David Mason Fine and Rare Books

(MEDICINE/EPILEPSY). WELCH, William H.

 2 pp. ALs on the stationary of the Hotel Brighton, Atlantic City, dated August 11, 1906, to Dr. Clarence B. Farrar. Welch writes to Farrar: ‘I hope you will feel like participating in the Conference on Epilepsy. I enclose Spratling's letter which you need not return.' He continues by telling Farrar that he is returning to Baltimore and ‘shall be glad to see you at my rooms -807 St. Paul St. If you drop a line beforehand I can almost certainly be at home whenever you call.' It is signed in full ‘Very sincerely yours, William H. Welch.' With folds o/w fine.

(WITH): SPRATLING, William.

 2pp. TLs on the stationary of The Craig Colony for Epileptics, Sonyea, New York, dated August 1, 1906 to William H. Welch. Spratling begins ‘My dear Dr. Welch' and in answer to a letter from Welch writes ‘I will be glad to invite Dr. Clarence B. Farrar of the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital to the conference we expect to have later on to discuss the best methods of research work into the etiology of epilepsy.' Spratling indicates he expects the conference to be held in late October or early November in New York City. Signed ‘W. Spratling' in black ink. With a fold for mailing o/w fine.

Clearly the letter from Spratling is the one that Welch enclosed with his letter to Dr. Clarence B. Farrar. The conference was most likely the Sixth Annual Meeting of the National Association for the Study of Epilepsy, which was held in early November 8th, 1906, in New Haven rather than NYC. William Spratling [1863-1915] American neurologist who was the first Superintendent of the Craig Colony for Epileptics and made important contributions to American epileptology. ‘He was the co- founder and president of the National Association for the Study of Epilepsy, the first editor of its scholarly journal... During his tenure at the Craig Colony, Spratling established standards for safe and humane public care of epileptics. He started the first American residency training program emphasizing epileptology...He was the first American to postulate and investigate a biochemical etiology of generalized seizures in the absence of anatomic lesions.' (JAMA: 1994; 51(1):82-86) William H. Welch [1850-1934] American physician, pathologist, bacteriologist and medical school administrator. He was one of the founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital and first dean of the medical school. He was also the founder of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the first such institution in the United States. ‘Graduates of Welch's training programs were highly coveted as academic physicians.' Welch's own research was in the field of bacteriology, where he discovered the organism that causes gas gangrene. Farrar studied under Welch at Johns Hopkins before undertaking an internship at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital in Baltimore. In 1904 Farrar was made Associate in Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins Medical School and was one of Welch's colleagues.