University of Michigan News Service – UM News

Papers of William Kaufman acquired

ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan Library has acquired the papers of the late Dr. William Kaufman, a leader in the field of vitamin therapy research, and the papers of his wife, Charlotte Schnee Kaufman. Dr. Kaufman, who earned both his Ph.D. and M.D. at Michigan in the 1930s, is best known for his research in the 1940s and 1950s on the use of Niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3) to treat osteoarthritis.

Nobel laureate Linus Pauling referred to Dr. Kaufman as a “pioneer in vitamin therapy” in his book, “How to Live Longer and Feel Better.”

Kaufman was an internist with a private medical practice in Connecticut for 25 years, after which he served as the medical director for pharmaceutical advertising firms in Manhattan. He was a prolific writer who published more than 60 papers in scientific and medical journals dealing mainly with arthritis, nutrition, food allergy, and psychosomatic medicine. He also published 25 articles for a general audience in such magazines as Coronet and McCall’s. He contributed to the editorial work of the medical journal International Archives of Allergy and Applied Immunology for over 15 years, and served a two-year term as president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine.

Outside of his medical activities, Kaufman wrote fiction and drama, was a serious photographer, and in his retirement studied art.

His wife, Charlotte Schnee Kaufman, a 1938 graduate of the U-M with a major in journalism, acted as his research associate for many years and later served as founder and executive director of the Family Life Film Center of Connecticut, where she pioneered techniques for using films followed by discussion to encourage and enhance communication among groups.

The William and Charlotte Kaufman Archive now housed at the Special Collections Library consists of some 30 feet of material including writings, correspondence, research data, and copies of William Kaufman’s publications. Materials on Charlotte Kaufman’s career at the Family Life Film Center are also included in the archive.

The Special Collections Library is located on the seventh floor of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library on U-M’s Central Campus. For information about the collection, contact the Special Collections Library at (734) 764-9377.