Series 5: GML Directors, 1929-1990

This series details the management and operation of the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory (GML), located in the Republic of Panama. The Gorgas Memorial Laboratory operated under the auspices of the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventive Medicine, Incorporated. The President and the Executive Committee of the GMITP selected the Director of the Laboratory, whose responsibility was to carry out the general policies relating to research as established by GMITP. The Director presented GMITP reports on the maintenance, operation, and research programs at GMITP Annual Meetings in Washington, DC. His specific duties were to develop and coordinate the research program with the scientific personnel at GML; maintain standards and review performance of those programs; develop new programs with the consent of the President and the Executive Committee; develop conferences and seminars; organize advisory groups to review and to give advice on research programs; and organize all budget formulation and execution, accounting, disbursement and internal control of expenditures, as well as administer all professional and non-professional staff. In addition to the above duties, the Director was responsible for maintaining and improving relationships with the Government of Panama (i.e., Ministry of Labor, Social Welfare and Public Health) and to develop a close association with scientific organizations in and outside of the Canal Zone, including world scientific organizations (i.e, The World Health Organization). In 1972, GML assumed the responsibility of the Middle America Research Unit (MARU), a local tropical disease laboratory in Panama was formerly a field station of the National Institutes of Health.

The largest set of correspondence comes from Herbert C. Clark, GML's first director who combined his experiences with the United Fruit Company, where he was Director of Laboratories and Preventive Medicine, and his knowledge of tropical diseases, to help place GML at the forefront in tropical diseases research. Young's files describe various contractual programs and grants that were established to initiate new programs for the study of human disease and research in parasitic studies. After Clark, Martin D. Young became very influential in international research and medicine, as director of GML. Both of these directors served GML until their retirement and demonstrated the management style needed to run this fragile institute. Their records also reflect the struggle of balancing politics, economics, and science in both the United States and in Central America.

This series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the director. There is also a small subseries titled "Health Directors." These were composed of U.S. military physicians and scientists appointed to GML.