Underwood, Edgar Ashworth (1899-1980)

  • Underwood, Edgar Ashworth, 1899-1980.
Date:
1911-1980
Reference:
PP/EAU
  • Archives and manuscripts

Collection contents

About this work

Description

The surviving Underwood papers represent a far from complete record of his career. His correspondence is incomplete and his early career in public health glimpsed by a few notes and papers. The bulk of the collection is made up of the drafts, manuscripts and typescripts of his writings, some of which were never published. Underwood was a perfectionist and polished his work many times. However his immense work for a second volume of A History of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London (to follow Wall and Cameron's history and cover the period 1815 onwards) was never published and sadly the drafts appear to lack one chapter (chapter 15) which has evidently strayed. Similarly a great deal of labour was spent on a history of urology in the late 1950s and early 1960s and on a life of Edward Jenner but neither of these works was ever published, Underwood's failing eyesight inhibiting his researches. However, the collection is valuable in that Underwood meticulously researched and checked evidence and normally kept full records of his work: thus anyone interested in the history of medical education or the apothecaries for example should note the numerous transcripts and copies of administrative records and documents held by the Public Record Office, Guildhall, Royal College of Physicians and elsewhere.

Publication/Creation

1911-1980

Physical description

19 boxes

Contributors

Arrangement

The collection is divided into sections as follows:

A: Correspondence (A-Z and general)

B: Public Health early career

C: Catalogues of EAU's Library and correspondence with Reading University concerning its sale

D: Writings, lectures and articles by EAU

E: Edward Jenner: misc writings and material

F: Medical Education and the Apothecaries: notes, transcripts, typescripts, etc.

G: Urology: EAU's draft History of Urology and notes

H: Personal: photographs, awards, bookplates etc.

Acquisition note

The papers of Edgar Ashworth Underwood were acquired in May 1980 by the library at Wellcome Collection when it received a number of books from Dr Underwood's library. They were given by Dr Underwood's widow Nancy Underwood (adopted daughter of Charles Singer). Some material of Charles and Dorothea Singer, accessioned at the same time, has been incorporated into an earlier deposit of Singer material (see PP/CJS), but it should be noted that the Singer collection also contains papers relating to Underwood. One additional box of papers in the same accession was evidently acquired by Underwood from Sir Arthur MacNalty and has been listed separately as GC/119. A few items of stray papers relating to Dr Underwood's Directorship of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum and Library were incorporated into the Library's archives. Many of his reprints will be found in the Library's reprint collection.

Biographical note

Edgar Ashworth Underwood (1899-1980) was a medical man specialising in public health before making a second career in medical history.

Outline of life and career:

1899 Nov 9 Born in Dumfries, son of David Underwood and Janet Grierson

Schooling in Glasgow/Dumfries Academy

1917-1919 Served with Cameron Highlanders in France

1924 University of Glasgow M.A.,M.B.,Ch.B.,B.Sc.

Physician at Western Infirmary, Glasgow

1926 Diploma in Public Health (D.P.H.)

Assistant M.O.H. in Glasgow & County of Lanark

1929 Deputy M.O.H. County of Rotherham

1929-1931 Medical Superintendant of Oakwood Sanitarium, Rotherham

1932-1934 Deputy M.O.H., City of Leeds

Lecturer in Public Health, University of Leeds

1934-1937 M.O.H., Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch

1937-1945 M.O.H., Chief School Medical Officer, County Borough of West Ham

1936 M.D.

1933 Fellow of Royal Society of Medicine

1942-1948 Honorary Secretary of Royal Society of Medicine

1948-1950 President of Royal Society of Medicine

1946-1964 Director, Wellcome Historical Medical Museum and Library

1947 Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur

1948-1950 President of the History Section, R.S.M.

1949 Married Nancy Waley Singer

1956 Appointed Hunterian Trustee, R.C.S.

1959 M.R.C.P.

1964 Retired

1957-1962 President, British Society for the History of Science

Honorary Lecturer, Dept of History and Philosophy of Science, UCL

Honorary Research Fellow, Dept of History and Philosophy of

Science, UCL

1965 F.R.C.P.

1970 Awarded Honorary D.Litt., University of Glasgow

1980 Mar 6 Died

See obituaries in The Times (8 Mar 1980), Medical History, British Medical Journal and Munk's Roll.

Related material

At Wellcome Collection:

Papers of Charles and Dorothea Singer, whose daughter Underwood married, are held as PP/CJS; that collection includes some items that arrived at the Library mingled with the Underwood papers. Papers of Sir Arthur Salusbury MacNalty which arrived at the Library mingled with the Underwood papers have been listed separately as GC/119.

Appraisal note

The Underwood papers on arrival held some material relating to other individuals, which has been removed and catalogued separately. Papers of Charles and Dorothea Singer, whose daughter Underwood married, were removed and added to the existing collection of Singer material (PP/CJS); papers of Sir Arthur Salusbury MacNalty have been listed separately as GC/119.

Subjects

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Identifiers

Accession number

  • 26