Dickinson, Robert Latou, 1861-1950

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Robert Latou Dickinson, 1861-1950, MD, 1882, Long Island College Hospital, was a gynecologist and obstetrician at Brooklyn Hospital and also taught at Long Island College Hospital. Dickinson served as secretary to the National Committee on Maternal Health, senior vice-president of Planned Parenthood Federation, president of the Euthanasia Society, and was president of the American Gynecological Society and New York Obstetrical Society. In addition to research on obstetrics and diseases of women, Dickinson wrote manuals on birth control, illustrated his own writings, and sculpted obstetric teaching models.

From the description of Papers, 1881-1972 (inclusive), 1883-1950 (bulk). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 281440759

Physician and author.

From the description of A Washington walkbook: literary manuscript, circa 1942. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79423959

Robert Latou Dickinson (1861-1950), for forty years a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist at Brooklyn Hospital, was an editor of the American Text Book of Obstetrics and author of about a dozen books and 200 articles on subjects ranging from maternal and child health or hospital organization to marriage counseling, family planning, and human sexuality. Today he is largely remembered for interests that he pursued after the acme of his career as a successful practitioner, when he became one of the foremost medical men of his time to promote new knowledge in the fields of conception control and sex research. To the birth control movement in America, then solely the property of radical feminists and lay organizations, he brought respectability and an aura of solid professional authority. James Reed, the leading historian of the movement, has referred to RLD as Margaret Sanger's "most astute critic, sometime rival, and finally, comrade-in-arms."

A gifted artist with the eye of a born naturalist, Dr. Dickinson produced charming renderings of scenes wherever he went. He crafted provocative thumb-nail drawings of friends and colleagues as well as a series of birth sculptures and pelvic models featured at the New York World's Fair and detailed illustrations for his Sex Atlases. His contributions to the growth of his specialty were recognized in 1920 by his election to the presidency of the American Gynecological Society; in addition, he was an active participant in such organizations as the New York Academy of Medicine, American Gynecological Club, American Geographical Society, and Euthanasia Society. However, he was, and still is, most closely identified with the National Committee on Maternal Health (NCMH), for which he served as secretary from its founding in 1923 until 1937 and thereafter as honorary chairman. Indeed, anyone doing research on RLD will want to examine not only the collection described here, but also the Records of the NCMH, which came to the Countway Library of Medicine through the courtesy of Dr. Christopher Tietze of the Population Council and were organized and catalogued as a separate collection some fifteen years previously. Jim Reed's book, From Private Vice to Public Virtue: The Birth Control Movement and American Society published the same year (1978), still remains the best source of information on Dickinson to date.

The Dickinson Papers were gathered from two sources, one from his daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Dickinson Barbour of Cincinnati, Ohio, the other from the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research in Bloomington, Indiana--Kinsey removed some of the them from Dr. Dickinson's office in the New York Academy of Medicine for his personal research. What was formerly a fragmentary collection of odds and ends and miscellany has been shaped into an arrangement that begins with two sets of alphabetical files, one of names, the other of subjects relating to RLD's professional interests. The subject files are followed by subject notebooks and card files containing case histories and patient records; correspondence with and re patient is also included here. As always with respect to files of confidential nature, access and use of these materials may be restricted. The Doctor of Marriage Counselor is an unpublished manuscript of a book that was to be Dickinson's crowning achievement but remains incomplete. The drafts of chapters and related materials often contain copies of typescripts and manuscripts prepared for previously published works. There is also a section for other manuscripts and publications--books, contributions to books, and articles. The personal and biographical unit has a sizeable posthumous section in addition to the usual family letters, diaries, scrapbooks and memorabilia. There are both autobiographical and biographical sketches of Dickinson here; unfortunately, George Barbour's projected biography of his father-in-law never got past the early years. The last section contains examples of RLD's skill as an artist: his miniature portraits, designs, and scenes, as well as artwork for medical illustrations and slides. All in all, the collection amounts to 544 numbered folders and items plus unnumbered card files, slides and occasional pieces, preserved in a total of 22 Paige boxes.

