Research


New York State Department of Health Bureau of Communicable Disease Control Director's Subject Files


Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources


Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
The files are primarily those of Bureau of Communicable Disease Control Directors Richard Rothenberg and Donald O. Lyman. Files consist of correspondence, memorandums, periodical clippings, maps, case files, statistical reports, survey questionnaires, and legislative proposals and bills. Subjects include black flies; influenza immunization and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (Polyradiculoneuritis); dairy herd leucosis; feline leukemia; rabies; live syphilis bacteria; vaccine policies; and legislation and public education efforts to increase immunization for communicable diseases.
Creator:
Title:
Department of Health Bureau of Communicable Disease Control Director's subject files
Quantity:

16 cubic feet

34 microfilm rolls; 79 microfilm rolls

Inclusive Dates:
1884-1982, 1989-1991
Bulk Dates:
1975-1982
Series Number:
13855

Arrangement

13855-84: Organized into two parts: 1. Subject Files; 2. Tally Reports. Arranged by part, then chronological by year, then alphabetical.

13855-12: Uncertain arrangement.

13855-20: Chronological.

Administrative History

The bulk of these records spans 1975 through 1982. During that time, the Bureau's responsibilities were statewide epidemiological surveillance (formerly called case reporting); statistical reporting; epidemiological investigation; statewide allocation of federal funds for communicable disease control; project development and oversight; proposals for legislative action and amendment of the state health codes; and policy development in these areas.

Scope and Content Note

The files are primarily those of Donald O. Lyman, Bureau Director from 1975 to 1979, and Richard Rothenberg, Director from 1979 to 1981. The files consist of correspondence, memoranda, periodical clippings, maps, case files, statistical reports, survey questionnaires, and legislative proposals and bills.

Contents which may particularly interest researchers include black fly research; investigation of the relationship between influenza immunization and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (Polyradiculoneuritis); studies of leukemia incidence in relation to dairy herd leucosis and feline leukemia; rabies transmission during laboratory research; protocols for research with live syphillis bacteria in 1953; negotiations for access to vaccines and vaccine distribution policies; and legislation and public education efforts to increase immunization for communicable diseases.

Other subjects of special interest are development of an epidemic intelligence service, staffed by Glenn Haughie, later Director of the Department's Office of Public Health; regulation of summer camps' health standards; the Health Department's mobilization for services to the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics; and a 1979-1981 contract study of disease surveillance methods. There is also documentation of cooperation among Health Department bureaus, especially the Bureau for Disease Control, the Laboratories for Veterinary Science under Melvin Abelseth, DVM, and the Infectious Disease Center under Hassan A. Gaafar, MD. The latter two units are both sections of the Division of Laboratories and Research.

Diseases with which these files are concerned are: arbovirus (anthropod-borne) disease; babesiosis; brucellosis (undulant fever); cancer; chicken pox; enterovirus; equine encephalmyelitis; gastrointestinal illness; giardia lamblia; gonorrhea; Guillain-Barre Syndrome (polyradiculoneuritis); hepatitis; influenza; Legionnaire's Disease; leukemia; malaria; measles; meningitis; mumps; pertussis (whooping-cough); poliomyelitis; psittacosis; rabies; Reye's Syndrome; Rocky Mountain spotted fever; rubella; salmonella (salmonellosis); scabies; shigella (dysentery, shigellosis); smallpox; staphylococcal disease; streptococcal disease; syphillis; toxic shock syndrome; tuberculosis; typhoid fever; and venereal diseases.

The first part, subject files, is comprised primarily of reports of and the bureau's responses to these various diseases. Included frequently are the results of laboratory tests (sometimes from the Center for Disease Control) confirming or disproving the presence of the particular disease. In addition, files on Love Canal, the bureau's legislative efforts, and disease surveillance are also found here. In the case of disease surveillance, the bureau was particularly interested in hepatitis, food poisoning (salmonella), measles, and rubella.

The second part of the series consists of annual and semi-annual reports and tally sheets recording the occurrences of certain diseases, including chicken pox, brucellosis, conjunctivitis, gonorrhea, smallpox, trichinosis, and tuberculosis. The bi-annual tuberculosis reports are broken down by major metropolitan area (Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse) and by county, and comprise the bulk of this section. A small number of Department of Health annual reports from the late 1950s and early 1960s are also found here.

Seventy-nine rolls of microfilm found within the series contain information about annual disease outbreaks and are arranged similar to the first part of this series: chronological by year (though not alphabetical within each year).

