Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
John Z. Bowers, MD papers
Date(s)
- 1947-1983 (Creation)
Extent
0.25 cubic feet (1 box)
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Zimmerman Bowers, MD served as Deputy Director of the Biology and Medicine Division of the Atomic Energy Commission from 1947 to 1950. He had previously studied pathology under Dr. Shields Warren, and in 1949 he joined Dr. Warren in Japan studying the effects of radiation on atomic bomb survivors.
Dr. Bowers would go on to a career in medical education, including serving as Dean at the University of Utah and University of Wisconsin medical schools and President of the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation.
He maintained strong relationships and interest in medicine and medical education in Asia. In the 1980s he wrote historical accounts of the ABBC and RERF.
More information about Dr. Bowers is available in the MS 242 Control Folder.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection includes photographs, manuscripts, and reprints related to Dr. John Bowers' involvement with the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC). Of particular note are 58 black-and-white photographs of Nagasaki, Japan, taken by Captain Shields Warren (MC) in 1947. There is also a photograph showing Dr. Bowers alongside Carl Tessmer reviewing plans for the ABCC laboratory-clinic in Hiroshima, and another featuring the groundbreaking of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF). A third set of photographs depicts Berlin, Germany during the Cold War.
In addition to photographs, this collection includes two manuscripts by Dr. Bowers--one on the history of the ABCC and one on RERF. Finally, there are three reprints of articles by Dr. Bowers and his colleagues.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Material is open for research.
Physical access
Materials are in good condition.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to publish from this material must be facilitated through the repository, McGovern Historical Center.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Deed-3
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated by Akiko K. Bowers, Dr. Bowers' wife, in 1995.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
This collection is comprised of copies of materials in the John Z. Bowers Papers at the Rockefeller Archive Center: https://dimes.rockarch.org/collections/naVXNEgBEuibk2hqnVpgCZ?category=&limit=40&query=john%20z.%20bowers
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
- Citation: John Z. Bowers, MD Papers; MS 242; McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library. Please cite the box and folder numbers where appropriate.
- Processing information: Collection moved from Reference Files to MS collections and processed by Matt Richardson, September 2021.
Alternative identifier(s)
TARO
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Description based on DACS 2021.
Sources used
Identifying information from Control Folder
Archivist's note
Matt Richardson, September 17, 2021
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Tessmer, Carl F. (Subject)
- Warren, Shields (Subject)