Brown, Rachel,
Brown papers,
ca.1916-1980.
Manuscript Collection: MS 0777
3
boxes
Agency History/Biographical note:
Rachel Fuller Brown was born on November 23, 1898 in Springfield,
Massachusetts to George Hamilton Brown and Annie Fuller Brown. After
her father left the family when Brown was twelve, her mother worked
as a secretary and director of religious education at various
churches. Brown entered Mount Holyoke College in 1916 and graduated
with an B.A. degree in history and chemistry in 1920. In 1921 she
received an M.S. degree in organic chemistry from the University of
Chicago. For the next three years Brown taught at the Frances Shimer
School in Chicago, Illinois before returning to the University of
Chicago to study for her Ph.D. She completed her doctoral research in
1926 and received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry and bacteriology in
1933. In 1926 Brown began her career as a research chemist at the New
York State Division of Laboratories and Research in Albany, New York.
In 1948 she began collaborating with Dr. Elizabeth Lee Hazen, a
microbiologist, to isolate the first antifungal antibiotic for human
use. In 1950 they announced the discovery of Nystatin, an antibiotic
named for the New York State Laboratory where they worked. The patent
process was completed in 1957 and handled by the Research
Corporation, a private foundation that worked closely with Brown and
Hazen to distribute about $13,000,000 in royalties over the following
decades to fund scientific research. Among its other projects, the
Brown-Hazen Fund financed grants and fellowships at Mount Holyoke
College. Brown retired from the Division of Laboratories and Research
in 1968. She was the recipient of many awards and honors, including
the Squibb Award in Chemotherapy, honorary degrees from Hobart and
William Smith Colleges and Mount Holyoke College, and the Chemical
Pioneer Award. She also taught Sunday school for many years at St.
Peter's Episcopal Church in Albany. Brown died on January 14, 1980 at
the age of eighty-one in Albany.
Scope and Content:
The Rachel Brown Papers consist of course records, writings,
correspondence, memorabilia, an autograph album, biographical
information, and photographs. Most of the collection consists of
documents that reflect Brown's coursework as a student at Mount
Holyoke College, 1916-1920. This material includes notebooks, notes,
essays, assignments, and laboratory reports for courses in Biblical
history and literature, chemistry, English literature, history,
mathematics, philosophy and psychology, and physics. The collection
also includes reports and copies of her M.S. thesis and Ph.D.
dissertation that relate to her graduate work at the University of
Chicago, 1920-1926. Most of the remaining material in the collection
relates to Brown's collaboration with Elizabeth Lee Hazen and their
discovery of the antibiotic Nystatin in 1950. This material includes
correspondence, articles, and photographs pertaining to projects
supported by the fund that Brown and Hazen established with income
from the Nystatin patent. There are also congratulatory notes to
Brown, certificates, medals, award nominations, lists of awards
received, acceptance speeches, honorary degrees, and photographs of
awards ceremonies all relating to Brown's achievements in science.
Other information includes lists of Brown's publications,
biographical articles, press releases, descriptions of Nystatin,
formal photographs of Brown, and obituaries. There is also
biographical information about Hazen, a formal photograph of her, and
informal photographs of her with Brown. In addition, the collection
includes Brown's scientific journal articles reflecting her research
concerning pneumococcus and syphilis. The autograph album dates from
ca.1914-ca.1920s and includes numerous autographs that appear to have
been clipped from letters and other documents.
Cite as: Rachel Brown Papers, Mount Holyoke College
Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley,
MA.
Access Restrictions: unrestricted
Series List:
- Course Records
, 1916-ca.1926
, 2 boxes
- Writings
, 1921-1945, 1972-1980
, 3 Folders
- Correspondence
, ca.1955-1979
, 2 folders
- Memorabilia
, ca.1916-ca.1978
, 4 folders
- Autograph Album
, ca.1914-ca.1920s
, 1 folder
- Biographical Information
, 1955-1980
, 3 folders
- Photographs
, 1920-1975
, 1 folder
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