urn:taro:hamtmc.00112 Guide to the Papers of Joseph L. Belsky, MD Manuscript Collection No. 112 Finding aid prepared by Alethea S. Drexler. Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library, John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center, November 19, 2007

1133 John Freeman Blvd. Houston, Texas 77030

Finding aid encoded by MJ Figard on November 19, 2007 Overview of the Collection Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library, John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center

1133 John Freeman Blvd. Houston, Texas 77030

Joseph Lewis Belsky, MD Papers of Joseph L. Belsky, MD 1947-1996 8 cubic feet Historical Research Center (HRC), 8272 El Rio, Suite 190, Houston, TX 77054. phone: 713.799.7145 Dr. Joseph Lewis Belsky was Chief of Medicine for the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), a committee formed to study the long-term effects of radiation exposure on the residents of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan, from 1969-1972. (The ABCC was subsequently renamed the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF)). 112 The records are in English. Biographical Note

Dr. Joseph Lewis Belsky was born March 14, 1927. He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Drew University in New Jersey in 1949, followed by a master’s in chemistry fro Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, in 1951 and, finally, an M.D. in 1955 from Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. He became board certified in internal medicine in 1963. He worked for a short time in private practice but spent the majority of his career as an endocrinologist in hospitals in Boston and in Connecticut. He was also a lecturer at Yale University School of Medicine.

Dr. Belsky was Chief of Medicine for the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), a committee formed to study the long-term effects of radiation exposure on the residents of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan, from 1969-1972 (the organization is now known as the Radiation Effects Research Foundation or RERF).

In 1999, Dr. Belsky was awarded a Mastership by the American College of Physicians.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of six boxes. Three are of technical reports from the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) dating from 1959 through 1975 and a few RERF reports from the 1980s and early 1990s. Box VI is an oversized box containing two large photographs and two large certificates. The reports have been organized in chronological order and all materials have been interleaved with archival bond. The rest of the material consists primarily of professional correspondence between Dr. Belsky and various other doctors regarding ABCC research or, occasionally, individual patients. There are some drafts of ABCC technical reports and a few articles copied from other publications. Correspondences, etc., are arranged in general chronological order in Boxes IV and V.

Preferred Citation

Joseph L. Belsky Papers, Manuscript Collection No. 112, John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center, Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

Detailed Description of the Collection Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) 1 1 Bibliography of Publications Concerning Effect of Nuclear Explosions, 1959-1973. 1 2 Bibliography of Published Papers of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, 1947-1974. 1 3 Technical reports 1959-1971. 1 4 Technical reports 1959-1975. 1 5 Formation and Activities of Kyoto University Atomic Bomb Casualty General Investigation Team. 1 6 Annual reports, 1966-1968. 1 7 Technical reports 1959, 1968-1970. 1 8 Ad hoc committee report, 1955. 2 Technical reports 1971-1972. 3 1 Technical reports 1973-1975. Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) 3 2 Technical reports 1977-1986. 3 3 Annual report 1985-1986.. 3 4 Newsletters 1983, 1991-1992, 1995. Various Reports and Papers 4 1 NI-HON-SAN: Drafts for ABCC Technical Reports. 4 2 Growth and Development: Drafts for technical reports on childhood-related issues: childhood stature, lower limb, in-utero microcephaly, etc. from ABCC/RERF years. 4 3 AHS Report: Adult Health Study articles, correspondence, drafts, 1972. 4 4 HAA, J. of Infections Diseases: Letters to and from journals, drafts, 1973. 4 5 Leukemia in A-Bomb Survivors: letters and draft, 1973. 4 6 An Antigen in Dialysis Patients: letters and drafts for articles on liver-related problems and atomic bomb survivors, 1973-1974. 4 7 Correspondence 1969-1970. 4 8 Correspondence 1971, 1976, 1986. 5 1 Various loose papers: articles, magazines, memoirs, reprints. 5 2 Various loose papers: articles, magazines, memoirs, reprints. 5 3 Immunoglobulin Levels in the Adult Health Study, 1973. 5 4 Growth Study - Belsky/Blot: Professional correspondence and drafts, 1967, 1971-1974. 5 5 Serum Thyrotropin Level and Goiter in Response to Childhood Exposure to Atomic Radiation, 1973. 5 6 Hiroshima, Early Correspondence and Reprints: 1969-1971. 5 7 Correspondence 1 of 3: including a few personal photographs, mainly 1973-1975. 5 8 Correspondence 2 of 3: professional and personal correspondence, 1972. 5 9 Correspondence 3 of 3: professional and personal correspondence, 1973. 5 10 Radiation Carcinogenesis: 1980s-1990s. 5 11 Chernobyl: clipping, fax from 1992 and 1996. 5 12 Various articles and notes for St. Elizabeth talk. 5 13 Various articles: reports, Physicians for Social Responsibility Newsletters. 6 1 Salivary Gland Neoplasms: drafts and correspondence. 6 2 Survivors of Childhood Exposure to Atomic Radiation: drafts and correspondence. 6 3 Thyroid Cancer Papers 1973: draft, references, and diagrams. 6 4 Thyroid Cancer Paper 1973-1974: correspondence and drafts. 6 5 Thyroid Carcinoma Diagnosed Between 13 and 26 Years After Exposure to Atomic Radiation: A Survey 1973-1974: drafts and correspondence. 6 6 Thyroid Cancer Paper 1973-1974: drafts and correspondence. 6 7 Aging Studies in Atomic Bomb Survivors 1974-1978: drafts and correspondence. 6 8 AHS Five-Cycle Analysis - Blood Pressure (Milton) Folder 1: drafts and correspondence. 6 9 AHS Five-Cycle Analysis - Blood Pressure (Milton) Folder 2: reference articles by other scientists, from the mid-1960s. 6 10 Leukemia and A-Bomb Radiation, Hiroshima and Nagasaki: drafts and correspondence of "Incidence of Leukemia Among Atomic Bomb Survivors in Relation to Neutron and Gamma Dose, Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1950-1971, a 1946-1971 study that was published by RERF in 1977. 6 11 Loose Papers: extra articles, RERF research protocol booklet, and 1978 reprint of "Incidence of Leukemia . . ." article from previous year. Oversize Certificate of Appreciation, 28 June 1972, hand-lettered in Japanese with translation attached to the back. Photograph: "Participants in ABCC program, Hiroshima, 27 March 1970". Photograph: (labeled on the back) "ABCC program review 1969". Certificate from ABCC in appreciation for performance as Chief of Medicine, 1969-1972, English and Japanese.