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------------------------------------------------------------ Outline view: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms008013 ------------------------------------------------------------
Collection SummaryTitle: Robert R. Williams PapersSpan Dates: 1911-1981 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1934-1961) ID No.: MSS47241 Creator: Williams, Robert R., 1886-1965 Extent: 11,000 items; 35 containers; 15.6 linear feet Language: Collection material in English and German Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Abstract: Chemist, nutritionist, and developer of vitamin B1. Correspondence, diaries, affidavits, reports, subject files, laboratory notebooks, speeches and writings, printed matter, and other papers relating to Williams's research in nutritional chemistry. Selected Search TermsThe following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. Personal Names Buchman, Edwin R.--Correspondence. Cline, Joseph K.--Correspondence. Funk, Casimir, 1884-1967--Correspondence. Kik, M. C. (Marinus Cornelis), 1896-1975--Correspondence. Lease, E. J. (Elmer John), 1908---Correspondence. Merriam, John C. (John Campbell), 1869-1945--Correspondence. Poillon, Howard Andrews, 1879-1954--Correspondence. Waterman, Robert E. (Robert Edward), b. 1899--Correspondence. Williams, Robert R., 1886-1965. Organizations Carnegie Corporation of New York. Interessengemeinschaft Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft. Merck & Co. Research Corporation. Williams-Waterman Fund. Subjects Beri-beri. Diet--Asia. Diet--Southern States. Enriched foods. Flour. Food--Composition. Nutrition. Nutritionally induced diseases. Patents. Rice. Vitamin B in human nutrition. Vitamin B1. Locations Asia--Description and travel. Southern States--Description and travel. Occupations Chemists. Nutritionists. Administrative InformationProvenance:The papers of Robert R. Williams, chemist, nutritionist, and developer of vitamin B1, were given to the Library of Congress in 1979 and 1983 by the Research Corporation of New York, N.Y. Processing History:The papers of Robert R. Williams were arranged and described in 1981. The collection was expanded and revised in 1985 and 1999. The finding aid was revised in 2008. A description of the Williams Papers appears in Library of Congress Acquisitions: Manuscript Division, 1979, pp. 28-30. Transfers:Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Photographs and glass spectrographic plates have been transferred to the Prints and Photograph Division. Motion picture films have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Robert R. Williams Papers. Copyright Status:The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Robert R. Williams is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.). Preferred Citation:Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Robert R. Williams Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Biographical Note
Scope and Content NoteThe papers of Robert Ramapatnam Williams (1886-1965) span the years 1911-1981 with the bulk of the material dating from 1934-1961. The papers are in English and German. The collection is arranged into seven series: Diaries, General Correspondence, Special Correspondence, Subject File, Speech and Article File, Miscellany, and Addition. Williams's search for a cure for beriberi, which began when he was a chemist with the Bureau of Science in the Philippines, ultimately led to his discovery of thiamin, the first of the B vitamins, and to his later synthesis of the vitamin. Following synthesis, the manufacture of vitamin B1 in quantity at a reasonable price made it possible to add the vitamin to foodstuffs such as bread and cereal grains. Among the most informative items in the papers are Williams's diaries for the years 1938-1953 in which he described in detail his visits to flour mills in the southern United States during the late 1930s and discussions with millers and heads of baking firms to persuade them to enrich their flours with vitamin B1. The diaries also describe Williams's trip to Europe in 1930 in connection with European production of Vitamin B1 and a patent dispute with the I.G. Farben laboratories, his visit to China in 1946 where he advocated the enrichment of rice, and tour of India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippine Islands in 1950-1951. The small group of letters in the General Correspondence series relates mainly to speaking engagements and the publication of Williams's speeches and articles. Within the Special Correspondence series are letters exchanged with various corporations, such as the Carnegie Institution, which awarded Williams received grants over the years 1927-1934 for the purchase of scientific equipment, research animals, and supplies. There is also correspondence with Merck and Company for the years 1934-1958. In 1934, before the synthesis of thiamin had been perfected, Merck and Company had provided Williams help in his efforts to extract the vitamin from rice polishings. Following synthesis of the vitamin in 1935, Merck received the first license for commercial production of Vitamin B1. There is correspondence (1935-1962) with Research Corporation of New York City, a science-oriented philanthropic foundation which played a particularly important role in Williams's career. In an agreement with Williams and five of his associates, the corporation assigned twenty-five percent of all royalties derived from sales of vitamin B1 to the six scientists and provided that the remaining seventy-five percent be used to support the corporation's Combat of Dietary Diseases. Copies of the corporation's agreement as well as the fund's project reports for the years 1940-1958 are located in the Subject File. The Subject File, which comprises the bulk of the papers, also includes laboratory notebooks for the period 1932-1936 which document the search for thiamin (B1) and, following its discovery, record the development of vitamin B1, which made possible the economical commercial production of the vitamin. There are also extensive files dealing with patents, particularly the case of Williams v Andersag of the I.G. Farben corporation in Germany. When rapid expansion of commercial production of vitamin B1 reduced the price of the vitamin from ten dollars to a few cents a gram, Williams commenced a campaign, which he pursued for the remainder of his life, for the "enrichment" of bread and white flour with thiamin and other vitamins and minerals. The Speech and Article File for the years 1913-1964 contains many of the lectures and articles prepared for this effort. A group of miscellaneous papers includes appointment books (1947-1956), biographical information, passports, certificates, writings by persons other than Williams, and printed matter. Among Williams's correspondents are Edwin R. Buchman, Joseph K. Cline, Casimir Funk, M. C. Kik, E. J. Lease, John C. Merriam of the Carnegie Institution, Howard A. Poillon of the Research Corporation, and Williams's principal coworker, Robert E. Waterman. An addition to the Williams Papers spans the years 1935-1981 and consists of correspondence, affidavits, reports, printed matter, and other material. Of particular interest are the affidavits and other papers relating to the discovery of vitamin B1 which were prepared for various patent cases. The evidence gathered for the cases includes correspondence, reports, laboratory notes, and other material. Arrangement of the PapersThis collection is arranged in seven series:
Description of Series
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