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George M. Kober Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS C 315

Abstract

Dr. George M. Kober was acting Assistant Surgeon in the U. S. Army from 1874-86, and in 1890 became Professor of Hygiene at the Georgetown Medical School. An active member of civic and professional organizations, Kober was particularly interested in local health reform. He was Dean of the Georgetown Medical School from 1901-28. Correspondence includes family, general, and business files as well as anniversary volumes of letters. Collection contains material on a variety of medical and public health issues, as well as autobiographical data.

Dates

  • 1866-1938

Extent

10.4 Linear Feet (25 ms boxes and 6 volumes)

Creator

Physical Location

Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine

Language of Materials

Collection materials primarily in English

Restrictions

Collection is not restricted. Contact the Reference Staff for information regarding access.

Copyright and Re-use Information

Donor's copyrights were transferred to the public domain. Archival collections often contain mixed copyrights; while NLM is the owner of the physical items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. It is the user's responsibility to research and understand any applicable copyright and re-publication rights not allowed by fair use. NLM does not grant permissions to publish. See the Reference Staff for details regarding rights.

Privacy Information

Archives and manuscript collections may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in any collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications for which the National Library of Medicine assumes no responsibility.

Biographical Note

Dr. George M. Kober, a pioneer in public health reform during the last quarter of the nineteenth and the first quarter of the twentieth centuries, was the author of about 200 articles dealing with the subjects of hygiene, disease prevention, surgery, anthropology and philanthropy. He was particularly concerned with the problems of infant mortality, milk pasteurization, water purification and pollution control, tuberculosis, social hygiene and venereal disease, and housing reform. An active member of several local and national civic and professional organizations, Dr. Kober was highly respected by his colleagues and leaders of the community. On the occasion of his eightieth birthday, Georgetown University presented him with a bronze plaque bearing the inscription: "George Martin Kober, Physician, Patriot, philanthropist."

Brief Chronology
  • 1850 Born (March 28) in Alsfeld, Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany
  • 1867 Emigrated to the United States
  • 1870 Appointed Hospital Steward, U.S. Army
  • 1873 Received M.D. degree from Georgetown University
  • 1874 Urinology and Its Practical Application published.
  • 1874-86 Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army
  • 1886 Resigned from the U.S. Army
  • 1889 President, National Housing Association
  • 1890 Professor of Hygiene, Georgetown Medical School
  • 1898 President, Medical and Surgical Society of the District of Columbia
  • 1901-28 Dean, Georgetown Medical School
  • 1902 Milk in Relation to Public Health published
  • 1903 President, Medical Society of the District of Columbia
  • 1906 President, Association of American Medical Colleges
  • 1906 Member, Board of Charities of the District of Columbia
  • 1908 Member, The President's Homes Commission
  • 1908 Industrial Hygiene and Social Betterment published
  • 1909-16 Secretary, Association of American Physicians
  • 1912 President, Section IV, Industrial and Occupational Hygiene, 15th International Congress on Hygiene and Demography
  • 1915 President, National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis
  • 1916 Diseases of Occupation and Vocational Hygiene published
  • 1916 Chairman, Sub-section C, Sociological Medicine of the Pan-American Scientific Congress
  • 1921 Tuberculosis Among North American Indians published
  • 1927 Development of Charitable and Reformatory Institutions in the District of Columbia published
  • 1928 Resigned as Dean, Georgetown Medical School
  • 1930 Publication of Reminiscences, v.1
  • 1931 Died (April 24) of coronary occlusion

Brief Chronology

1850
Born (March 28) in Alsfeld, Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany
1867
Emigrated to the United States
1870
Appointed Hospital Steward, U.S. Army
1873
Received M.D. degree from Georgetown University
1874
Urinology and Its Practical Application published.
1874-86
Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army
1886
Resigned from the U.S. Army
1889
President, National Housing Association
1890
Professor of Hygiene, Georgetown Medical School
1898
President, Medical and Surgical Society of the District of Columbia
1901-28
Dean, Georgetown Medical School
1902
Milk in Relation to Public Health published
1903
President, Medical Society of the District of Columbia
1906
President, Association of American Medical Colleges
1906
Member, Board of Charities of the District of Columbia
1908
Member, The President's Homes Commission
1908
Industrial Hygiene and Social Betterment published
1909-16
Secretary, Association of American Physicians
1912
President, Section IV, Industrial and Occupational Hygiene, 15th International Congress on Hygiene and Demography
1915
President, National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis
1916
Diseases of Occupation and Vocational Hygiene published
1916
Chairman, Sub-section C, Sociological Medicine of the Pan-American Scientific Congress
1921
Tuberculosis Among North American Indians published
1927
Development of Charitable and Reformatory Institutions in the District of Columbia published
1928
Resigned as Dean, Georgetown Medical School
1930
Publication of Reminiscences, v.1
1931
Died (April 24) of coronary occlusion

Collection Summary

The collection contains correspondence, drafts, notes, photographs, account books, reprints, certificates and diplomas, clippings, and reprints. The correspondence includes family, general, and business files as well as anniversary volumes of letters. There is also material on a variety of medical and public health issues, as well as autobiographical data. Among the correspondents are Bailey K. Ashford, John S. Billings, Irving Fisher, Simon Flexner, Fielding H. Garrison, Alice Hamilton, Jefferson R. Kean, S. Adolphus Knopf, M. J. Rosenau, and William H. Welch.

Abstract

Dr. George M. Kober was acting Assistant Surgeon in the U. S. Army from 1874-86, and in 1890 became Professor of Hygiene at the Georgetown Medical School. An active member of civic and professional organizations, Kober was particularly interested in local health reform. He was Dean of the Georgetown Medical School from 1901-28. Correspondence includes family, general, and business files as well as anniversary volumes of letters. Collection contains material on a variety of medical and public health issues, as well as autobiographical data.

Physical Location

Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine

Provenance

Donated to the National Library of Medicine by Harry Zehner, Jr. in 1976.

General

Processed by
Judith Bube, Lou Wave Snyder, and Patricia Bosma
Processing completed
1977
Encoded by
Dan Jenkins
Title
Finding Aid to the George M. Kober Papers, 1866-1938
Status
Unverified Partial Draft
Author
Judith Bube, Lou Wave Snyder, and Patricia Bosma
Date
1977
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English
Edition statement
Version 1.0

Collecting Area Details

Part of the Archives and Modern Manuscripts Collection Collecting Area

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