Archives
Archival holdings date back to the earliest
days of the NIMR and the MRC, and include the papers of some eminent scientists
strongly associated with NIMR, as well as material on biological standardisation
and the archives of the Common Cold Unit.
Researchers wishing to consult the archives should write to the Director of
the Institute, briefly outlining their area of research and explaining their
need to view NIMR archive material.
Details of archival holdings
Directorial files
These include records relating to policy, finance, staff (including Visiting
and Attached Workers), individual annual reports by research staff, some NIMR
Divisional records, MRC Head Office correspondence and Notes on Annual Reports
to Council, communications with external bodies and individuals.
Directors and their dates
Sir Henry Dale (1914-1942); Sir Charles
Harington (1942-1962); Sir Peter Medawar (1962-1971); Sir Arnold Burgen
(1971-1982)
MRC Chemotherapy Committee
Files and correspondence from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Biological Standards
NIMR had a leading role in the development and use of internationally-recognised
standards for biological and chemical substances used in medicine. A large
archive of material is available up to the 1970s.
Wilhelm Feldberg
Wilhelm Feldberg (1900-1993) was Head of the Division of Physiology &
Pharmacology and was one of the greatest neuropharmacologists of the 20th
century. During a working life of over 65 years he published over 350 papers.
His early work in Berlin on the pharmacology of histamine and and acetylcholine
was followed in the 1930s by his fundamental research with Dale, which finally
established the chemical nature of synaptic neurotransmission in the peripheral
nervous system. In later years he turned to the central nervous system,
introducing a new and widely adopted experimental approach to elucidate the site
and mode of action of drugs in the brain. His extensive archive was
donated to NIMR by his family and contains research records,
correspondence and papers. In 1961 Professor Feldberg established the Feldberg Foundation, to promote scientific contact between German and English scientists.
Dr John Humphrey
Dr John Humphrey (1915-1987) was Deputy Director and Head of the Division of
Immunology. He was a very significant figure in the development of
immunology from the 1940s onwards. His is an extensive archive of
correspondence, papers, and a large collection of reprints of other workers.
MRC Common Cold Unit
A very extensive collection of files from 1946 to1990.
Reprints
We have a large, catalogued, collection of reprints of papers (19th Century
to 1960s) from all over the world. We also hold reprints of papers by all MRC
Staff (1950s to 1970’s)
Photographs
Photographs of site and staff.
Cuttings
Press cuttings (small collection)
Medical Research Council Archives
NIMR centenary history project
This project aims to record NIMR’s achievements and its growth and development during the 20th century, also to document the research culture at the Institute and the many scientists who have worked here. A science writer is working with current staff and retired scientists to produce a historical and scientific account of the Institute, from 1914 to 2014.
The archives, photograph collections and annual reports are key information resources for this project.
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