Radford, Drs Maitland and Muriel

This collection contains the papers of Drs Maitland and Muriel Radford. In particular it seems to have been collected and kept by Muriel, with Maitland's papers within. The majority of the collection is a large volume of correspondence, both between the two doctors and a section written to and collated by Muriel. The earliest correspondence between the two takes place before their marriage, and covers their studies, early work, World War I, and Maitland's time with the R.A.M.C.. Later correspondence covers their later work and life, and there is some correspondence with Muriel after Maitland's death in 1944. These letters often talk about the doctors' experiences at work, their discussion of reading material (medical, social, and fiction), and a number of people in their lives such as the Lawrences, Eleanor Farjeon, and the Meynells.

It also contains the career-related papers of both doctors. It contains Muriel and Maitland's published works, several unpublished pieces (especially for Maitland), and notes on and for lectures they gave. There are also papers relating to and correspondence with organisations they were involved in, including the British Medical Association. There is a large collection of writings and correspondence with medical bodies in particular belonging to Maitland. There are also more general career-related pieces such as testimonials.

There is also a collection of poetry and memorial correspondence relating to Maitland Radford's death in 1944. This includes obituaries, correspondence with Maitland in his last years and with Muriel after his passing, and manuscripts for the book of his poetry, which includes memoirs from his friends.

Muriel Radford also kept a number of personal diaries and scrapbooks, which offer insight into her medical career, her life during both World Wars, and her life more generally. The collection contains a number of appointment diaries and a few diaries with more long-form writing. There are some 'complete' scrapbooks, several folders of cuttings, and photograph albums.

There is also some material relating to Margaret Radford, Maitland's sister. She is frequently referenced in both Muriel and Maitland's correspondence, and her own material is mostly finanical or related to her mental health.

1894-1986

31 boxes, 2 oversize items

The earliest arrangement of this collection appears to have been done by Muriel Radford, whose labels have been kept or transcribed. Many files were then organised by Ann MacEwen, daughter of Muriel and Maitland Radford, who often wrote detailed labels. She also occasionally transcribed or highlighted names and words in particular files. This original order, and original file titles has been retained unless otherwise stated.

This collection has been arranged into the following sections:
A - Papers of Dr Muriel Radford
B - Papers of Dr Maitland Radford
C - General Correspondence
D - Dr Maitland Radford's Death
E - Margaret Radford
F - Photographs

These papers were donated to the library at Wellcome Collection by Janet Machin and her two sisters, grandchildren of Drs Maitland and Muriel Radford, in September 2009.

Dr Muriel Ann Radford (neé Lloyd) was a doctor with a specialisation in Maternity and Child Welfare, and Public Health. She worked at a number of institutions of medicine as well as producing research and writing in her field. She was the daughter of Dr Henry Lloyd, a G.P. from St Asaph, Wales, and her two sisters also went into medicine. After attending Howell's School, Denbigh, she entered the London School of Medicine for Women in October, 1907, attaining an M.B.B.S in 1913, and a postgraduate diploma in Public Health (D.P.H.) in 1917. While a student, she worked at the Children's Hospital of Great Ormond Street, the Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital, and the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen's Square.

In 1917, she married Dr Maitland Radford, and the year after, gave birth to their child Ann Radford (later Ann MacEwen).

She went on to work for a great number of institutions: the Elizabeth Garrett-Anderson Hospital (1914), the Royal Free Hospital (1914-1915), the North Eastern Fever Hospital (1915-1917), the King Edward Institution (1917-1918), the St Marylebone General Dispensary and the St Marylebone Babies Nursing Home (1919-1923, working for Dr Eric Pritchard), South Islington Creche (1919-1920) , Bethnal Green Municipal Maternity & Infant Welfare Centre (1919-1922), Princess Day Nursery and Maternity & Child Welfare Centre, which became Kilburn Light Clinic in 1928 (1919-1934), Lewisham Borough Council Infant Welfare Centre and Maternity Centres (1919-1920), North St. Pancras School for Mothers (1920-1923), Infants Hospital, Vincent Square (1922-1928, including taking charge of the light department), Chelsea Day Nursery (1926-1928), Hornsey Municipal Maternity & Child Welfare Centre (1934-1939), Westminster Health Society (1944), Tottenham Maternity Clinic (1944), Stoke Newington (1946), Queen Charlotte's Hospital Infant Consultant Centre (1940-1947). She was also associated with the Violet Melchett Welfare Centre in Chelsea for most of her working life.

As well as practising, she was involved in teaching, writing, and policy. She lectured at the National Association for the prevention of Infant Mortality and the National Society of Day Nurseries, and for the Medical Misionaries School, the Nursery Training School, Stoke Newington, the Women Public Health Officers' Association, and a number of other institutions. She published articles on Child Welfare, Maternity, and a number of pieces on Artificial Sunlight for Children. She was also involved in advocating for Birth Control, writing letters of petition and being a committee member for a Public Health Authorities conference on Birth Control.

Dr Maitland Radford was a doctor specialising in Public Health, and also working in Maternity and Child Welfare. He was acting as a Medical Officer of Health at St Pancras at the time of his death in 1944. He was a writer and lecturer predominantly in Public Health, and both sat on and founded a number of important inter-war health bodies and commitees. He was the son of Ernest Radford and Caroline (neé Maitland), known as Dollie. Ernest and Dollie had a number of friends in literary and progressive circles, many of whom were later friends to Maitland and Muriel, including George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, and William Morris. Maitland and Muriel were friends with Freida and D. H. Lawrence, Eleanor Farjeon, and many other thinkers and writers of the day.

Maitland studied medicine at University College Hospital, London, qualifying in 1913 with an M.B.B.S. He worked at that hospital and the Long Grove Asylum (1913-1914), and then joined the R.A.M.C. in France from 1914-1915, as a Lieutenant. On returning from the Great War, he worked at the North-Eastern Fever Hospital, then the Queen Mary's Hospital, Carshalton (1916-1920). He also began studying for a D.P.H., which he took in Oxford in 1920. He then worked as Assistant Medical Officer of Health and Medical Officer of Health in Shoreditch (1920-1936), becoming Medical Officer of Health at St Pancras until his death in 1944.

In this time he was also a keen lecturer and writer. He wrote on Maternity and Maternal Mortality, Birth Control, and particularly on Medical Planning and Public Health, mostly for medical journals, but also in public newspapers. He was a lecturer at the Royal Free Hospital and the College of Nursing, and a guest lecturer at a number of institutions. He was an active member of the British Medical Association (becoming President of the St Pancras Division) and the Society of Medical Officers of Health (becoming Chairman of the Joint Planning Committee of the Metropolitan and Home Counties branches), and was a founder member of the Central Council of Health Education, of which he was Vice-Chairman at his death. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of England, and a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons.

His medical work was influenced by his interests in socialism and economics. He and Muriel attended lectures of his progressive friends in the Fabian Society, and Maitland attempted to start a PhD at the London School of Economics in 1923. He worked extensively on advocating a more democratic and developed state medical service, and in particular was aware of the changes happening during World War II.

Outside of medicine, he also wrote poetry, some of which was collated by Muriel and friends in a book produced after his death. Other pieces were also retained by Muriel.

Their daughter Ann MacEwen (b.1918-d.2008) became a distinguished town planner. She married John Wheeler (d.1945) and later the journalist Malcolm MacEwen (d.1996). She had three daughters.

This collection has been catalogued and is available to library members. Some items have access restrictions which are explained in the item-level catalogue records.

This collection was received in an order mostly collated by the donors, the grandchildren of Muriel and Maitland. Some duplicates were removed and returned to the donor during the cataloguing process.