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

Creation: 1866-1938

Extent

10.4 Linear Feet (25 ms boxes and 6 volumes)

Creator

Kober, George Martin, 1850-1931 (Person)

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

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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.