DRYSDALE, Charles Vickery, 1874-1961, President of the Malthusian League

Scope and Content

The papers in this collection are principally concerned with Drysdale's humanist and Malthusian beliefs and are mainly post World War I notes and drafts of chapters of unpublished books and articles. Also included is an unpublished work on family planning by Bessie Drysdale. The collection comprises papers relating to the following: Section 1: publication A Religion For Humanity ; Section 2: the book The Malthusian Doctrine and Criterion of Overpopulation ; Section 3: the publication To All Who Desire Permanent Peace and Prosperity : Section 4: projected book Science and Post-War Policy ; Section 5: the book Wage Earners Save Yourselves! ; Section 6: articles and writings on population and the Malthusian doctrine; Section 7: collection of notes and working papers on population; Section 8: collection of technical papers relating to Drysdale's Malthusian interests.

Administrative / Biographical History

Charles Vickery Drysdale, 1874 - 1961, was educated at Finsbury Technical College and Central Technical College, South Kensington. He became the Associate Head of the Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics Department at the Northampton Institute 1896 - 1910. After a brief period as a partner in the firm of H. Tinsley and Co from 1916 to 1919, he joined the Admiralty Experimental Station at Parkston Quay in 1918. From there he went on to become Scientific Director at the Admiralty Experimental Station, Shandon, 1919-1921, Superintendent at the Admiralty Research Laboratory, Teddington, 1921-1929 and Director of Scientific Research at the Admiralty 1929-1934. From 1934 onwards he was a member of the Safety in Mines Research Board. This collection focuses on Drysdale's interests in population and birth control. He was Honorary Secretary of the Malthusian League and Editor of 'The Malthusian', 1907-1916, and president of the Neo-Malthusian Conferences in London 1921 and New York 1925. He was the author of a number of works on population control and eugenics, and was also the first witness to be called before the National Birth-Rate Commission in 1913. He married Bessie Ingman Edwards in 1898.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in eight sections relating to publications and themes as given in scope and content.

Access Information

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Other Finding Aids

Draft handlist available

Archivist's Note

Output from CAIRS using template 14 and checked by hand on February 1, 2002

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