Title: Arthur Lawrie Tatum Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1916-1954

Creator:

• Tatum, Arthur Lawrie, 1884-1955

Call Number: Wis Mss 52PB

Quantity: 2.0 c.f. (5 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:

Mainly professional correspondence, class lecture notes, and records of experiments of a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Wisconsin. Many papers relate to his research projects on the thyroid gland, antidotes such as picrotoxin for cocaine and barbiturate overdosage, narcotic addiction, the chemotherapy of malaria, and the use of mapharsen to treat syphilis. The collection also includes a diary recording his trip to Guatemala in 1943 for field observation of tropical diseases, copies of several speeches and articles written by him, and some records of royalties he received on drugs he had developed.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis052pb

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Arthur L. Tatum became a full professor in the University of Wisconsin department of pharmacology and toxicology in 1928, and was associated with that institution until his death on November 11, 1955. Tatum was born on a farm in Sac County, Iowa May 17, 1884, and attended school in West Branch, Iowa. He received a BS degree at Penn College, Iowa in 1905, and an MS at the State University of Iowa in 1907. He then attained a post as instructor in chemistry at the University of Colorado from 1907-1910; from 1911-1913 he was instructor in pharmacology at the University of Wisconsin. Tatum received his Ph.D from the University of Chicago in 1913, and an MD from Rush Medical College in the next year. He then held successive positions as an instructor of physiology at the University of Pennsylvania (1914-1916), professor of physiology at the University of South Dakota (1916-1918), and assistant professor of pharmacology and physics at the University of Chicago (1918-1925). In 1925 he accepted an associate professorship at Wisconsin, and three years later became a full professor.

Tatum did early research on the thyroid gland, and then turned to a study of cocaine overdosage, experimenting with the effectiveness of barbiturates as antidotes. He proved picrotoxin was a good antidote for barbiturate overdosage, and the drug is still used widely as treatment for overdosage of sleeping pills. Tatum then carried on research with narcotic drugs, establishing the physiological basis of addiction.

At Wisconsin, Tatum continued the work on chemotherapy of syphilis initiated by a predecessor. Tatum demonstrated that the compound mapharsen ( m eta a mino p ara h ydroxyl p henyl a rsenoside) was greatly effective in treatment of the disease. Mepharsen remained the drug of choice in the treatment of early syphilis until the discovery of antibiotics. In his later years, Tatum became quite interested in the chemotherapy of malaria.

For a brief biographical sketch of Tatum, see Science, 123:449 (May 16, 1956).

These Tatum papers consist of a supplement to the bulk of Tatum's papers, which are housed at the University of Wisconsin Archives. They appear to be papers which were kept at home as is supported by the fact that they were donated by Mrs. Tatum. The collection consists of his correspondence, dating from 1916 to 1954, financial records, class lectures, his speeches, addresses, and publications, records of experiments performed, and data and information gained from observation of cases connected with his research.

The early correspondence consists largely of correspondence with poundmasters who furnished him with research data, and with various institutions of learning, as Tatum sought new teaching and research positions. There is very little personal material in proportion to the amount of correspondence concerning his research and experimentation. Some interesting correspondence concerns clinical tests on mapharsen.

There seems to be a fairly complete collection of the speeches that Tatum delivered to various civic and scholarly groups, and also of the articles he wrote for publication. There is some information regarding his income from drug firms for professional advice and royalties on the drugs he developed. There is a small amount of material from his trip to Guatemala for field observation of tropical diseases in 1943 consisting of a diary, an itinerary sheet, and a map. Also present are Tatum's copies of research reports done in his lab.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. Arthur L. Tatum, Madison, Wisconsin, October, 1957.

