Title: Francis Edward Stewart Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1866-1938

Creator:

• Stewart, Francis Edward, 1853-1941

Call Number: Mss 606

Quantity: 7.6 c.f. (19 archives boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a physician, pharmacist, and author who worked to establish standards for pharmaceutical preparations, change existing patent and trademark laws, and increase the level of cooperation between physicians and pharmacists. Stewart founded scientific departments at Parke, Davis and Company, Frederick Sterns and Company, and H.K. Mulford Company, and was active in numerous professional associations. The collection includes a large correspondence file and records pertaining to Stewart's employment, both as a physician and with pharmaceutical firms. It also contains correspondence, committee reports, articles, and research materials relating to Stewart's work with the American Medical Editors Association, the American Pharmaceutical Association, and the American Pharmacologic Society. There is a large amount of autobiographical material as well as many articles written by Stewart. Collection includes correspondence from Robert P. Fischelis, Henry T. Helmbold, Harold Lyons Hunt, William Williams Keen, James K. Stewart, and Theodore Weicker.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00606

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Francis Edward Stewart, physician, pharmacist, and author, was born on 13 September 1853 in Albion, New York. After attending Oberlin College in Ohio, he entered the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, but decided to graduate in pharmacy before completing his medical course. He did this under the tutorship of H. C. Blair's Sons of Philadelphia, receiving his diploma from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1876. Stewart continued his medical studies at Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia and graduated with the class of 1879. During the period between his first and second course in medicine Stewart was employed in New York City as manager of Hunter's Pharmacy and then as chemist and director of H. T. Helbold Buchu Manufacturing Company. At the same time, under the same financial auspices, he served briefly as president of F. E. Stewart and Co. These three years of varied experience gave him an insight into the retail drug business, “patent” medicine business, and manufacturing pharmacy. He also became a member of the Hospital Committee of New York State Charities' Aid Association, and chairman of its Committee on Almshouses.

After graduation, Stewart opened an office for the practice of medicine in New York City and worked as a staff physician of the New York Loan Relief Association from 1880 to 1882. In 1882, as a result of the publicity generated by his preparation of desiccated, defibrinated bullock's blood and his proposal for a National Bureau of Materia Medica, Parke, Davis and Co. asked Stewart to establish their Scientific Department. Stewart maintained a connection with Parke, Davis and Co. for six years. During this time he continued to practice medicine in Philadelphia, edited the Therapeutic Gazette, and served as Demonstrator and Lecturer in Materia Medica and Pharmacy at the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia, Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, and Jefferson Medical College. He served as House Physician for Glen Springs Sanitarium during the years 1892 to 1894. Pharmacy continued to interest Stewart, however, and he became director of the Scientific Department of Frederick Sterns and Co. in 1894. After working there for three years he resigned to become Chairman of the Medical Board of Merck and Co. and Editor of the Merck Archives from 1897 to 1901. From 1902 to 1905 Stewart was involved in the organization of the National Pharmacy Company in San Francisco, California. He also served as Director of the Scientific Department. Finally, in 1906, Stewart took a position as Founder and Director of the Scientific Department of H. K. Mulford and Co. He stayed with Mulford until his retirement in 1920.

Stewart was very active in professional associations and through his involvement advocated reform in materia medica, the pharmaceutical supply business, and patent and trademark law. He proposed a National Bureau of Medicines and Foods, organized the American Pharmacologic Society, was instrumental in forming the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association, and served as chairman of the Committee on Patents and Trademarks of the American Pharmaceutical Association.

A prolific writer, Stewart published scientific works on pharmacy, including Stewart's Compend of Pharmacy, which went through ten editions, as well as articles resulting from his work as director of the scientific departments of three pharmaceutical firms. He also wrote a large number of articles on patents and trademarks, the position of pharmacy as a profession, and the relation of pharmacotherapeutics to medicine. In the last years of his life, Stewart began to organize materials for an autobiography at the request of Robert P. Fischelis. Although he wrote drafts, this project was never completed.

Stewart married Mary Ida Seidel on 17 March 1885. They had two daughters, Mildred Penrose Stewart and Frances Marjorie Mathews Stewart. After the death of his wife on 15 December 1925, Stewart married Susan Palmer on 26 December 1927. He died on 20 February 1941 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.

The papers contain information about the rise of professional pharmacy in the United States, the importance and effect of patent and trademark legislation on pharmacy, the origins of scientific departments within major pharmaceutical firms and efforts to increase the level of cooperation between physicians and pharmacists.

The collection is divided into five groups: Correspondence, Employment, Professional Associations, Writings, and Subject File. The CORRESPONDENCE consists of general correspondence to and from Stewart from 1875 to 1938 and includes both business and personal letters. There are a number of specific correspondence files. They contain letters with the American Therapeutic Society during 1916; the Army, Navy and Marine Hospitals and the Smithsonian Institution during 1881; Robert P. Fischelis from 1931 to 1937; Merck Archives' contributors during 1899; James K. Stewart, Honorable Secretary of the Stewart Society, a group interested in tracing the genealogy of members of the Stewart Clan; and Theodore Weicker, vice president of E. R. Squibb & Sons, and W. W. Keen, a Philadelphia physician from 1917.

