About this collection

This digital collection gathers materials from Hagley Library's collections by and about Alice Hamilton (1869-1970), a physician, research scientist, and social-welfare reform activist who specialized in the field of occupational health. Her work eventually made her a pioneer in the field of industrial toxicology.

In 1897, she was hired as a professor at the Woman's Medical School of Northwestern University in Chicago. While there, she also took on a residency at Chicago's Hull House. In 1919, she became the first woman appointed to the faculty of Harvard University, taking the role of assistant professor in a newly formed Department of Industrial Medicine.

In 1910, Hamilton was appointed as a medical investigator to the Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases. By 1916, she had become the nation's leading expert in occupational lead exposure, and was later hired as a special investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition to her scientific work, Hamilton was a humanitarian and peace activist.

Image: Cleaning lugs and edges of paste plates without any exhaust, "Lead Poisoning in the Manufacture of Storage Batteries", 1915. Click here to view in the collection.