Blank Medical Record Book used by C. Ward Crampton

Charles Ward Crampton (May 26, 1877- 1964) was a physician, medical researcher, and teacher. Born in New York City, he attended the College of the City of New York, New York University, and in 1900 graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. His major contributions to the medical field include work with geriatrics and gerontology, adolescent hygiene and physical fitness, posture, and blood pressure and circulatory systems. He created what is today known as the Crampton Test for Fatal Shock, which measures the physical condition and resistance of one’s pulse and blood pressure in the resting and standing positions. Crampton was a major in the U.S. Army Medical Reserve and acted as Special Adviser to the U.S. Department of the East during World War I. From 1934 to 1937, he regularly wrote columns for the Boy Scouts of America’s magazine Boys’ Life. Crampton served as Chairman of the Committee on Physical Fitness through the Federal Security Agency, Chairman of the Committee on the Health of Adolescents, and the chairman for the sub-committee on Geriatrics and Gerontology through the medical society of New York County. In addition, he founded the Aristogenic Association, which he described as: “While Eugenics and Kakogenics are generally understood to refer respectively to consideration of good and evil in the sphere of Genetics, Aristogenics refers to the best.”

There is a duplicate in the collection (ms510-01-b-03-03-015). Both are in excellent condition, but the duplicate has writing on the front. It says "This is a health selling document and program." It has not been digitized at this time.

As an advocate of personal records and preventative care, C. Ward Crampton designed and distributed this small booklet titled “Medical Examination and Personal Health Record” as a means for individuals to monitor their own health. The booklet takes the reader through a series of prompts about a range of subjects such as work satisfaction, economic self-sufficiency, long-term aspirations, personal history, heredity, and eating habits. The positive and, at times, indulgent language found throughout allows Crampton to avoid reprimanding the reader: “I have some habits that people might call bad—for instance—I smoke _ cigars _ cigarettes _ pipes a day,” “Fortunately I have suffered from none of the following [diseases] except those which I shall underline,” and, finally, “My teeth are in splendid condition—I visit my dentist every six months,” which is a presumptuous statement about the reader’s health and has no corresponding question. The booklet also leaves space for doctors to fill out dietary and exercise prescriptions. Crampton shows us his sense of humor on the last page, when, after leaving blank space for the reader to take notes during their first year of use, he writes: “Note: If you fill up this page in less than three months take it out and throw it away and be less introspective.”