William Russell MD Papers, 1904 - 1950

Summary

Creator:
Russell, William Logie, 1863-1951
Abstract:
Nearly the entire collection relates to the institutional history Dr. William Russell wrote in 1945 entitled The New York Hospital: A History of the Psychiatric Service 1771-1936. The collection has no series and needs to be reprocessed.
Extent:
4 boxes 1.46 linear feet
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Nearly the entire collection relates to the institutional history Russell wrote in 1945 entitled The New York Hospital: A History of the Psychiatric Service 1771-1936. This book was commissioned by the Governors of the Society of New York Hospital. The collection includes an annotated manuscript of his book and reviews of the manuscript. His research material, which comprises the bulk of the collection, consists of several photographs, typed transcripts of early hospital reports, Russell's notes, his additions and revisions to some parts of the manuscript, background information about early New York City history, statistics on the types of patients admitted and correspondence with the publisher, and reviews. There are typed abstracts of minutes of the Governors of New York Hospital and of the Asylum Committee, abstracts of laws and legislative sessions regarding the insane in New York State, and notes on general psychiatry before and after 1791 (1771 is the year a charter was granted to the New York Hospital; in 1791 it was opened for patients and the following year the first psychiatry patient was admitted). The association with Cornell University and the bequest from Mr. Payne Whitney for the psychiatric clinic and suggestions for its organization are discussed. Only a few of these items are originals, such as a report by Russell on the establishment of the Payne Whitney Clinic and a catalog of the Psychopathic Branch of the New York Hospital at Bloomingdale. Records not relating to Russell's book are a teaching schedule of Cornell University Medical College, a reorganization proposal for the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene, and merger information pertaining to the National Association for Mental Health. The collection has no series and needs to be reprocessed.

Biographical / historical:

William Logie Russell was born in New Brunswick, Canada in 1863. He received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of New York University in 1885 and held a variety of appointments prior to becoming Medical Director in 1911 of the New York Hospital-Westchester Division, then known as Bloomingdale Hospital. He was instrumental in planning and organizing the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic of the New York Hospital, which opened in 1932. Dr. Russell was Professor of Psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College from 1928 to 1932. He continued in active service until his retirement in 1936. His interest in the hospital continued, and he compiled A History of the Psychiatric Service of New York Hospital, which was published in 1945. Dr. Russell died in California in 1951 at the age of 87.

Acquisition information:
Unknown.

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions on this material.

Terms of access:

Written permission must be obtained from the Oskar Diethelm Library and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or im ages from any materials in this collection.

Location of this collection:
DeWitt Wallace Institute of Psychiatry: History, Policy and the Arts
Weill Cornell Medical College
525 East 68th Street, Box 140
New York, NY 10065, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
212-746-3728