In 1892, the physician and medical administrator Simon Flexner began research on cerebrospinal meningitis, a meningococcal disease with an untreated mortality rate between 70 and 90%. Experimenting on monkeys, Flexner developed a promising serum treatment for the disease by 1903, which he used extensively during the epidemic outbreaks of meningitis in New York City in 1904-1905 and 1907. For several years, Flexner kept his serum under his close supervision, with the result that the Rockefeller Institute became the primary source for knowledge about meningitis and its treatment.

The 8 linear feet of Records amassed at the Rockefeller Institute between 1907 and 1913 document Simon Flexner's deployment of his serum treatment for cerebrospinal meningitis and his on-going interest in the epidemiology, etiology, and treatment of the disease. The collection consists largely of patient records, with data on hospitals and physicians to whom Flexner has dispensed his serum.

Restrictions

Patients' names may not be published.

Provenance

Gift of the Rockefeller Institute, 1964.

Preferred citation

Cite as: Rockefeller Institute Meningitis Records, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information

Recatalogued by rsc, 2003.

Related material

The Simon Flexner Papers contains a quantity of additional information on meningitis, usually listed under the names of individual physicians and scientists interested in polio research.

The Library also houses a collection of epidemiological and other records accumulated by the Rockefeller Institute during the poliomyelitis epidemic of 1916 (Ms. Coll. 33).

Bibliography

• Medical records

• Flexner, Simon, 1863-1946

• Epidemics
• Epidemiology
• Meningitis
• Serum