Description
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Alexis F. Hartmann, Sr., Papers
Date(s)
- 1921-1963 (Creation)
Extent
0.5 cubic feet (1 box, 5 volumes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Alexis F. Hartmann Sr. (1898-1964), a native St. Louisan, spent his entire career at Washington University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1919, master's and medical degrees in 1921 and later heading the School of Medicine's department of pediatrics from 1936-1964. Hartmann also was physician-in-chief of St. Louis Children's Hospital, where he oversaw the hospital's racial integration in 1950.
Hartmann's contributions in medicine include the development of a technique to measure sugar in patients' blood during medical school, which was a significant step towards the discovery of insulin by Canadian scientists. Due to this experience working with diabetic children, Hartmann developed a lifelong interest in the disease. In 1921, he co-wrote a paper with Philip Schaffer on the Schaffer-Hartmann Method for true blood glucose analysis. Hartmann also created a fluid and electrolyte replacement therapy for infants universally known as Lactated Ringer's solution, or Hartmann's Solution. His research led to the 1932 publication of two studies that showed differences in serum electrolyte patterns in dehydration and described the use of the solution to treat acidosis in children. According to a former colleague, Hartmann had great influence on Carl and Gerty Cori by recommending that they study glucose-6-phosphatase in glycogen storage disease. The Coris' groundbreaking work eventually earned them a Nobel Prize. Throughout his career, Hartmann was honored with awards such as the Gill Prize in Pediatrics in 1921 and the first Abraham Jacobi Award from the American Medical Association's Section on Pediatrics.
Scope and content
The collection contains five volumes of reprints, 1921-1963 and 1 manuscript. The manuscript's title is: Diagnosis and managment of severe infections in infants and children: a review of experiences since the introduction of sulfonamide therapy parts I: Sepsis of lateral sinus phlebitis and part II: Hemolytic streptococcal meningitis by Alexis F. Hartmann, M.D., Dorothy Wolff, Ph.D. and Frances Love, M.D. This paper was published in 1942.
System of arrangement
Conditions governing access
The collection is open and accessible for research.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Users of the collection should read and abide by the Rights and Permissions guidelines at the Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives.
Users of the collection who wish to cite items from this collection, in whole or in part, in any form of publication must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Archives.
For detailed information regarding use of this collection, contact the Archives and Rare Book Department of the Becker Library (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).
Preferred Citation:
Item description, Reference Code, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Rules or conventions
"Describing Archives: A Content Standard, Second Edition (DACS), 2013."
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding Aid Authors: Martha Riley.
Archivist's note
© Copyright 2019 Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives. All rights reserved.