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The Philip S. Hench Walter Reed Yellow Fever Collection documents the work of the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission, the legacy of the commission's discoveries, the lives of individuals who were connected to the commission, and twentieth century campaigns to shape public memory of the commission. Items in the collection date from 1800 to 1998, with the bulk of the items dating from 1864 to 1974. A wide range of formats are represented in the collection including, but not limited to the following: articles, artifacts, audiocassettes, bills (legislative records), biographies, charts (graphic documents), correspondence, diaries, editorials, interviews, journals (periodicals), magazines, maps, medical records, military records, negatives (photographic), notes, photographs, reports, reprints, scrapbooks, and speeches. Unique materials in the collection are supplemented with copies of original documents and photographs housed in other institutions (e.g. the U.S. National Archives). Most of the materials in the collection were collected or created by Nobel laureate Philip Showalter Hench while researching the history of the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission.

The pamphlets found in this collection highlight the many aspects of military and wartime life, mainly during World War II. The pamphlets provide clues as to how day-to-day military life was conducted during the First and Second World Wars, including the ins-and-outs of pre-military enlistment, the role of women during the war, and perceived German intentions. Many publications offer insight into how a soldier is to conduct himself on and off the battlefield, including restrictions he is to adhere to when returning home. All publications are official United States issue, and are therefore official documentation of how the army communicated with the average soldier.