Leuman Maurice Waugh collection - Correspondence, 1929 (Part 1)

About the Project

Help us transcribe “Correspondence, 1929” (Box 2, Folder 8) from the Leuman Maurice Waugh Collection! Leuman Maurice Waugh (1877-1972) was a dentist who studied and treated Indigenous populations in the Bering Sea and Alaska Arctic regions. Waugh received his D.D.S. from the University of Buffalo in 1900. Waugh married Helen "Esty" Marshall, and had a son, Donald (also a dentist), and a daughter, Dorothy. Over the course of five summers, Waugh privately carried out a Labrador study between 1921 and 1927. In 1929, Waugh volunteered to undertake Alaskan studies on dental health research among the Inuit for the U.S. Public Health Service, which appointed Waugh Dental Director (Reserve). While collaborating with the U.S. Public Health Service, Waugh studied twelve Alaskan Inuit communities between 1929 and 1938. He was the first dental officer in the U.S. Public Service assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter Northland's cruise area of the Bering Sea and Alaska Arctic regions. During his trips, Waugh compiled data on the teeth, mouth, and diet of Indigenous communities. In addition, he took many photographs and films of both dental subjects and Indigenous communities. In 1936, Waugh was appointed to a position with the Alaska Health Service by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior via the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. This position allowed him to further his studies of tooth decay throughout Alaska and the Bering Sea region. Waugh's 1937 expedition included three dentists, a physician and a nurse, and involved extensive air travel in small planes. Waugh spent the remainder of his professional career at Columbia University, where he acted as Chief of Orthodontia and Director of the Department of Orthodontics. Waugh continued to be active in professional organizations after his retirement.

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