From the guide to the Papers, 1881-1972 (inclusive), 1883-1950 (bulk), (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. Center for the History of Medicine.)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Hench, Philip S., 1896-1965. Philip S. Hench Walter Reed Yellow Fever Collection, 1806-1995, bulk 1863-1974 Historical Collections, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia
referencedIn Association for Voluntary Sterilization Records, 1929-1981, (bulk 1945-1977) University of Minnesota Libraries. Social Welfare History Archives
referencedIn Family Planning Oral History Project. Records, 1909-1984 (inclusive), 1973-1977 (bulk). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Interviews, 1973-1977 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Records MS 359., 1859-2002, 1916-1960 Sophia Smith Collection
referencedIn Papers of Mary Ware Dennett Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Dickinson, Robert Latou, 1861-1950. A Washington walkbook: literary manuscript, circa 1942. Library of Congress
referencedIn National Committee on Maternal Health. Records, 1923-1959. Harvard University, Medical School, Countway Library
referencedIn Dennett, Mary Ware, 1872-1947. Papers: Series II, 1894-1948 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Ira S. Wile Papers MS 173., circa 1915-1943 Sophia Smith Collection
referencedIn Paul Blanshard Papers, 1912-1979 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Carroll, Mary Baker. Mary Baker Carroll papers, [1930-1970]. New York Academy of Medicine
referencedIn American Soviet Medical Society. Translations of Russian publications (from manuscripts, periodicals), [1940-1950]. New York Academy of Medicine
referencedIn Papers, 1916-1959., 1916-1959 (Inclusive), 1951-1959 (Bulk) Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
referencedIn New York Academy of Medicine. Miscellaneous physicians' correspondence, [ca. 1780-1929] Campbell University, Wiggins Memorial Library
referencedIn Wile, Ira S. (Ira Solomon), 1877-1943. Papers, 1915-1942. Smith College, Neilson Library
creatorOf Stone, Abraham, 1890-1959. Personal and Professional Papers, 1916-1959. Harvard University, Medical School, Countway Library
creatorOf Association for Voluntary Sterilization. Association for Voluntary Sterilization records, 1929-1964 (bulk 1945-1964). University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
creatorOf Bryant, Louise Stevens, 1885-1956. Mary Ware Dennett Case Collection, 1919-1930 (bulk 1927-1930) New York Academy of Medicine
creatorOf Papers, 1881-1972 (inclusive), 1883-1950 (bulk) Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
referencedIn Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts records, 1859-2002 (ongoing) (bulk 1916-1960). Smith College, Neilson Library
creatorOf Dickinson, Robert Latou. Robert Latou Dickinson collection. Kinsey Institute for Res in Sex
referencedIn Buttrick, George Arthur, 1892-1980. Robert Latou Dickinson : typescript : from the memorial service on 9 December 1950 : and biographical material. Center for Brooklyn History (2020-)
creatorOf Dickinson, Robert Latou, 1861-. Papers, 1881-1972 (inclusive), 1883-1950 (bulk). Harvard University, Medical School, Countway Library
referencedIn Letters sent to Walter Hines Page from various correspondents, English period, 1876-1937. Houghton Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith American Soviet Medical Society. person
associatedWith Association for Voluntary Sterilization. corporateBody
associatedWith Birth Control Federation of America. corporateBody
associatedWith Blanshard, Paul, 1892- person
associatedWith Buttrick, George Arthur, 1892-1980. person
associatedWith Carroll, Mary Baker. person
associatedWith Carter, Henry Rose, 1852-1925 person
associatedWith Dennett, Mary Ware, 1872-1947. person
associatedWith Euthanasia Society of America. corporateBody
associatedWith Family Planning Oral History Project family
associatedWith Family Planning Oral History Project. corporateBody
associatedWith Hench, Philip S. (Philip Showalter), 1896-1965 person
associatedWith Kean, Jefferson Randolph, 1860-1950 person
associatedWith Lazear, Jesse William, 1866-1900 person
associatedWith MARY (WARE) DENNETT person
associatedWith National Committee on Maternal Health. corporateBody
associatedWith New York Academy of Medicine. corporateBody
associatedWith Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation corporateBody
associatedWith Ortho Products, Inc. corporateBody
correspondedWith Ortho Research Foundation corporateBody
associatedWith Page, Walter Hines, 1855-1918 person
associatedWith Planned Parenthood Federation of America. corporateBody
associatedWith Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts corporateBody
associatedWith Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. person
associatedWith Reed, Walter, 1851-1902 person
associatedWith Sanger, Margaret, 1879-1966. person
associatedWith Stone, Abraham, 1890-1959. person
associatedWith United States. Army corporateBody
correspondedWith Wile, Ira S. (Ira Solomon), 1877-1943 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
United States
Subject
Birth control
Contraception
Gynecology
Medical illustration
Medical illustration
Marriage counseling
Marriage Therapy
Medicine and art
Medicine in art
Models, Anatomic
Obstetrics
Women physicians
Sexology
Occupation
Authors
Gynecologists
Obstetricians
Physicians
Activity

Person

Birth 1861

Death 1950

Americans

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 32109316