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Sir Henry Gauvain, 1939 - 1941

 File — Box: 6

Scope and Contents

28 letters sent from British surgeon and tuberculosis specialist Sir Henry Gauvain to the family of Katherine Hughes Hallett, a young girl under his care. Katherine appears to be suffering from polio, and the letters between Gauvain and her parents, Commander Bertram Hughes Hallett and the Hon. Frederica Susan Katherine Somerset, discuss her general care and feeding. Katherine died in 1942.

Dates

  • 1939 - 1941

Conditions Governing Access

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Biographical / Historical

Henry Gauvain (28 November 1878-January 19, 1945) was a British children’s surgeon and tuberculosis specialist. He was born in Alderney, England, and educated at St John's College, Cambridge and St Bart’s, London. In 1908 Gauvain took up the post of medical superintendent at the newly founded 220-bed clinic in Alton, Hampshire, where he administered an internationally renowned holistic treatment consisting of fresh air, rest, and exercise. His belief in the importance of sunlight and fresh air in the treatment of tuberculosis led him to open a marine branch of the hospital at Sandy Point, Hayling Island, Hampshire, in 1919. In 1925 Gauvain opened the Morland Hall clinics for private patients. He wrote numerous papers on surgical tuberculosis, hospital design, and was a leading proponent of heliotherapy. He was knighted in 1920 for his services to ill children. Gauvain died in 1945.

Extent

From the Collection: 30 Cubic Feet (68 boxes)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

From the Collection: Latin

From the Collection: French

From the Collection: Italian

From the Collection: Welsh

From the Collection: Danish

From the Collection: Swedish

From the Collection: Spanish

From the Collection: German

From the Collection: Norwegian

From the Collection: Persian

From the Collection: Japanese

From the Collection: Russian

From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
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