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The Scott Memorial Library of Thomas Jefferson University recently received funds from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to hire an archivist to process, arrange, and describe the papers of the Solis-Cohen family.
Introducing the Solis-Cohen Project Archivist
Bernice R. Lemley, Archivist Emeritus, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, accepted the challenge and opportunity presented by the grant. Bernice started the archives at the American College.
Her career since the 1960s has involved medically related research, writing, and publishing, especially in the area of the history of medicine. Her history of the American College of Physicians was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and is available online.
Since her retirement after 18 years with the American College of Physicians, Bernice has been "watching" for grant projects which "really intrigue" her, and she found the Solis-Cohen project "irresistible."
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Bernice and Ron dig deep
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Since February, Bernice and other staff have been busy examining, cleaning, exploring, and identifying items in the collection, while also being immersed in learning about the famous Philadelphia family and its contributions. The prospect of arranging and processing the largest collection of Solis-Cohen materials known is not daunting. As her talk at the 1998 Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference seems to indicate, Bernice knows how to keep things in a broad perspective:
"Einsteinian Time Management: The Infinite Estate with Too Many Relatives."
Ron P. Swegman, from the Collection Management Department of the Library, works with Bernice in the examination and preparation of materials.
Importance of the Solis-Cohen collection
Bernice points out that the Solis-Cohens "did everything"--there are notable physicians, lawyers, public health advocates, photographers, artists among the family members and represented in the papers. The documents and memorabilia in the collection span over 100 years of Philadelphia history, Jewish family history, and history of healthcare, and history of pharmacy and medical instrumentation. Mainly the collection documents Jacob Solis-Cohen, his son Myer and Myer's wife Rosebud. Bernice notes that the women in the Solis-Cohen family are also well-represented among the materials and mentions Rosebud's political activism, especially regarding water pollution. Speeches and manuscripts delivered at Independence Square represent socio-political involvement in the World Wars and interest in human rights. Many of the materials are background and supporting documentation for the many journal article publications of Jacob, one of the founding members of the American Medical Association.
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Patient records
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Physical processing and preparation
"We are removing a whole century-worth of air pollution and dust," Bernice explains. Brushes, gloves, powder, and "magical" erasers are all tools of the archival trade. Each document is placed into an individual acid-free folder and then stored in an acid-free box with like materials. The records are meticulous and according to Bernice reflect the 19th century attention to beautiful penmanship. The collection is in several languages, including materials in German, French, and Hebrew, as well as English. Materials are handwritten, typed, carbon-copied.
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War memorabilia--including barbed wire
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This year's work does not involve any repair, special conservation or preservation efforts, or deacidification work. Bernice says that "basically, we are getting the materials clean enough to make them part of the formal archives collection and ready for scholarly use." It's dirty, but necessary, work. While the majority of items in the collection are paper documents, these are in many forms and formats, including books, pamphlets, legal documents, handwritten notes on lined paper, student notebooks, patient records, and patient account records. There are also physical objects, including memorabilia from war service.
To meet the December 31st deadline of the expiration of the grant, Bernice and other Jefferson staff will be working through at least 3 boxes of materials per week. The end product will be a collection ordered and described sufficiently for use by historians and other researchers. Recommendations for the conservation and preservation of particular damaged or especially valuable items will be submitted in a written report.
Bernice is uncovering and discovering many questions which would form excellent research projects, such as: What events prompted Myer to get interested in multiple sclerosis? This is just one of the "mysteries" in the collection which only research will illuminate.
Grant-funded work on the project continues throughout the year 2000. Then, Bernice indicates, she has already uncovered so many researchable topics that she may return to the collection to do some original history of the health sciences investigations.
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