Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories

Very few papers of these Laboratories appear to be extant.

The majority of the collection consists of files maintained by Henry James Parish, during his time as head of the Bacteriological Department of the Wellcome Physiology Research Laboratories, and Clinical Research Director of the Wellcome Foundation.

The collection also includes publications by and about the PRL.

The collection is divided as follows:

WA/PRL/HP Files of H. J. Parish

WA/PRL/HP/Cor H. J. Parish correpondence files

WA/PRL/HP/Sub H. J. Parish subject files

WA/PRL/PB Publications

WA/PRL/Gen General publications

WA/PRL/PB/Sta Staff reprints

1890

Production of diphtheria antitoxin by Behring and Kitasato

1894-5

BW&Co began to produce antitoxin in central London (10 Devonshire Street, Portland Place) under supervision of TJ Bokenham in a laboratory administered directly from firm's headquarters in Snow Hill; staff were employees of the company (Tansey, 1989)

1896

Laboratories moved to larger premises at 40 Charlotte Street

1897

Bokenham's successor, Walter Dowson, appointed Director perhaps indicating that WPRL were now regarded as a separate entity (Tansey and Milligan, 1990)

1899

Due to expansion, laboratories moved to Brockwell Hall, Herne Hill, South London and became officially and consistently known as 'Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories'

1901

Registered by the Home Office under the Cruelty to Animals Act, the first such application by a commercial manufacturer, led to debate within the Home Office and the medical profession and distrust by the profession of the activities of the laboratories remained in the following years

Home Office registration enabled employment of physiologists and pharmacologists to perform "pure" research and in 1902 HSW directed that both chemical and physiological research laboratories should be considered as separate from the business (Tansey and Milligan, 1990)

Although joint publications from WPRL, WCRL and the Works were a common feature, the WPRL also fulfilled an independent role particularly in pure physiological research under eminent researchers such as Henry Dale and AT Glenny (Tansey and Milligan, 1990)

Dale wrote in 1910 'Whilst devoted primarily to original research, the results of which appear from time to time through the ordinary channels of scientific publication, the laboratories have, therefore, also performed much work of a nature more directly applicable to the needs of Mr Wellcome's firm' (quoted in Tansey and Milligan, 1990)

1913

Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research was established to unify all the scientific research work and its Director, Andrew Balfour was to have control of the work of WCRL and CPRL

1922

WPRL moved to Langley Court, Beckenham, Kent

1924

Establishment of The Wellcome Foundation Ltd which formally drew together for the first time, the company and the research laboratories and museums

In 1965 the Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories, the Wellcome Chemical Research Laboratories, and the Wellcome Laboratories of Tropical Medicine merged to form the UK laboratories of the Wellcome Foundation Ltd. in Beckenham Kent. The laboratories are still at the site, which is now a research and development site for GlaxoSmithKline.

Abbreviations used in the catalogue:

ALFT - Alum Formol Toxoid

APT - Alum Precipitated Toxoid

BCG - Bacillus Calmette-Guérin

BW - Burroughs Wellcome

DPM - Diagnostic and Prophylactic Mixture

FT - Formol Toxoid

HSW - Henry Solomon Wellcome

LAB - Laboratory Animals Bureau

MRC - Medical Research Council

PTAP - Purified Toxoid Aluminium Phosphate

TAF - Toxoid Antitoxin Floccules

TAM - Toxin Antitoxin Mixture

TWET - Combined Tetanus-Welch-Oedematiens Toxoids

WBSR - Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research

WCRL - Wellcome Chemical Research Laboratories

WFL - Wellcome Foundation Limited

WHMM - Wellcome Historical Medical Museum

WPRL - Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories

WRI - Wellcome Research Institution.