13855-20: This accretion contains volumes of reports maintained by the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control, 1884 to 1909. The records document diseases from which local residents died statewide in each given year. Diseases documented include typhoid, malaria, scarlet fever, measles, erysipelas, whooping cough, diphtheria, consumption (tuberculosis), pneumonia, cerebral spinal meningitis, and puerperal. These volumes do not document individual deaths; they contain aggregate data on deaths from specific diseases within particular geographic areas.

Alternate Formats Available

Microfilm is available for use at the New York State Archives or through interlibrary loan.

Related Material

B2392 Tuberculosis (TB) Case and Contact Register, also contains tuberculosis case and contact records.

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

13855-84: Alphabetical list of diseases (and year of outbreak) found on the microfilm is available at the repository.

13855-12: Transfer list is available at the repository.

Acquisition Information

13855-12: This accretion includes records from transfer list 92-65.

13855-20: This accretions was transferred under RDA 13855.

Processing Information

Epidemiological investigation files from routine disease surveillance activity have been separated to form Series B1071.

Access Restrictions

13855-12: Records may be restricted to protect personal privacy.

13855-20: Several of the volumes have broken bindings and need to be handled under the supervision of an archivist.

Access Terms

Personal Name(s):
Corporate Name(s):
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Genre(s):
Function(s):

Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box Volume Folder

Accretion: 13855-20
1888 Record of Mortality 1 1
1889 Record of Mortality 1 2
1888-1899 Record of Mortality 1 3
1906-1909 Record of Mortality Worksheets 1 4
1898-1905 Record of Mortality for Specific Localities 1 5
1884-1890 State Board of Health of New York Bulletin of Mortality 1 6