Processing Information

Folder list prepared by Elizabeth Keeney, 1979, for the Survey of Sources for History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1	1916 Jan. 5 -1917 Sept. 28 Scope and Content Note: 99 letters, primarily concerning arrangements for teaching physiology at the University of South Dakota
Box   1 Folder   2	1917 Oct. 1 - 1918 Sept. 24 Scope and Content Note: 98 letters primarily concerning Tatum's application for employment at Chicago, his move to Chicago, and also letters of recommendation which he wrote for students
Box   1 Folder   3	1918 Oct. 1 - 1921 June 14 Scope and Content Note: 100 letters, Chicago dept. business
Box   1 Folder   4	1922 Jan. 13 - 1927 Oct. 21 Scope and Content Note: 45 letters primarily dept. business and publication of papers
Box   1 Folder   5	1928 Jan. 13 - Oct. 5 Scope and Content Note: 80 letters primarily concerning Tatum's move to Wisconsin
Box   1 Folder   6	1928 Nov. 7 - 1929 March 28 Scope and Content Note: 66 letters re: dept. and research business
Box   2 Folder   1	1929 April 2 - Sept. 17 Scope and Content Note: 69 letters; death of Loevenhart
Box   2 Folder   2	1929 Oct. 2 - 1930 Dec. 30 Scope and Content Note: 51 letters; non-research business
Box   2 Folder   3	1931 Jan. 20 - 1932 Dec. 20 Scope and Content Note: 100 letters; re: arseno therapy of surra (T. Evansi) infection. Routine informational requests. Mapharsin clinical tests
Box   2 Folder   4	1933 Jan. 3 - Dec. 21 Scope and Content Note: 74 letters re: Mapharsin studies plus other business
Box   2 Folder   5	1934 Jan. 13 - Dec. 21 Scope and Content Note: 44 letters re: Mapharsen plus business
Box   2 Folder   6	1935 Jan. 2 - 1936 Dec. 26 Scope and Content Note: 103 letters; re: Mapharsen (primarily requests for information), speaking engagements, and malaria studies
Box   3 Folder   1	1937 Jan. 11 - 1939 Dec. 27 Scope and Content Note: 69 letters; primarily concerning Mapharsen and bird malaria studies; business not research oriented for the most part
Box   3 Folder   2	1940 Jan. 3 - 1942 June 18 Scope and Content Note: 82 letters; clinical studies of Mapharsen and bird malaria studies
Box   3 Folder   3	1942 Aug. 5 - 1943 Sept. 7 Scope and Content Note: 71 letters; re: malarial work (stepped up due to war); cooperation with National Research Council. Also Mapharsen and security info. on Tatum
Box   3 Folder   4	1943 Oct. 5 - 1946 Dec. 17 Scope and Content Note: 77 letters, primarily concerning Mapharsen clinicals; also bird malaria tests
Box   3 Folder   5	1947 Feb. 7 - 1954 May 25 and undated Scope and Content Note: 61 letters; malaria, Mapharsen (especially royalties), plans for a journey to South America
	Class Lecture Notes
Box   4 Folder   1	1918 Jan. - March, Introductory Pharmacology.
Box   4 Folder   2	1918 March - 1921 Nov., Introductory Pharmacology plus summer class
Box   4 Folder   3	1921 - 1948 May, Pharmacology
Box   4 Folder   4	1948 May - 1951 May, Pharmacology
Box   4 Folder   5	1952 Feb. - 1954 May, Pharmacology
Box   4 Folder   6	Undated, Pharmacology
Box   5 Folder   1	Lectures, undated Scope and Content Note: 16 lectures (9 in Spanish, 7 in English). Topics range from hypnotics to morphism to teaching methods to syphilis to “Coca Chewing in Peru” (1947)
Box   5 Folder   2	Professional Financial Materials Scope and Content Note: 61 check stubs, Parke, Davis & Co. (Mapharsen work and royalties). 8 items: budget, 1927-28, morphine and thyroid intoxication, 3 AAAS cards, 1928-29, 3 departmental budget items, n.d.
Box   5 Folder   3	Guatemala Trip, 1943 Scope and Content Note: 1 diary, addresses, phrases, plus notes. Itinerary attached
Box   5 Folder   4	Papers and Publications Scope and Content Note: 3 meeting schedules, 1936-1942; 14 Tatum papers all later published (?)
	Records of Experiments
Box   5 Folder   5	1923-1953 Scope and Content Note: 46 reports on toxicity and efficacy of experimental drugs: arsenicals plus antimalarials
Box   5 Folder   6	undated Scope and Content Note: 1 lab notebook, 1919; 1 notebook “Materia Medica Laboratory, Al. Tatum,” n.d. (student?); toxicity reports on experimental drugs; 33 pages miscellaneous notes; 1 “blue book” re: drug tests in rabbits
Box   5 Folder   7	undated Scope and Content Note: scrap paper, filter paper, 3 “blue books,” and 17 “write ups of drug tests”