RGXXI: Committee on the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Historical Note

The Committee on the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology was officially active from 1968-1980. It was also a sub-committee of the larger Committee on the History of Recent Science and Technology for the life of that committee, from 1973-1977. John T. Edsall chaired the project for its duration. In its first phase. John T. Edsall was chair for the duration of the Committee.

Work was conducted in two phases, first solely as an Academy effort, and then second as a joint committee with the American Philosophical Society in 1975. Conferences were held on the History of Bioenergetics, 5/21-23/1970 and 10/11-13/1973. Proceedings of both conferences were published by the Academy, with the second also published in a special November 1974 issue of the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.

In its second phase beginning in 1975, the Academy and the American Philosophical Society joined to create a Joint Committee on the Survey of Sources in the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. John T. Edsall and Whitfield J. Bell as co-chairs represented the Academy and APS, respectively. Additional efforts included a study on the History of Pharmacology and support for graduate students of history at their home institutions. In 1979 University Microfilms published A Guide to the Sources for the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; it included 350 pages of printed text and 2000 pages of complete references compressed into twenty microfiches.

Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Commonwealth Fund, and Merck Laboratories.

Scope and Content

The series is contained within the Academy Archives’ Record Group XXI: Academy Projects and Programs. This series contains the administrative and project records of the Committee, from 1968-1983, the majority created between 1970-1979 by Chair John T. Edsall and the executive office of John Voss, including Alexandra Oleson, and held with project files. Included are general committee correspondence and memoranda, conference transcriptions and published proceedings, and to a lesser degree, grant-related correspondence and budgetary information.

Significant materials include the papers presented at the Conferences on Bioenergetics, 1970 and 1973. Included are also two files related to Edsall’s efforts to seek further funding for the study of modern biochemistry. Absent are records the Commonwealth Fund grant to support graduate students of history at their home institutions.

See records of related effort, RG XXI: Committee on Translation Activities and RG 21.0020: Survey of Sources in the History of Modern Science and Technology, which both produced a Survey of Sources as a final product. The later Committee was not officially part of the larger Academy Program and related records, RG 21.0025: Committee on Recent Science and Technology.

Arrangement

Processing for the series utilized MPLP principles, thus minimum preservation steps were taken, and folder titles listed in the finding aid are as they appear on the actual folders, with ascribed information in brackets. Wherever possible, original order was maintained. Records of the Committee were primarily kept within the Executive Office of John Voss. Some files were stored outside of the primary group of records; these records were incorporated with like materials.  

The series is arranged chronologically, with no subseries.

Volume

2 records center cartons (1.5 linear feet)

Preferred Citation

[Item title, date]. Record Group XXI: Academy Projects – Committee on the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1968-1983. Archives, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Subjects

Bell, Whitfield J., Jr., 1914-2009
Edsall, John T. (John Tileston), 1902-2002
Oleson, Alexandra, 1939-
Voss, John, 1917-
American Philosophical Society
Commonwealth Fund
Merck Research Laboratories
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Science Foundation
Biochemistry--History
Biochemistry--History--Bibliography
Education--Graduate students
Knowledge
Molecular biology--History
Molecular biology--History--Bibliography
Pharmacology--History