Inventory prepared by Leah Morton
University of Manitoba Archives & Special
Collections
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(July 2003)
Finding aid encoded by Leah Morton
(August 2003)
Finding aid written in English.
Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Papers
Detailed Description of the Collection
Dr. Chown's Records, 1944-1974
Marion Jean Lewis was born in Windsor, Ontario in 1925. In 1943, she graduated from Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba and went on to train as a medical technician at Winnipeg General Hospital. In 1944, she and Dr. Bruce Chown opened the Rh Laboratory in Winnipeg in order to study and eradicate Rh disease.
In 1940 it was discovered that if a mother is Rh negative and her fetus is Rh positive, the mother’s body would react as if the fetus was a foreign substance and, therefore, produce antibodies to attack the baby’s red blood cells. This led to jaundice, severe anemia, and often death. Dr. Chown, a pediatric pathologist, was intrigued by this disease and after securing a National Research Council Grant, hired Marion Lewis.
The work at the Rh Lab was not easy. They were initially involved in testing the blood of all pregnant women in Manitoba and needed to be in attendance for the births of all babies whose mothers were Rh negative. This work often included performing autopsies on the babies, and by 1950, Lewis was ready to take a break from it. In 1950-51, Lewis spent four months at an Italian university studying the Italian language and culture. She then spent another three months studying in London under world-renowned ‘blood groupers’ Dr. Robert Race and Dr. Ruth Sanger. In 1951, she returned to Winnipeg and the Rh lab.
Lewis and Chown also set up a number of ‘ethnic studies’ regarding the distribution of blood group genes. Between 1952 and 1960, they made annual trips into the field, testing the blood of many Aboriginal groups including the Blackfoot, Blood and Cree. They also tested Inuit people at Coppermine, Southampton Island and a variety of other places. Lewis also participated in blood group studies of other communities, including Hutterites in Manitoba.
While Dr. Chown retired in 1977, Lewis continued on in the field of blood group gene mapping and eventually branched out into the field of genetics. She and her colleagues at the Rh Laboratory, including Hiroko Kaita, became internationally renowned for their work.
Lewis also taught at the University of Manitoba. Even though she only possessed a Bachelor of Arts degree, her experience and expertise allowed her to rise through the ranks. From 1973 to 1977, Lewis was Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. In 1977 she was promoted to Associate Professor. In 1984, she was promoted to full Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, and two years later became a Professor in the Department of Human Genetics. Over the years, Lewis authored, or coauthored, over 100 articles.
Throughout her career, Lewis has been given a number of awards and honours. In 1971, she was awarded the Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and in 1986, the Teddy Award for Research from the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg. In 1986, she received an honourary D.Sc from the University of Winnipeg and in 1993 was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Science). In 1995 she was given the Emily Cooley Memorial Award by the AABB and in 1996 named Professor Emerita by the University of Manitoba.
Marion Lewis continues to reside in Winnipeg.
Scope and Contents of the Papers
Fonds consist of seven series. The first series, personal, consists of Marion Lewis’ curriculum vitae. The CV is very detailed and contains a full bibliography of her work.
The second series, Correspondence, is divided into 4 sub-series. The first sub-series is comprised of various professional and work related correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, created during the years 1944-1996. Overall, this correspondence is organized chronologically; however, correspondence with a few select individuals had originally been grouped together and this original order has been maintained. The correspondence in this series revolves mainly around blood grouping work.
The next 3 sub-series revolve around correspondence generated due to an international group Lewis was a part of for many years, the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT). In the late 1970s, the ISBT put together the ISBT Working Party on the Terminology of Red Cell Surface Antigens to develop guidelines for the standardization of blood group nomenclature. Its first meeting was in 1980 and Lewis became the Chairman of one of the ISBT Working Party’s subcommittees – the subcommittee on Scianna and Low Incidence. The second sub-series contains correspondence relating to this subcommittee.
From 1983 to 1990, Lewis was the Chairman of the ISBT Working Party on the Terminology of Red Cell Surface Antigens and the third sub-series consists of correspondence related to it. The fourth sub-series is comprised of correspondence relating to an ISBT monograph written by Lewis.
The third series is comprised of records generated by Dr. Bruce Chown. It is divided into two sub-series; the first being chronologically organized correspondence, and the second being research notes. Much of this series is restricted.
The fourth series is comprised of reprints of over 140 published articles authored or coauthored by Lewis.
The fifth series consists of unpublished articles and lectures given by Lewis throughout her career. These have also been arranged chronologically.
The sixth series consists of research done by Lewis when she worked with Dr. Chown. The series is made up of three sub-series. The first contains research done on the blood groups of Hutterites and includes blood group genealogies. The second contains research on Aboriginal and Inuit blood types and contains blood group genealogies, field notes and lists of individuals. The third sub-series consists of miscellaneous research. This series is restricted.
The seventh series is PC 168 . It consists of photographs, slides and a reel-to-reel tape. Two of the photos are of Lewis. The rest are photos of individuals whose blood was tested by Lewis and Chown in the 1950s and 60s. Dr. Chown took most of the slides during a research trip to Alaska in 1960. The majority of them are of Alaskan wildflowers. The other slides were used by Lewis during her lectures and presentations. Dr. Chown used the lantern slides for research purposes in the 1950s and the reel-to-reel tape was used by Lewis to demonstrate laboratory methods. Some of the photographs are restricted.
The eighth series is TC 106 . It consists of two mini audio cassettes of a speech given by Lewis.
This collection is organized into 8 series.
This collection is arranged based on the original order of the creator.
Some of the material in this collection has been designated as restricted. The records in boxes 7, 8, 9 and 10 are restricted. All references should be made to the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections.
Users must abide by relevant copyright legislation.
Other records related to the Rh Lab and the research done by Lewis and Chown can be found in the Bruce Chown fonds -- MSS 17.
Marion Lewis donated the records to the Archives & Special Collections in 2002.
Detailed Description of the Collection
(includes Dr. Uchida's C.V.)
(questionnaires)
(questionnaires)
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
(contains patient histories) Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
(rolled)
Restricted
(rolled)
Restricted
(rolled)
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
(rolled)
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
(includes correspondence) Restricted
124 photos
Restricted
30 photos
Restricted
Slides are in binder. Original slide lists are in folder 4.
Slides are in binder.
30 slides
16 mm reel-to-reel tape
(in poor condition)