The Dorothy Reed Mendenhall Papers consist of {7.5} linear feet of material, dating from 1805 to 1988. The bulk of the papers date from 1890 to 1957 and focus on Mendenhall's personal and professional life. Types of materials include personal records, family records, personal and family correspondence, legal documents, lectures, sketches, and drawings, printed material, personal memorabilia, photographs, and published and unpublished writings.

Major subjects reflected in the collection are women's education, medical education, public health, and the status and role of women in the U.S. Organizations represented in the collection include the Johns Hopkins University Hospital, the United States Children's Bureau, the University of Wisconsin and the Visiting Nurse Association Child Health Centers of Madison, Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Board of Health. The papers offer insight into the life of a privileged woman who, as one of the early graduates of the rigorous and professional medical education at Johns Hopkins Medical School, made pioneering contributions to the fields of pathology, public health, maternal infant health, pediatrics, and nutrition while also balancing the demands of her own home and family life. In addition to documenting Mendenhall's life and work the papers document major twentieth century historical trends including the changing roles of women and the penetration of scientific concepts into housekeeping, childrearing, and other aspects of daily life.

This collection is organized into five series:

• I. Biographical Material
• II. Family
• III. Correspondence
• IV. Professional Material
• V. Publications