The EMPLOYMENT series contains records pertaining to the professional positions held by Stewart. There is a patient log book from 1878, and reports dating 1877 to 1880 of the Loan Relief Association. From Parke, Davis and Co., there is correspondence from 1879 to 1890 regarding Stewart's bullock's blood remedy, his work as a commercial agent and traveller, the founding and activities of the Scientific Department, and the Hospital Plan Stewart proposed to test new remedies. Also included are a journal of a trip Stewart took in 1881 to gather information about the nature of Parke, Davis and Company's business, and files containing Stewart's contracts with Parke, Davis, and Co., and literature about the Hospital Plan, the company's involvement in the nostrum business, and the Scientific Department. In 1902, Stewart became involved in the establishment of the National Bureau of Medicines and Foods (also known as the National Bureau of Materia Medica), which sought to establish standards for pharmaceuticals, and the National Pharmacy Company which was to provide financial support for the Bureau. The records include correspondence from 1902 to 1903, a plan for organization of the company, statements of purpose and goals, a brief history, and literature about the company's “Wordmark” preparations, including a catalog and a collection of the labels and formulas of the pharmaceuticals produced.

Finally, the series contains materials which relate to Stewart's position as director of the Scientific Department at H. K. Mulford. Included is correspondence from 1905 to 1906; insulin literature from 1923 to 1924 dealing with Mulford's attempts to obtain patent rights; and correspondence, plans, and reports pertaining to the Mulford Expedition to South America. The purpose of the expedition, proposed by Stewart and led by William H. Rusby, was to search for plants which had any possible therapeutic value. Publications include The Keystone from December 1918 to December 1920, Mulford's in-house newsletter, as well as other Mulford publications, a small subject file contains a lecture on immunity used in a Mulford educational program, and materials relating to the commercial and botanical sections of the company.

Records relating to Stewart's involvement in the American Medical Editors Association, the American Pharmaceutical Association, and the American Pharmacologic Society are found in the PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS series. Materials from the American Medical Editors Association include correspondence from 1928 to 1935, much of it with H. Lyons Hunt, president of the Association. Reports of the Committee Pharmacology, chaired by Stewart from 1929 to 1930, are also available. The American Pharmaceutical Association files contain a great deal of information on patents and trademarks, the result of Stewart's long tenure as chairman of the Association's Committee on Patents and Trademarks. It includes articles by Stewart written from 1898 to 1934 and data on law and ethics for preparing reports on patent and trademark law. The data consists of articles on patent and trademark legislation in the United States and abroad, and the arguments and decisions on court cases involving patent law including the Aspirin Case of 1918, the Syrup of Figs Case in 1902, and the Mulford Mint Case of 1914. Committee reports from 1917 to 1935 are also available. Stewart served as chairman of the Committee on Reorganization of the American Pharmaceutical Association as well. Materials relating to this committee are articles on reorganization, and correspondence during 1920 and 1921. There is a general correspondence file for 1918 and 1917. Records which pertain to Stewart's involvement in the American Pharmacologic Society are correspondence from 1907 to 190, an historical file containing records from 1904 to 1906 that document the organization of the Society, and Society proceedings from 1906, including an investigation of “Somnos,” a brand of ether marketed by H. K. Mulford.

Stewart's WRITINGS consist of autobiographical materials, manuscripts, and published articles. The autobiographical material includes many unorganized records which Stewart pulled from his files in preparation for an autobiography. It relates to every aspect of his life, though his efforts to increase the credibility of pharmacy, change patent and trademark legislation, and raise the level of cooperation between physicians and pharmacists are emphasized. Stewart wrote a large number of autobiographical fragments about different parts of his career and these are also available. This material is very disorganized, much of it consisting of large numbers of sheets containing short, unrelated scraps of narrative. The scrapbook material is in the same unorganized condition. It contains a wide variety of records, such as college bulletins, programs of association meetings, and wedding invitations, covering the years 1866 to 1937. Stewart's manuscripts include drafts and unpublished articles on food and drug legislation, patents and trademarks, drug standardization and vaccines and vaccination, as well as many other topics. These are arranged by subject and are undated. There is also a collection of articles by Stewart published from 1879 to 1927. One group of articles is in chronological order from 1879 to 1902 and from 1915 to 1924. Another group contains unorganized articles written between 1879 and 1927.

The SUBJECT FILE contains three sections; correspondence with the China Medical Journal during 1909 about a flase bismuth formic iodine formula; materials from 1878 about Henry T. Helmbold, a pharmacist friend of Stewart's who was involuntarily committed to an insane asylum and released after a long struggle; and a collection of articles about pharmacy dating from 1880 to 1936.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. Robert P. Fischelis, Ada, Ohio, 1981. Accession Number: M81-605

Processing Information

Processed by Amy Groskopf and Joanne Hohler, 1983.

