Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the George Taylor Klipstein manuscript medical account books must be obtained from Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University Libraries.

Access Restrictions

Six of the volumes were sent out for conservation work and returned circa 2008. Another volume was sent out for conservation in 2015. The remaining volumes have bindings that are coming apart and should be handled carefully. Rusted pins holding loose pages in place were removed.

Preferred Citation

George Taylor Klipstein manuscript medical account books, C0257, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by George Mason University Libraries before 2008.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in May 2015. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in May 2015.

Biographical Information

George Taylor Klipstein (1854-1929) was a physician who practiced in Alexandria, VA in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. According to his obituary in the November 23, 1929 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, he graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA, in 1880 and was a prominent member of the medical community in Alexandria and the state of Virginia. Klipstein practiced at a time when medicine was becoming increasingly professionalized and effective; the scientific discoveries (including germ theory) of the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to vast improvements in medical care.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of 16 medical account books maintained by Alexandria, VA, Dr. George Taylor Klipstein to record his financial transactions with his patients from 1881-1914. One volume, the ledger kept from 1883-1888, is split into two, so there are 17 volumes in total. Each volume (except for the one that was split in two) contains an alphabetical index of patients by last name. Most entries for patients include the street/intersection of the patient's residence, the date, the cost, and sometimes the method of payment received. Conditions treated (ex. "miscarriage") are only occasionally included. The cover of the earliest volume (1881-1888) says "Journal, Nov. 1, 1793, Wm. G. Howell," and it contains sketches on the first few pages before the beginning of the ledger. Most of the ledgers (1891-1914) include a few loose envelopes, invoices, notes, or indices. The ledger from 1908-1911 also includes a loose list of patients from 1918. The volume that was sent out for conservation in 2015 is not included in the contents list.

Arrangement

The account books are arranged in chronological order. An alphabetical index of patients is included at the beginning of most of the ledgers.

Index Terms

Subjects:

• Medical care--Virginia.
• Medicine