Herbert Ratner Collection
Inclusive Dates
1947 – 1971
Abstract
13 reels of 16mm film from Dr. Herbert Ratner, who was health commissioner of Oak Park, IL, from 1949 to 1974. Most of the reels relate to the 1958 WTTW Channel 11 series The Whys of Wise Parenthood, for which Ratner served as discussion leader. The other films were collected by Ratner for use in his "Discussion Forums for Parents" that he held in Oak Park, where he presented films and facilitated conversations on issues of parenting and family planning.
Collection Items
To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at
info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
Items with Viewable Media
- The Committee [Illinois Right to Life Committee]
- Conversations: Abortion
- Grief, A Peril in Infancy
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood [5-19-58]
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood [5-22-58]
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood [Orig Neg. Roll 1]
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood [Orig Neg. Roll 2]
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood [Rec. 5-15-58]
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood: Why the Father
-
The Whys of Wise Parenthood WTTW - 5-8-58 - Orig Neg + Sound - Roll #1
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood [WTTW - 5-8-58 - Orig Neg + Sound - Roll #2]
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood WTTW [P.427 - 5-22-58 - EK-7374 Comp. Undev. Neg - Roll 1]
- The Whys of Wise Parenthood WTTW [P.427 - 5-22-58 - EK-7374 Comp. Undev. Neg- Roll 2]
Collection Identifier
C.2021-08
Extent of Collection
Ten reels of 16mm film totaling approximately 17,400 feet.
Language Of Materials
English
Custodial History
Donated by by Ratner's daughter, Mary Timothy Baggott, in 2021.
Related Materials
Syracuse University Libraries holds Ratner's papers.
Creators
Ratner, Herbert
(was created by)
Herbert Ratner (1907-1997) was an American physician, teacher, and author on the philosophy and history of medicine. He was a vocal advocate for informed medical consent, including the full disclosure of potential side effects of medication.
Ratner received his M.D. from the University of Michigan in 1935. He was a research assistant under Mortimer J. Adler; associate clinical professor of Family and Community Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago; director of public health in Oak Park, Illinois; editor of the Bulletin of the American Association of Public Health Physicians and of Child and Family Quarterly; senior advisor to the La Leche League; and co-founder of the first national anti-abortion organization in the US, the National Commission on Human Life, Reproduction and Rhythm. His main interest for most of his career, however, was preventive family mental health and the importance of the early childhood years, a topic on which he spoke and wrote extensively.
In 1938 he converted to Catholicism and for many years he was active in the Chicago Catholic Physicians’ Guild, as well as serving as president of the National Federation of Catholic Physicians Guilds (later the Catholic Medical Association). — Syracuse University Libraries
Ratner received his M.D. from the University of Michigan in 1935. He was a research assistant under Mortimer J. Adler; associate clinical professor of Family and Community Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago; director of public health in Oak Park, Illinois; editor of the Bulletin of the American Association of Public Health Physicians and of Child and Family Quarterly; senior advisor to the La Leche League; and co-founder of the first national anti-abortion organization in the US, the National Commission on Human Life, Reproduction and Rhythm. His main interest for most of his career, however, was preventive family mental health and the importance of the early childhood years, a topic on which he spoke and wrote extensively.
In 1938 he converted to Catholicism and for many years he was active in the Chicago Catholic Physicians’ Guild, as well as serving as president of the National Federation of Catholic Physicians Guilds (later the Catholic Medical Association). — Syracuse University Libraries