appropriate manner and provide access to an important medical collection. As one of the largest digitization projects of a medically related materials (that we know of), in many ways, we are breaking new ground. Once our material is up and running online, we will welcome users’ feedback with regard to these issues and other topics.

References
[1] See the SAA Code of Ethics for Archivists.
[2] See the definition of redact.
[3] Jason D. Pimentel. “Herpes B Virus – “B” is for Brebner: Dr. William Bartlet Brebner (1903-1932).” CMAJ 178 (2008): 734. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2263097/
[4] “Bite by a Monkey Fatal to Physician.” New York Times. Nov. 10 (1932): 24.
[5] E.V. Cowdry. “Obituary: William B. Brebner, 1903-1932.” Archives of Pathology 15 (1933): 133.
[6] “Obituaries.” CMAJ 27 (1932): 683.
[7] Letter from Ernest Borek to Albert B. Sabin, dated November 3, 1969. Found in Series 1 – Correspondence, Subseries General, Box 1, Folder 3 – B Virus, 1958-69.
[8] Letter from Albert B. Sabin to George Dick, dated November 8, 1969. Found in Series 1 – Correspondence, Subseries General, Box 1, Folder 3 – B Virus, 1958-69.
[9] M. Schaeffer. “William H. Park (1863-1939): His Laboratory and His Legacy.” American Journal of Public Health 75 (1985): 1300. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1646692/
[10] Ibid., 1301.

In 2010, the University of Cincinnati Libraries received a $314,258 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to digitize the correspondence and photographs of Dr. Albert B. Sabin. This digitization project has been designated a NEH “We the People” project, an initiative to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.