Adaline Pendleton Satterthwaite, 1917-2005 (bulk 1917-2003): Scope & Contents of the Collection

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Adaline Pendleton Satterthwaite Papers consist of 16 linear ft. dating from 1917 to 2003. Types of materials include diaries, photographs, legal and financial documents, reports, case studies, articles, newspaper clippings, charts and statistics, notes, newsletters, printed materials, brochures, pamphlets, and memorabilia.

The bulk of the papers date from the early 1950s through the late 1990s and focus on Satterthwaite's career as an obstetrician/gynecologist and internationally-known expert in maternal child health and family planning. Major topics found in these papers include the development of modern methods of birth control, notably the Pill, the IUD, Depo-Provera, and permanent sterilization for both men and women; infant and maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries, particularly as related to pregnancy, childbirth, and multiple, unplanned pregnancies; the prevention and treatment of diarrhea, especially among children; and population control as a global priority. Satterthwaite concluded early in her career that family planning and maternal and child health were critical to world economic and political stability, and her efforts to address these issues are well-documented throughout the collection.

While Satterthwaite's letters to her husband are intimate and personal, her correspondence to family and friends is intended for a broader audience. It offers rich insight into daily life in foreign countries, including observations about local cultures, as well as the particulars of Satterthwaite's daily life. The correspondence of Satterthwaite's brother, Robert, who lived and worked for many years in Central and South America, is also of interest.

The diaries provide a detailed and intelligent account of Satterthwaite's many years of practice as a doctor, medical advisor, program director, and consultant to various world health organizations. They cover the time period beginning with her appointment as Resident Medical Advisor to the Population Council in Thailand in1966, through completion of her term of employment as Program Adviser to the Bangladesh Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception in 1990. The remaining diaries, dating from mid-1990 to 1994, tend towards brevity and are generally concerned with the more mundane aspects of post-retirement daily life. This series also contains Satterthwaite's published articles, speeches and unpublished essays, as well as sermons by Rev. G. Arthur Canaday.