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This collection consists of 12 photographs depicting scenes from the early days of electroencephalography, including photographs published in LIFE magazine and the Sunday Mirror, and brain wave graphs published by Hallowell Davis, et. al. in the Journal of Neurophysiology.

The Hallowell Davis papers donated in 1977 are arranged in five series. The first, by far the largest, is made up of general files, concerning all aspects of HD’s research, committee work, and other professional activities. Series 1 contains 13 subseries, representing filing units which were kept more or less “active” for periods up to four academic years each. Each of the subseries contains materials dated both earlier and later than what appears to be the active period. Together the 13 comprise a rough chronological progression tracing HD’s activities from the late 1940s to the late 1960s. Series 2 contains materials in one series relating to HD’s work on aviation medicine for the U.S. National Military Establishment Research and Development Board, 1948-1954. Series 3 contains materials assembled during just after the period when HD served on the Committee on SST-Sonic Boom, 1964-1970. In it there are two subseries, respectively, committee documents and background material. Series 4 contains laboratory notebooks in two subseries. The first of these documents noise experiments measuring cochlear response of various laboratory animals performed under contract with the Office of Naval Research. The second concerns experiments on human cortical evoked potentials (HAVOC experiments). The six narratives of Series 5 are filed in order received by the Library.

A lecture by HD on videotape, ”Sleep in Tuxedo Park,” about a former research associate, Alfred L. Loomis, the American discoverer of human electroencephalography, recorded May 21, 1979, is in the Archives media collection. An oral history interview with Estelle Brodman, Librarian of Washington University School of Medicine Library, recorded April, 1977, is also in the Archives collection.

These interviews begin with Davis’s studies at Harvard and his post-graduate study in England. Davis discusses his research on the electrophysiology of the auditory system and electrical activity of the brain and his defense work during World War II studying human tolerance to loud sounds. Davis describes the establishment of a research department at the Central Institute for the Deaf and work on hearing tests and speech audiometry, including the development of the first American standards for audiometers. Davis describes then-current methods in electro-physiology to measure peripheral hearing of young children by detecting electrical responses in the brain. The interview ends with a brief discussion of the problems related to world overpopulation, pollution, and international relations.

The transcript presents an edited version of the sound recording. The interview begins with a biographical sketch of Hallowell Davis, and ends with a revised biographical sketch. Interviewed by Estelle Brodman on April 6, 1977 and April 28, 1977. OH027. Approximate Length 2 hours, 45 minutes.