The Ruth Lilly Medical Library is pleased to announce a new addition to the History of Medicine Collection that is now open for research.

The Charles O. McCormick Family Papers contain correspondence, speeches, log books, photographs, and other materials documenting the careers of local physicians and IU alumni, Charles Owen McCormick, Sr., M.D. (1886-1957) and Charles Owen McCormick, Jr., M.D. (1914-1977) between 1942 and 1958. Though the collection is small in size (only eight folders), its geographic scope is quite large—spanning the globe from Indianapolis to Gibraltar, Italy, and Tunisia—and its subject matter diverse.

Included in the collection are records pertaining to Charles O. McCormick, Sr.'s work as a physician at Coleman Hospital and Indianapolis City Hospital/General Hospital (including proposals to establish a maternal health clinic at the Indianapolis General Hospital), and his involvement in the Indianapolis Medical Society between 1949 and 1951; three log books written by Charles O. McCormick, Jr. documenting his treatment of venereal disease and other conditions among U.S. soldiers at the Fifth Army Medical Clinic in Tunis, Tunisia between 1943 and 1945; and letters and photographs from General Mark W. Clark, a longtime McCormick family friend who commanded the United States Fifth Army and the 15th Army Group in the Italian campaign during World War II, later served as Commander in Chief of U.S. Forces in the Occupation of Austria, and was president of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, from 1953 to 1965.  

This collection also sheds light on Charles O. McCormick, Sr.’s (and the Indianapolis Medical Society’s) involvement in the local eugenics movement, which is reflected mostly notably in his contributions to the 1935 Indiana state eugenics law "providing for the sexual sterilization of insane persons in certain cases" (https://hdl.handle.net/1805/1142) and his subsequent advocacy in the 1940s-1950s for more extensive application of the forced sterilization law, sexual education in public schools, and access to contraceptive methods.

A detailed descriptive finding aid for the collection can be viewed in IU Archives Online: https://archives.iu.edu/catalog/VAE5477

 About the History of Medicine Collection

The Ruth Lilly Medical Library’s History of Medicine Collection  supports the research, learning, and educational success of Indiana University students, faculty, and community members by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and providing access to unique materials documenting the history of medicine; medical education, training, research, and practice; and health and disease treatment and prevention in the state of Indiana and beyond within the global context of the Western medical tradition.

The History of Medicine Collection is located on the third floor of the Ruth Lilly Medical Library (Room 307) and is open by appointment (Monday-Friday, 10:00am-4:00pm). Research appointments and classes can be scheduled by contacting medlref@iu.edu.