Heberden Collection

  • The Heberden Library
Date:
1684-1994
Reference:
SA/HEB
  • Archives and manuscripts

About this work

Description

The collection largely comprises rheumatologist William Copeman's research notes, drafts and papers on the history of rheumatism 1950s-1960s, plus smaller groups of material on the history of rheumatism, and a small amount of papers generated by the Heberden Society, British Association for Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, the Empire Rheumatism Council and the British Society for Rheumatology. Notable groups of material include:

  • Heberden Society: administration, letters and writings of William Heberden and items of medical interest collected by Heberden
  • Several loose manuscript items relating to the history of rheumatism and arthritis from the late 17th century onwards e.g. receipt for gout cure by Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle, 1684; letters of William Heberden the Elder, 18th century. These exists both in the sub section for the Heberden Society and in the sub section for William Copeman.
  • Heberden Society Executive Committee agenda papers, with copy minutes and correspondence, c.1978-1982
  • BARR/Heberden Combined Programme Committee agendas, with copy minutes and papers, 1983
  • British Association of Physical Medicine: Minutes of Council, sub-committees and general meetings, 1943-1958
  • Heberden Society and BSR photos, 1930s-1990s
  • Papers of Sir William Willcox, Vice-Chairman of the Empire Rheumatism Council, c.1930-1940
  • Ms version of 'Trattato della Podagra' per David de Planis Campii (tr. from French by PF Cherubino Bozomo Genovese), ?late 17th cent.
  • Papers of William Copeman comprising his professional research, personal awards and certificates and items of medical interest collected by him.
  • Publication/Creation

    1684-1994

    Physical description

    14 boxes

    Arrangement

    The collection is arranged into five sub sections as follows:
    A/ Heberden Society 1714-1983
    B/ British Association of Physical Medicine 1943-1958
    C/ British Society for Rheumatology 1984-1994
    D/ Papers of Sir William Willcox 1926-1972
    E/ W.S.C Copeman 1684-1976

    Acquisition note

    Transferred to the library at Wellcome Collection by the British Society for Rheumatology as a gift, March 2012 and April 2015.

    Biographical note

    The existence of the Heberden Collection is down, in large part, to the distinguished rheumatologist Dr William Sydney Charles Copeman, 1900-1970. He played a key role in the foundation and development of the new Heberden Society as well as in the foundation of the Empire Rheumatism Council. He was awarded the Orator's Medal in 1939, was President of the Heberden Society in 1949-50 and from 1949-1970 he was the Society's Honorary Librarian. After his death in 1970 he was succeeded as Librarian by Professor Eric Bywaters.

    In his role as Heberden Librarian Copeman collected together original medical manuscripts, letters and manuscripts relating to William Heberden himself, some papers and memorabilia of the Heberden Society and the Empire Rheumatism Council, files from the committees on which he sat, his own research papers and publications and a strong collection of medico historical books on rheumatism and gout. These manuscripts form the bulk of the Heberden Collection, which were donated to the Wellcome Library in 2012 by the Heberden Library and the British Society for Rheumatology. The book collection is housed at the Royal College of Physicians in the Heberden Room.

    Related material

    Printed material, iconographic material and Moving Image and Sound items also originally formed part of the Heberden Collection. These have been catalogued under their respective formats.

    The printed material was transferred into the General Collection as follows:

  • Eurorheumatology - supplement : proceedings of the plenary lectures and round table discussions : XIth European Congress of Rheumatology, Athens, 28th June-4th July 1987 / editors A. Andrianokos [and others] European Congress of Rheumatology (11th : 1987 : Athens, Greece). General Collection Ref: WE140 1987
  • IXth European Congress of Rheumatology, Wiesbaden 2nd - 8th September 1979 = IX. Europäischer Kongress für Rheumatologie : Abstracts European Congress of Rheumatology (9th : 1979 : Wiesbaden). General Collection Ref: WE544 1979. General Collection Ref: WE544 1979
  • Copies of Rheumatology News International, mostly from the 1970s. General Collection Ref: Periodicals
  • The Moving Image and Sound Material (MISC) is as follows:

  • Film: Kodascope 16mm Reel incorrectly labelled as 'Cortisone Treatment Mays Clinic W. London' rather than 'Chronic Arthritis: Prepared by William Copeman for the RCP Committee on Chronic Rheumatic Diseases, 1935'. MISC Ref: 5490F.
  • Film: 'The International League against Rheumatism at 50'. A recording of the 1977 International Congress of Rheumatology. Presented to the Heberden Library via E.G.Bywaters by the 13th International Congress of Rheumatology. MISC Ref: 5489F
  • Film: Reel to Reel telerecording. 'Your Life in Their Hands' (BBC TV Enterprises). MISC Ref: 5491F
  • Video: 'Reaching a balance: Arthritis and the family' MISC Ref: 5104V
  • Video: 'Help is at Hand: Getting the better of Arthritis, MISC Ref: 5103V
  • Video: Kids Like Us, MISC Ref: 5102V
  • Audio: A rheumatological song cycle, MISC Ref: 1893AM
  • Audio: Recent Advances in Musico-rheumotherapeutics/ Hors d'oeuvres, MISC Ref: 1894AM
  • Audio: Hymne Rheumatologique, MISC Ref: 1892AM
  • The Iconographic material is as follows:

  • Iconographic Collection: EGL Bywaters bequest to Heberden Library of 2 metal slide boxes of historical gout slides & teaching slides on evolution of rheumatism.
  • Other collections that are related to the Heberden Collection but which do not form part of it are as follows:

  • Professor Eric Bywaters was a contemporary of Copeman and his collection of papers is also held at the Wellcome Library PP/BYW. See the collection description here
  • Uncatalogued Copeman correspondence in MS.8752
  • Copyright note

    The Heberden Library c/o British Society for Rheumatology has assigned any copyrights it holds in the material to the the library at Wellcome Collection.

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    Identifiers

    Accession number

    • 1890
    • 2167
    • 2174