Alexander E. Macdonald Papers, 1865-1906

Biographical Note

Alexander E. Macdonald (1845-1906), LL.B., M.D., was a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and a prominent New York psychiatrist. Born in Toronto, Dr. Macdonald was educated at the Toronto Model Grammar School and at Upper Canada College. Although he began his medical studies at the University of Toronto, Dr. Macdonald moved to New York and ultimately received degrees in both medicine (M.D.) and law (LL. B.) from the University of the City of New York (now New York University) in 1870 and 1881, respectively.

Upon graduation from medical school, Dr. Macdonald was appointed assistant physician (and, later, resident physician) at the Hospital for Epileptics and Paralytics, Blackwell's Island, in 1870. The next year he became chief of staff of the Charity and Allied Hospitals, Blackwell's Island. In 1874, Dr. Macdonald began his long tenure at the New York City Asylum for the Insane, Ward's Island (later renamed the Manhattan State Hospital East), first as resident physician and then, from 1875 to 1904, as medical superintendent. In 1886, Dr. Macdonald became general superintendent of the New York City Asylums. This position brought with it responsibility for the administration not only of the New York City Asylum, Ward's Island (with its branches on Randall's Island and in Central Islip, Long Island), but also of the Reception Pavilion of the Insane, Bellevue and the New York City Lunatic Asylum, Blackwell's Island (with branches on Ward's and Hart's Island).

Notable achievements during Dr. Macdonald's career include his frequent consultation as an expert witness in important trials including the Guiteau, Rhinelander and Stokes cases as well as his work in the care of the tubercular insane, and the introduction of tent life for their treatment. Dr. Macdonald published widely and was a member of a number of medical organizations including not only the New York Academy of Medicine but also the American Medical Association, the Medical Society of the State of New York, the Medical Society of the County of New York, and the New York Psychiatrical Society. He was an honorary member of both the American Medico-Psychological Association (for which he served as President in 1904) and the British Medico-Psychological Association. Dr. Macdonald was routinely sent as a delegate of these organizations to various congresses and association meetings. In addition to his professional affiliations, Dr. Macdonald was a member of the Lotus Club and a Mason of Holland Lodge, New York City.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Macdonald held a number of academic posts. In 1874, he was appointed lecturer on Medical Jurisprudence at New York University. Subsequently, he became Professor of Psychological Medicine and Medical Jurisprudence, and was Emeritus Professor at NYU at the time of his death.

Alexander E. Macdonald was married to Elizabeth Woodbury Barrett (of Portland, Maine) on July 10, 1883. Together they had two children -- a son, Charles, and a daughter, Evelyn. Dr. Macdonald died on December 7, 1906.

Collection Description

Scope and Content

The Alexander E. Macdonald Papers and Photographs, a collection that spans thirty-seven years, has been arranged into seven series: (I) Business Records, (II) Printed Material, (III) Professional Material, (IV) Biographical and Personal Material, (V) Manuscripts, (VI) Newspaper Clippings, and (VII) Photographs.

Series I

Business Records contains material generated during Dr. Macdonald's tenure as medical superintendent at the New York City Asylum for the Insane, Ward's Island, and general superintendent of the New York City Asylums. The series is divided into four subseries including: (a) Correspondence covering a wide range of institutional issues including, but not limited to, the purchase of goods and services; billing and account disputes; salary, wage and labor issues; construction and upkeep of building facilities; asylum conditions, practices and policies; inmate concerns; association and committee work; conference attendance; and legal issues; (b) Memoranda generated during the course of business on various topics including supplies; salaries and wages; and building facilities; (c) Asset Inventories for both the hospital and superintendent's residence; (d) Purchasing Records relating to the institutional acquisition of various goods and services; and (e) Other documentation including an architectural drawing and blueprint of building plans from Ward's Island.

Series II

Printed Material includes (a) Annual Reports from the Department of Public Charities and Correction, the Manhattan State Hospital and the State Commissioner in Lunacy; (b) Journal Reprints, including among other items a number of articles authored by Dr. Macdonald that appeared in the American Journal of Insanity; (c) Minutes of meetings of the Commissioners of Public Charities and Correction, the Medical Society of the County of New York and the State Commission in Lunacy; and (d) Other publications including articles; lectures; reports; asylum rules, regulations and directories.

Series III

Professional Material is comprised of three subseries: (a) Legal Documents which include briefs, transcripts of testimony and arguments, court orders and correspondence in a number of cases including, most notably, the Guiteau, Rhinelander and Stokes Will cases as well as the Investigation into the Management and Affairs of the New York City Insane Asylum, Ward's Island; (b) Memberships and Medical Conferences which include documentation pertaining to Dr. Macdonald's membership in various professional medical organizations and a range of correspondence, programs, newspaper clippings and ephemera related to his attendance of various medical conferences, including the 12th International Medical Congress in Moscow (1897), the British Medical Association Session in Edinburgh (1898), the 14th International Medical Congress in Madrid, Spain (1903) and the 15th International Medical Congress in Lisbon, Portugal (1906) ; and (c) Other material pertaining to Dr. Macdonald's professional endeavors including a collection of course tickets and curriculum announcements from the University of the City of New York.

Series IV

Biographical and Personal Material contains material relating to Dr. Macdonald's personal life, including correspondence with family and friends; financial information; marriage and citizenship papers; diplomas; membership information for social clubs to which Dr. Macdonald belonged and a host of ephemera, including menus, invitations, and business cards.

Series V

The Manuscripts series contains (a) Dr. Macdonald's Bound Diaries and Writings, which are, for the most part, daily diaries as well as some student notes and notes on various medical subjects, case records, and patient property logs; (b) his Writings, which include both handwritten manuscripts and typescripts ofpapers, speeches, lectures, and presentations on a host of medical topics including rape, identity, malpractice, medical jurisprudence, homicide, and pregnancy, to name a few; and (c) Miscellaneous Notes which include a sizable number of lists, calculations and other scraps (many of which are not legible).

Series VI

Newspaper Clippings contains clippings from 1865 to 1906 on a host of issues ranging from the treatment of the insane; management of the New York institutions and investigations thereof; prominent legal cases relating to Dr. Macdonald, the asylums and/or patients; lunacy laws; as well as reports and reviews of Dr. Macdonald's speaking engagements at various dinners, receptions, and banquets.

Series VII

The Photographs series includes both original photographs and reproductions of images of Dr. Macdonald and the tuberculosis tent city he designed at Ward’s Island, as well as photographs of his son, Charles, and other unidentified places and groups of individuals.

Administrative Info

Requests for permission to quote from or publish any materials should be directed to the reference librarian or curator in writing.

Preferred Citation

Alexander E. Macdonald Papers and Photographs. The Drs. Barry and Bobbi Coller Rare Book Reading Room, New York Academy of Medicine Library.

Provenance

Archive purchased by NYAM from Peter Keyes/Oxbow Books in 2005, with additional gifts of related items from same.

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Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of The New York Academy of Medicine Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.