Accretion: 13855-84
1926-1928 Undulant Fever 1 1
1929 Undulant Fever 1 2
1929-1934 Undulant Fever, not clinical cases (folder 1 of 2) 1 3
1929-1934 Undulant Fever, not clinical cases (folder 2 of 2) 1 3
1930 Undulant Fever 1 4
1931 Undulant Fever 1 5
1932 Undulant Fever 1 6
1933 Undulant Fever (folder 1 of 2) 1 7
1933 Undulant Fever (folder 2 of 2) 1 7
1934 Undulant Fever (folder 1 of 2) 1 8
1934 Undulant Fever (folder 2 of 2) 1 8
1935 Undulant Fever (folder 1 of 2) 1 9
1935 Undulant Fever (folder 2 of 2) 1 9
1935 Undulant Fever, not clinical cases 1 10
1936 Undulant Fever (folder 1 of 2) 1 11
1936 Undulant Fever (folder 2 of 2) 1 11
1936 Undulant Fever, not clinical cases 1 12
1937 Undulant Fever (folder 1 of 2) 1 13
1937 Undulant Fever (folder 2 of 2) 1 13
1937 Undulant Fever, not clinical cases 2 14
1938 Undulant Fever (folder 1 of 2) 2 15
1938 Undulant Fever (folder 2 of 2) 2 15
1938 Undulant Fever, not clinical cases 2 16
1939 Undulant Fever 2 17
1939 Undulant Fever, not clinical cases 2 18
1943-1948 Undulant Fever 2 19
1952 Undulant Fever 2 20
1953 Undulant Fever 2 21
1954 Undulant Fever (Brucellosis) 2 22
1958-1975 Smallpox - Legislation 2 23
1960-1979 Epidemic Intelligence Service 2 24
1961-1978 Immunization (Action Month) 2 25
1965-1980 Meningococci 2 26
1965-1980 Shigella - General 2 27
1966-1981 Foodborne Disease Investigation and Surveillance (folder 1 of 2) 2 28
1966-1981 Foodborne Disease Investigation and Surveillance (folder 2 of 2) 2 28
1966-1979 Malaria 2 29
1966-1978 Mumps 2 30
1966-1979 Salmonella (folder 1 of 2) 2 31
1966-1979 Salmonella (folder 2 of 2) 2 31
1966-1978 Strep Sore Throat, Scarlet Fever 2 32
1967-1980 Leukemia Investigation 2 33
1968-1979 Psittacosis 3 34
1968-1979 Shigellosis 3 35
1969-1979 Diphtheria 3 36
1969-1980 Rubella (folder 1 of 2) 3 37
1969-1980 Rubella (folder 2 of 2) 3 37
1972-1979 Hepatitis Among Mentally Retarded (folder 1 of 2) 3 38
1972-1979 Hepatitis Among Mentally Retarded (folder 2 of 2) 3 38
1970-1980 Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever 3 39
1970-1980 Rubella Legislation 3 40
1971-1978 Small Pox (folder 1 of 2) 3 41
1971-1978 Small Pox (folder 2 of 2) 3 41
1971-1981 Staphylococcal Disease General 3 42
1972-1981 Annual Reports 3 43
1972-1978 Gonorrhea 3 44
1972-1979 Reye's Syndrome (folder 1 of 3) 3 45
1972-1979 Reye's Syndrome (folder 2 of 3) 3 45
1972-1979 Reye's Syndrome (folder 3 of 3) 3 45
1972 Summer Camp Standards 3 46
1973-1979 Polio Legislation 3 47
1973-1979 Sanitary Code 4 48
1973-1979 Typhoid 4 49
1974-1981 Arbovirus (folder 1 of 2) 4 50
1974-1981 Arbovirus (folder 2 of 2) 4 50
1974 Cancer 4 51
1974-1977 Flu (folder 1 of 2) 4 52
1974-1977 Flu (folder 2 of 2) 4 52
1974-1975 Influenza Data 4 53
1974-1979 Syphilis 4 54
1974-1980 Rabies (part 1 of 2) 4 55
1974-1980 Rabies (part 2 of 2) 4 55
1974-1979 Hepatitis 4 56
1974-1980 Hepatitis B 4 57
1975-1979 Gastrointestinal Illness 4 58
1975-1976 Malpractice 4 59
1975-1980 Measles 4 60
1975-1980 Scabies 4 61
1976-1978 Arbovirus 4 62
1976-1982 Flu (folder 1 of 3) 4 63
1976-1982 Flu (folder 2 of 3) 4 63
1976-1982 Flu (folder 3 of 3) 5 63
1976-1977 Giardia Lamblia 5 64
1976-1980 Guillain Barre Syndrome - received flu vaccine prior to onset 5 65
1976-1979 Guillian Barre Syndrome 5 66
1976-1980 Guillian Barre Syndrome Report Forms 5 67
1976-1977 Hepatitis 5 68
1976-1979 Influenza 5 69
1976-1979 Reported Communicable Diseases Ending - 5/31/1979 5 70
1977 Aerococcus Viridans 5 71
1977 Amebiasis 5 72
1977 Appendix-like Illness 5 73
1977-1981 Articles on Arbovirus 5 74
1977 Aseptic Meningitis 5 75
1977-1981 Babesiosis 5 76
1977 Bovine Tuberculosis 5 77
1977 Breast Hypertrophy 5 78
1977 Cysticercosis 5 79
1977-1978 Dengue Fever 5 80
1977 Diphtheria Deaths 5 81
1977 Possible Diphtheria Case 5 82
1977 Encephalitis 5 83
1977 Enteric Illness 5 84
1977-1978 Flu 5 85
1977-1979 Flu Surveillance 5 86
1977-1988 Gastroenteritis 5 87
1977 Viral Gastroenteritis 5 88