	Series: Correspondence
	General,
Box   1 Folder   1-11	1875 Jun 7 - 1913 Dec 31.
Box   2 Folder   1-5	1914 Jan 6 - 1917 Sep 27.
Box   3 Folder   1-6	1917 Oct 2 - 1919 Jul 30.
Box   4 Folder   1-5	1919 Aug 1 - 1920 Dec 30.
Box   5 Folder   1-5	1921 Jan 1 - 1938 Dec 30.
Box   5 Folder   6	American Therapeutic Society, 1916.
Box   5 Folder   7	Army, Navy, Marine Hospital and Smithsonian Institution, 1881.
Box   6 Folder   1	Robert P. Fischelis, 1931 Oct - 1937 Dec.
Box   6 Folder   2	Merck Archives contributors, 1899 Feb - 1899 May.
Box   6 Folder   3-4	J. K. Stewart, 1910-1932.
Box   6 Folder   5	Theodore Weicker and W. W. Keen, 1917.
	Series: Employment	⇧
	Loan Relief Association,
Box   6 Folder   6	Patient Log Book, 1878.
Box   6 Folder   7	Reports, 1877 - 1880.
	Parke, Davis and Company,
	Correspondence,
Box   6 Folder   8-9	1879 - 1882.
Box   7 Folder   1-2	1884 - 1889. Physical Description: (Two bound volumes)
Box   7 Folder   3	1886 - 1890
Box   7 Folder   4	Contracts.
Box   7 Folder   4	Hospital Plan.
Box   7 Folder   5	Journal, 1881.
Box   7 Folder   6	Nostrum literature
Box   7 Folder   6	Scientific Department literature.
	National Pharmacy Company and National Bureau of Medicines and Foods,
Box   7 Folder   7	Catalog.
Box   7 Folder   8-9	Correspondence, 1902 - 1903.
Box   8 Folder   1-5	Plan, purpose, goals, and history.
Box   8 Folder   6	“Wordmark” preparations.
	H. K. Mulford Company
Box   8 Folder   7-8	Correspondence, 1905 Oct - 1906 May.
Box   9 Folder   1	Insulin literature, 1923-1924.
	Mulford Expedition, 1920 - 1923,
Box   9 Folder   2	Correspondence.
Box   9 Folder   3	Plans, reports, publicity.
	Publications,
Box   9 Folder   4	Keystone, 1918 Dec - 1920 Dec.
Box   9 Folder   5	Miscellaneous.
Box   9 Folder   6	Subject File.
	Series: Professional Associations	⇧
	American Medical Editors Association,
Box   9 Folder   7-12	Correspondence, 1928 - 1935.
Box   9 Folder   13	Reports of Committee on Pharmacology, 1929 - 1930.
	American Pharmaceutical Association
	Committee on Patents and Trademarks,
Box   10 Folder   1-3	Articles by Stewart, 1898 - 1934.
Box   10 Folder   4	Reports, 1917 - 1935.
	Research Materials,
Box   10 Folder   5	Articles.
Box   11 Folder   1-3	Articles, continued.
Box   11 Folder   4	Aspirin Case, 1918.
Box   11 Folder   5	Mulford Mint Case, 1914.
Box   11 Folder   6	Syrup of Figs Case, 1902.
	Committee on Reorganization
Box   12 Folder   1	Articles by Stewart, 1920 - 1922.
Box   12 Folder   2	Correspondence, 1920 - 1921.
Box   12 Folder   3	General Correspondence, 1916 - 1917.
	American Pharmacologic Society,
Box   12 Folder   4-5	Correspondence, 1907 - 1908.
Box   12 Folder   6	Historical file, 1904 - 1906.
Box   13 Folder   1	Proceedings, 1906.
	Series: Writings	⇧
	Autobiography.
Box   13 Folder   2-3	Data for autobiography.
Box   13 Folder   4	Drafts.
Box   14 Folder   1-4	Drafts.
Box   14 Folder   5	Scrapbook material.
Box   15 Folder   1-5	Scrapbook material, continued.
	Other,
	Manuscripts,
Box   16 Folder   1	Food and drug legislation.
Box   16 Folder   2-3	Patents and trademarks.
Box   16 Folder   4	Standardization of drugs.
Box   16 Folder   5	Vaccines and vaccination.
Box   16 Folder   6	Untitled article about pharmacy in general.
Box   16 Folder   7-9	Miscellaneous.
Box   17 Folder   1-4	Miscellaneous
	Published articles, 1879 - 1927.
Box   17 Folder   5	1879-1890.
Box   17 Folder   6	1891-1902.
Box   17 Folder   7	1915-1917.
Box   18 Folder   1	1918-1921.
Box   18 Folder   2	1922-1924.
Box   18 Folder   3-7	, 1879-1927 (unorganized)
Box   19 Folder   1	1879-1927 (unorganized), continued
	Series: Subject File	⇧
Box   19 Folder   2	False Bismuth iodine formula, 1909.
Box   19 Folder   3	Henry T. Helmbold, 1878.
Box   19 Folder   4-6	Pharmacy articles, 1880 - 1936.