Nevin S. Scrimshaw Papers

 Collection
Identifier: EBL-0072

  • Staff Only

Collection Scope and Content Summary

Personal papers of epidemiologist and nutritionist Nevin S. Scrimshaw (b. 1918). Materials include: associations; committees; meetings and symposiums. Association materials consist of reports, minutes, correspondence, and other materials related to nutrition. Committees include various United Nations and WHO organizations and committees, and others. Majority of the collection's materials are from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Dates

  • 1959 - 1987

Creator

Notes about Access to this Collection

All collections are subject to applicable Vanderbilt University privacy and confidentiality policies. Collection specific restrictions: No Restrictions.

Reproduction Rights

Copyright is retained by History of Medicine Collections, Eskind Biomedical Library, Vanderbilt University or is retained by the authors of specific published items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Historical or Biographical Note

Nevin Stewart Scrimshaw (1918 -2013) was a public health physician and international nutritionist. Through his work and leadership in international health organizations, many advances were made to combat malnutrition in developing countries. He conducted research in amino acid protein metabolism, endemic goiter, and kwashiorkor.

He received his education at the following institutions: BA, Ohio Wesleyan University, 1938; MA (Biology), Harvard, 1939; Ph.D. (Physiology), Harvard, 1941; M.D., University of Rochester, 1945; M.P.H., Harvard University, 1959. He was an instructor in Embryology and Physiology at Ohio Wesleyan from 1941-1942. Later he was a Rockefeller Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Rochester from 1946-1947 and a Merck NRC Fellow from 1947-1949. He served as a consultant to the Pan American Sanitary Bureau from 1948-49, and then as a Regional Advisor on Nutrition to the Pan American Health Organization from 1949-1953. He also founded and was the director of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama from 1949-1961, later serving as its Consulting Director from 1961-1965 and as a consultant from 1965 onward. He became a professor of Human Nutrition and Chairman of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at M.I.T. from 1961-1979. He also served as director of the Clinical Research Center at M.I.T. from 1962-66 and 1979-1985. He served as a professor at Columbia University from 1976-1988 becoming professor Emeritus in 1988. He has received the following awards: Osborne & Mendel Award, 1960; Goldberger Award, 1969; and the World Food Prize, 1991. Dr. Scrimshaw also was a Fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation from 1971-1983. Dr. Scrimshaw died in Plymouth, New Hampshire on February 8, 2013.

Extent

132.32 Cubic Feet (23 Hollinger Boxes, 3 half Hollinger boxes and 96 Paige boxes )

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Personal papers of epidemiologist and nutritionist Nevin S. Scrimshaw (b. 1918). Materials include: associations; committees; meetings and symposiums. Association materials consist of reports, minutes, correspondence, and other materials related to nutrition. Committees include various United Nations and WHO organizations and committees, and others. Majority of the collection's materials are from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Physical Location

EBL Vault

Acquisition Information

Acquired on 08/28/2000

Processing History

processed on Unknown Date

Title
Nevin S. Scrimshaw Papers
Status
Partially Processed
Author
History of Medicine Collections Staff
Date
2004-10-29
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Eskind Biomedical Library Manuscripts Collection Repository

Contact:
Eskind Biomedical Library
2209 Garland Ave.
Nashville TN 37232


 

About this Site

This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.

Requesting Materials

Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.