D. Carleton Gajdusek Papers 1940-1993, undated
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Not requestable
Content Description
The D. Carleton Gajdusek Papers document the scholarly achievements of D. Carleton Gajdusek in the form of honorary diplomas and certificates from universities and medical societies around the world, a commemorative paperweight from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria Foundation, and a bronze medallion from the Slovakian Medical Society. As the collection had no original order, items were arranged chronologically.
Dates
- Creation: 1940-1993, undated
Creator
Language of Materials
These materials are in English, Latin, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Czech, and Chinese.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use.
Biographical / Historical
Daniel Carleton Gajdusek (1923-2008) was an American Physician who won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1976, for his discovery of Kuru, a disease he studied in New Guinea. His research contributed to finding the cause of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, a variant of which is known as Mad Cow Disease (Maugh 2008).
Gajdusek completed his undergraduate education at Rochester University, studied medicine at Harvard University, and conducted research at the California Institute of Technology. Gajdusek lived with and studied the Fore people of New Guinea, where he first studied Kuru, completing his research at the US National Institutes of Health ("D. Carleton Gajdusek").
In 1977, Gajdusek pleaded guilty to sexually abusing one of his adopted sons (Molotsky 1997). Gajdusek spent a year in prison before moving to Europe, where he remained until his death in 2008 (Maugh).
Extent
2.63 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Abstract
The D. Carleton Gajdusek Papers document the scholarly achievements of D. Carleton Gajdusek in the form of honorary diplomas and certificates from universities and medical societies around the world, a commemorative paperweight from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria Foundation, and a bronze medallion from the Slovakian Medical Society. As the collection had no original order, items were arranged chronologically.
Physical Location
Phillips Library Stacks
Provenance
This collection is an integration of five collections, all of which were placed on deposit by D. Carleton Gajdusek.
D. Carleton Gajdusek Papers, 1963-1982 (formerly Acc 22,976+) was placed on deposit on January 6, 1982.
D. Carleton Gajdusek Papers, 1940, 1983 (formerly Acc 23,138+) was placed on deposit on September 21, 1983. D. Carleton Gajdusek Papers, undated (formerly Acc 25,047+) was placed on deposit on June 26, 1989. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Foundation paperweight (formerly Acc 25,109) was placed on deposit on September 5, 1989. The Slovakia Medical Society Medallion (formerly Acc 25,175) was placed on deposit on November 17, 1989.
Bibliography
Maugh, T. H. (2008, December 18). D. Carleton Gajdusek dies at 85; Nobel Prize winner identified exotic disease, was unrepentant pedophile. The LA Times. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-gajdusek18-2008dec18-story.html.
Molotsky, I. (1997, February 19). Nobel Scientist Pleads Guilty to Abusing Boy. The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/19/us/nobel-scientist-pleads-guilty-to-abusing-boy.html.
Processing Information
This material was placed in acid free folders.
- Title
- D. Carleton Gajdusek Papers 1940-1993, undated
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kylie Baker
- Date
- May 2022
- Description rules
- Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Phillips Library Repository