Correspondence

The bulk of Mourant's Correspondence was found in three main series: 'Foreign 1965-1977', Biological and 'Geological', together with a fragment of a fourth series 'Home 1965-1977', Within these series the correspondence was presented in an alphabetical order. The arrangement into series appears to date from Mourant's move to the Serological Populations Genetics Laboratory in 1965. He seems to have begun two series of correspondence relating to haematology, biology and anthroplogy, which he called 'Home 1965-1977' and 'Foreign 1965-1977'. However, the 'Home' sequence is quite short. Some of the correspondence in these series predates 1965, as Mourant filed some earlier correspondence in the alphabetical sequence.

After the closure of the Serological Population Genetics Laboratory in 1976 Mourant closed his 'Foreign' and 'Home' series and started two new series. That relating to his biological, haematological and anthropological interests was titled 'Biological' and that about geology 'Geological' (Mourant had become more active in pursuing his geological interests following retirenment). However, although both sequences run mainly from the later 1970s to 1991, there is in both a significant quantity of earlier correspondence that Mourant seems to have added to them.

In addition the material preserved in these series Mourant kept some correspondence separately either in files of loose. This correspondence is prosented in artificial series entitlel 'Other biological correspondence', 'Other geological correspndence' and 'References and recommendations'.

As Mourant's arrangement has been retained a number of correspondents can appear in two or more series without any distinction in terms of subject or date.

1925-1993

520 files

A digitised copy is held by Wellcome Collection as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.