Honors, awards, appointments, 1938-1955

Most of the documents in the collection relate to Dr. Dean's research at the National Institutes of Health (1931-1953) and as Secretary of the Council on Dental Research for the American Dental Association (1953-1959). Much of the Dean's research correspondence exists in the form of preservation photocopies that can be difficult to read; there is no information about the cause or purpose for the copying, or the disposition of the originals.

The Personal and Biographical Series contains mostly biographical information available in published form. Accompanying these are bibliographies of Dean's contributions to periodical literature, books, and abstracts covering the years from 1930 through 1959. There is also an undated list of lectures by state and country. A few news releases and some published biographical material supplement these materials. Various honors and awards, related programs and correspondence are also included in this series. A newspaper article from the East St. Louis Journal Jubilee Edition describes Dean's place on the soccer team of 1914 and is one of the few items not related to his professional career. Other non-professional items of interest are contained in an anonymous manuscript that describes and compares the physical appearance, hobbies and other characteristics of Drs. Dean and McKay.

The material in the Research Series is related to Dean's activities during his career with the United States Public Health Service. It consists of some very general documents related to his work with the American Dental Association's Committee for Dental Health Survey and the National Research Council. Of greater interest are the documents related to his research on Vincent's infection and mottled enamel on teeth. The study on Vincent's took place in a war-time environment and the documents reflect what was known about the disease then and the quasi-military conditions under which the research was conducted.

The mottled teeth and fluoride portion of the Research Series contain correspondence with Dr. Frederick McKay and with various dentists and water treatment personnel concerning the fluorine content of drinking water and its effect on the dentition and health of those living in the Pikes Peak watershed area. Similar material exists for selected cities and states across the country. Also included are a number of manuscripts and radio scripts related to mottled teeth and fluorine.

Most of the efforts to promote and defend the fluoridation of public water supplies occurred after Dean retired from the United States Public Health Service and had become the Secretary of the Council on Dental Research for the American Dental Association. The correspondence and manuscripts generated during this time are to be found in the Council on Dental Research Series. Many charts and tables used and cited in the preparation of manuscripts and Congressional testimonies are included.

In addition to the professional organizations to which Dr. Dean belonged as a member or officer, he was frequently called upon to participate in meetings of other groups. The letters, travel arrangements, programs, and speeches related to those activities can be found in the Professional Organization and Meetings Series.

Some of the items in the collection that were too large to fit in a letter-size folder are included in the Reprints Series. They included some framed photographs and awards; newspaper clippings from the 1952 Delany Committee hearings; a bound notebook of hand-written notes and data on the Vincent's study in Germany; and Dean's own personal reprint files. The reprint files contain those which Dean wrote, as well as those he kept for reference.