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COLLECTION Identifier: H MS c452

Miriam F. Menkin papers

Overview

The Miriam F. Menkin papers, 1919-2003 (inclusive), are the product of Menkin's activities as laboratory assistant and researcher at the Free Hospital for Women in Brookline, Mass.

Dates

  • Creation: 1919-2003 (inclusive)

Creator

Language of Materials

Papers are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Access requires advance notice. Access to personal and patient information is restricted for 80 years from the date of creation. These restrictions appear in Series I, II, and IV. Researchers may apply for access to restricted records. Consult Public Services for further information.

The Papers are stored offsite. Researchers are advised to consult Public Services for further information concerning retrieval of material.

Conditions Governing Use

The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in the collection. Researchers are responsible for identifying and contacting any third-party copyright holders for permission to reproduce or publish. For more information on the Center's use, publication, and reproduction policies, view our Reproductions and Use Policy.

Extent

11.25 cubic feet (10 records center cartons, 2 half letter size document boxes 1 half legal size document box, and 2 flat oversize boxes)

The Miriam F. Menkin papers, 1919-2003 (inclusive), are the product of Menkin's activities as laboratory assistant and researcher at the Free Hospital for Women in Brookline, Mass. The papers include Menkin's records from Menkin's research on reproductive health as a laboratory assistant to John Rock, as well as related patient records. The papers also contain her professional correspondence and a small amount of person correspondence; professional writings, including notes and commentary on John Rock's writings; and collected subject files and clippings on topics related to reproductive health.

The Miriam F. Menkin papers consist of four series: I. Free Hospital for Women Records, II. Correspondence, III. Writings, and IV. Subject Files and Clippings.

Papers are entirely in English.

Biographical Notes

Miriam Friedman Menkin (1901-1992), BA, Cornell University, 1922, MA, Columbia University, 1923, was a laboratory assistant to John Rock at the Free Hospital for Women in Brookline, Mass. She was born in Riga, Latvia in 1901 and immigrated with her family to the United States in 1903. Menkin is best known for performing the first in vitro fertilization of a human egg, in 1944. Prior to joining Rock in 1938, Menkin had worked on fertility research with biologist Gregory Pincus.

Series and Subseries in the Collection

  1. I. Free Hospital for Women Records, 1934-1982, undated
  2. ___ A. Research Records, 1936-1982, undated
  3. ___ B. Patient Records, 1934-1957, undated
  4. II. Correspondence, 1930-1988, undated
  5. III. Writings, 1928-1978, undated
  6. IV. Subject Files and Clippings, 1919-2003, undated

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Miriam F. Menkin papers consist of records separated from the John Rock papers, H MS c161, and two accruals of the Rock papers, (Acc. 2009-045 and 2009-053).

  1. Accession number 2015-069. 2015 April 21.

Related Collections in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Center for the History of Medicine

Processing Information

Processed by Bryan Sutherland, 2015 April.

Processing staff in the Center for the History of Medicine analyzed, arranged, and described the records and created a finding aid to improve access to the collection. To enhance preservation, processing staff re-housed the collection and, where necessary, photocopied documents onto acid-free paper. Duplicate records and records that did not meet the collection policy of the Center for the History of Medicine were discarded. Folder titles were transcribed from the originals.

Subject

Creator

Title
Menkin, Miriam F. Papers, 1919-2003 (inclusive): Finding Aid.
Author
Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. Center for the History of Medicine.
Language of description
und
EAD ID
med00208

Repository Details

Part of the Center for the History of Medicine (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine) Repository

The Center for the History of Medicine in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine is one of the world's leading resources for the study of the history of health and medicine. Our mission is to enable the history of medicine and public health to inform healthcare, the health sciences, and the societies in which they are embedded.

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