mnsss167 Ira Wile Papers, circa 1915-1943 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by mnsss. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

2003

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Laura Cutter. 2003-06-13 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mnsss167 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Ira Wile Papers, circa 1915-1943 Finding Aid MS 173 Revised 2002 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Wile, Ira S. (Ira Solomon), 1877-1943 Ira S. Wile Paperscirca 1915-1943 MS 173 2 boxes (.75 linear ft.) Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Physician; public health advocate; and birth control advocate. This collection consists of photocopies from a larger collection of Wile Papers at the University of Rochester. Included here are manuscripts, papers, and notes on birth control, and extensive correspondence with prominent individuals in the early birth control movement. Correspondents include Louise Stevens Bryant, Robert Latou Dickinson, Lydia DeVilbiss, Stella Hanau, Katherine Houghton Hepburn, Eleanor Dwight Jones, Florence Rose, and Margaret Sanger. English. Biographical Note

Physician, lecturer, and author Ira Solomon Wile was born in Rochester, NY on November 29, 1877. He received A.B. and B.S. degrees from the University of Rochester in 1898. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in medicine in 1902 and earned an M.S. from the University of Rochester in 1908. From 1912 to 1918, Wile served as the New York City commissioner of education during which time he founded the school lunch program and the Manhattanville Nursery. He spent the rest of his career serving as Associate in pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC and pursuing his strong interests in public health and social medicine. In addition to practicing medicine, Wile was an active supporter of the early birth control movement. he also researched the incidence and impact of right- and left-handedness; edited several medical journals; and wrote and lectured on topics such as psychology, social and mental hygiene, birth control, and pediatrics.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

This collection consists of photocopies from a larger collection of Wile Papers at the University of Rochester. Included here are manuscripts, papers, and notes on birth control, and extensive correspondence (circa 1915-1943) with prominent individuals in the early birth control movement. Correspondents include Louise Stevens Bryant, Robert Latou Dickinson, Lydia DeVilbiss, Stella Hanau, Katherine Houghton Hepburn, Eleanor Dwight Jones, Florence Rose, and Margaret Sanger.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Permission to cite the papers for quotations or for publication beyond "fair use" must be obtained from the University of Rochester.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Ira S. Wile Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

History of the Collection

The Wile Papers in the Sophia Smith Collection are photocopies of portions of a larger collection, The Ira Solomon Wile Papers at the University of Rochester. The copies were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Robert Volz, via Margaret Baum, in 1973.

Finding aid revised in 2002 by Gayla Spaulding, intern.

Search Terms Bryant, Louise Stevens, 1885-1956--Correspondence Dickinson, Robert Latou, 1861- --Correspondence DeVilbiss, Lydia Allen, 1882- --Correspondence Hanau, Stella, 1890-1972--Correspondence Hepburn, Katharine Houghton, 1878-1951--Correspondence Rose, Florence, 1902-1969--Correspondence Sanger, Margaret, 1879-1966--Correspondence Wile, Ira S. (Ira Solomon), 1877-1943 Birth control--United States--History--20th century--Sources Additional Information 1 1 Contents 1 2 Inventory to the Ira Wile Papers at University of Rochester 1 3 List of Eleanor Dwight Jones, Florence Rose and Margaret Sanger correspondence in collection 1 4-13 Correspondence re: birth control, 1915-39 2 1-3 Correspondence re: birth control, 1940-43 2 4 Manuscripts and miscellaneous papers 2 5 Notes by Dr. Wile