William Henry Welch (1850-1934) is a major figure in the history of medicine and public
health. The collection of his personal and professional papers in the Alan Mason Chesney
Medical Archives consist of approximately 200 boxes which include correspondence, diaries,
manuscripts, photographs, and memorabilia. This online exhibit provides a glimpse of this
important leader, his accomplishments, and the significant and extensive collection of
papers he left behind.
The core of the Welch collection consists of material acquired and organized by Dr.
Simon Flexner and his son James T. Flexner for their biography William Henry Welch and
the Heroic Age of American Medicine. In 1979 the staff of the Alan Mason Chesney
Medical Archives processed the Welch Collection, under the auspices of a grant funded by
the National Library of Medicine. During the next twenty years, new records were acquired
and added to the collection. This exhibit marks the completion of a new finding guide and
inventory of the records prepared by Catherine Neill, M.D.
The new web-based Guide to the William H. Welch Collection
is available within this site, as are significant examples from the collection.
Researchers interested in further study are welcome to arrange a reading room appointment
at the Medical Archives.
Telephone: (410) 955-3043
Email: archives@jhmi.edu