1977 Gastrointestinal Illness 5 89
1977 Giardia 5 90
1977-1978 Giardiasis 5 91
1977 Flu Like Illness 5 92
1977-1978 Foodborne - Gastroenteritis 5 93
1977 Foodborne Illness 5 94
1977 Food Poisoning 5 95
1977 Hepatitis paper 5 96
1977-1982 Immunization (folder 1 of 7) 5 97
1977-1982 Immunization (folder 2 of 7) 5 97
1977-1982 Immunization (folder 3 of 7) 6 97
1977-1982 Immunization (folder 4 of 7) 6 97
1977-1982 Immunization (folder 5 of 7) 6 97
1977-1982 Immunization (folder 6 of 7) 6 97
1977-1982 Immunization (folder 7 of 7) 6 97
1977 Influenza A/Victoria - Respiratory Deaths 6 98
1977 Influenza B 6 99
1977-1978 Influenza Surveillance 6 100
1977 Lassa Fever 6 101
1977-1978 Legionnaires' Disease 6 102
1977-1979 Legionnaires' Disease - Suspected 6 103
1977 Liquid Protein Deaths 6 104
1977 Lyme Arthritis and Ticks 6 105
1977 Malaria 6 106
1977 Measles 6 107
1977 Meningitis Death 6 108
1977 Mercury in Dentists 6 109
1977-1982 Morbidity Surveillance and Reporting Forms 6 110
1977-1981 1980 Olympics Lake Placid 6 111
1977 Pertussis 6 112
1977 Polio 6 113
1977-1980 Poliomyelitis 6 114
1977 Psittacosis 6 115
1977 Rabies 6 116
1977 Rash like Illness 6 117
1977 Respiratory Illness (folder 1 of 2) 6 118
1977 Respiratory Illness (folder 2 of 2) 6 118
1977 Respiratory Infection 6 119
1977 Reye's Syndrome 6 120
1977 Rubella 6 121
1977 Salmonella 7 122
1977 Salmonella Death 7 123
1977 Salmonella Typhi 7 124
1977 Shigella Sonnei 7 125
1977-1978 Shigellosis 7 126
1977 Staph Food Poisoning 7 127
1977-1981 Surveillance (folder 1 of 2) 7 128
1977-1981 Surveillance (folder 2 of 2) 7 128
1977 Typhus 7 129
1977 Vibrio Cholera 7 130
1977 Vincent's Infection 7 131
1978-1982 Arbovirus (folder 1 of 3) 7 132
1978-1982 Arbovirus (folder 2 of 3) 7 132
1978-1982 Arbovirus (folder 3 of 3) 7 132
1978-1981 Arbovirus Surveillance (folder 1 of 2) 7 133
1978-1981 Arbovirus Surveillance (folder 2 of 2) 7 133
1978-1979 Aseptic Meningitis 7 134
1978 Babesiosis 7 135
1978-1981 Baptist Retirement Center 7 136
1978-1979 Brucellosis 7 137
1978 Environmental Illness 7 138
1978 Food Association Illness 7 139
1978 Foodborne 7 140
1978 Gastroenteritis (folder 1 of 2) 7 141
1978 Gastroenteritis (folder 2 of 2) 7 141
1978 Gastrointestinal Illness 7 142
1978 Giardia 7 143
1978 Head Lice 7 144
1978 Heat Exhaustion 7 145
1978 Hepatitis 7 146
1978-1980 Viral Hepatitis 8 147
1978 Influenza 8 148
1978 Legionnaire's Disease 8 149
1978-1979 Legionnaire's Disease, New York State cases 8 150
1978-1979 Legionnaire's Disease, Surveillance 8 151
1978-1979 Legionnaire's Disease (folder 1 of 2) 8 152
1978-1979 Legionnaire's Disease (folder 2 of 2) 8 152
1978 Love Canal 8 153
1978-1979 Malaria 8 154
1978 Measles 8 155
1978 Neonatal Infection 8 156
1978-1980 Nursing Homes (folder 1 of 2) 8 157
1978-1980 Nursing Homes (folder 2 of 2) 8 157
1978 Polio Exposure 8 158
1978-1979 Pre-Exposed Rabies Vaccine 8 159
1978-1979 Psittacosis (folder 1 of 2) 8 160
1978-1979 Psittacosis (folder 2 of 2) 8 160
1978 Pseudobacteremia 8 161
1978 Q Fever 8 162
1978-1981 Rabies (folder 1 of 3) 8 163
1978-1981 Rabies (folder 2 of 3) 8 163
1978-1981 Rabies (folder 3 of 3) 8 163
1978 Respiratory Febrile Illness 8 164
1978 Respiratory Illness 8 165
1978-1979 Roswell Park Memorial Institution 8 166
1978 Rubella 8 167
1978 Salmonella Gastroenteritis 8 168
1978 Salmonella 8 169
1978-1979 Salmonellosis 8 170
1978-1979 Scabies 8 171
1978 Shigella 8 172
1978 Nosocomial Staph 9 173
1978-1979 Staph 9 174
1978 Staph Food Poisoning 9 175
1978 Group B Strep-Neonatal Deaths 9 176
1978-1979 Summer Camps 9 177
1978-1980 Venereal Disease (folder 1 of 2) 9 178
1978-1980 Venereal Disease (folder 2 of 2) 9 178
1978-1979 Waterborne Illness 9 179
1979-1980 Camps General 9 180
1979-1980 Enterovirus Surveillance 9 181
1979-1981 Flu 9 182
1979-1981 Gonorrhea, Articles and Subscriptions 9 183
1979-1981 Gonorrhea Correspondence 9 184
1979-1980 Health Care Screening 9 185
1979 Immunization (folder 1 of 2) 9 186
1979 Immunization (folder 2 of 2) 9 186
1979-1981 Immunization Program Activities 9 187
1979-1981 Legal Issues 9 188
1979-1980 Legislation General 9 189
1979-1981 Monroe County Surveillance Project (folder 1 of 2) 9 190
1979-1981 Monroe County Surveillance Project (folder 2 of 2) 9 190
1979 Evaluation on Existing Morbidity/Mortality Surveillance System 10 191
1979-1982 Pertussis 10 192
1979-1981 Completed Rabies Forms 10 193
1979-1981 Sanitary Code 10 194
1979 Summer Camps (folder 1 of 2) 10 195
1979 Summer Camps (folder 2 of 2) 10 195
1979-1981 Surveillance (folder 1 of 3) 10 196
1979-1981 Surveillance (folder 2 of 3) 10 196
1979-1981 Surveillance (folder 3 of 3) 10 196
1979-1980 Tuberculosis (folder 1 of 3) 10 197
1979-1980 Tuberculosis (folder 2 of 3) 10 197
1979-1980 Tuberculosis (folder 3 of 3) 10 197
1980-1981 Arbovirus (folder 1 of 2) 10 198
1980-1981 Arbovirus (folder 2 of 2) 10 198
1980-1982 Immunization (folder 1 of 3) 10 199
1980-1982 Immunization (folder 2 of 3) 10 199
1980-1982 Immunization (folder 3 of 3) 10 199
1980 Immunization, General References 11 200
1980 Legislation, General 11 201
1980 Legislation, Sexual Transmitted Diseases 11 202
1980-1981 Rabies 11 203
1980-1981 Surveillance Training Course 11 204
1980-1981 Toxic Shock Syndrome 11 205
1981 Communicable Disease 11 206
1981 Communicable Disease Reporting (folder 1 of 2) 11 207
1981 Communicable Disease Reporting (folder 2 of 2) 11 207
1981 New Immunization Regulations 11 208
1981-1982 Legislation 11 209
1981 Monroe County Surveillance Project 11 210
1981-1982 Impact Statement on Mosquito Control Activities (folder 1 of 2) 11 211
1981-1982 Impact Statement on Mosquito Control Activities (folder 2 of 2) 11 211
1982 Arbovirus Surveillance (folder 1 of 4) 11 212
1982 Arbovirus Surveillance (folder 2 of 4) 11 212
1982 Arbovirus Surveillance (folder 3 of 4) 12 212
1982 Arbovirus Surveillance (folder 4 of 4) 12 212
1982 Immunization 12 213
1908-1970 Tally Sheets 12 214
1936-1946 Outbreaks of Communicable Diseases 12 215
1947-1959 Outbreaks of Communicable Diseases 12 216
1958 New York Health Annual Report 12 217
1959 New York Health Annual Report 12 218
1960 New York Health Annual Report 12 219
1961 New York Health Annual Report 12 220
1962 New York Health Annual Report 12 221
1965-1971 Program Statistics 1 (folder 1 of 3) 12 222
1965-1971 Program Statistics 1 (folder 2 of 3) 12 222
1965-1971 Program Statistics 1 (folder 3 of 3) 13 222
1969-1971 Program Statistics 2 (folder 1 of 3) 13 223
1969-1971 Program Statistics 2 (folder 2 of 3) 13 223
1969-1971 Program Statistics 2 (folder 3 of 3) 13 223
1971 Program Statistics 3 (folder 1 of 3) 13 224
1971 Program Statistics 3 (folder 2 of 3) 13 224
1971 Program Statistics 3 (folder 3 of 3) 13 224
1971-1972 Program Statistics 4 (folder 1 of 3) 13 225
1971-1972 Program Statistics 4 (folder 2 of 3) 13 225
1971-1972 Program Statistics 4 (folder 3 of 3) 13 225
1972 Program Statistics 5 (folder 1 of 3) 13 226
1972 Program Statistics 5 (folder 2 of 3) 13 226
1972 Program Statistics 5 (folder 3 of 3) 13 226
1972-1973 Program Statistics 6 (folder 1 of 3) 13 227
1972-1973 Program Statistics 6 (folder 2 of 3) 13 227
1972-1973 Program Statistics 6 (folder 3 of 3) 14 227
1972-1974 Program Statistics 7 (folder 1 of 3) 14 228
1972-1974 Program Statistics 7 (folder 2 of 3) 14 228
1972-1974 Program Statistics 7 (folder 3 of 3) 14 228
1973-1974 Program Statistics 8 (folder 1 of 3) 14 229
1973-1974 Program Statistics 8 (folder 2 of 3) 14 229
1973-1974 Program Statistics 8 (folder 3 of 3) 14 229
1974 Program Statistics 9 (folder 1 of 3) 14 230
1974 Program Statistics 9 (folder 2 of 3) 14 230
1974 Program Statistics 9 (folder 3 of 3) 14 230
1974-1975 Program Statistics 10 (folder 1 of 2) 14 231
1974-1975 Program Statistics 10 (folder 2 of 2) 14 231
1974-1975 Program Statistics 11 (folder 1 of 3) 14 232
1974-1975 Program Statistics 11 (folder 2 of 3) 14 232
1974-1975 Program Statistics 11 (folder 3 of 3) 14 232