Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The material held comprises files kept by Sir Richard Cave (1912-1988), founder of the Society and Chairman 1953-1976, relating to general headquarters matters and to branches of the Society; also files relating to the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies, 1953-1971.

The collection is divided into sections as follows:

A. Headquarters files: general, 1953-1976

B. Headquarters file: medical, 1955-1976

C. Branch files, 1954-1977

D. International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies, 1955-1977

Unfortunately on arrival the files had been taken out of the original file covers so it is not now possible to ascertain whether these would have provided extra useful information about the papers received. The files were received arranged in (roughly) alphabetical order within four sequences, numbered with a handlist.

These four divisions have been retained as they seemed to reflect a genuine separation between particular classes of material: i.e. files on general matters relating to the work of the society, files more specifically on medical matters, material relating to the groups and branches of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, and files pertaining to the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies.

The medical files, though described on the brief handlist received with the files as relating to the IFMSS, seem on internal evidence to relate to medical and research matters affecting the British Society (except in a very few cases, which have therefore been transferred to the IFMSS sequence).

A number of changes have been made in the arrangement. Some anomalies in the alphabetical sequences were rectified. A certain amount of weeding took place of ephemeral correspondence (e.g. relating to travel arrangements), and duplicate items. Items which seemed to be personal to Sir Richard were set on one side. A number of whole files, mostly from the General section, of wholly ephemeral interest, were set aside. In addition a number of anomalies of filing were found: for example the creation of files under different titles on what was basically the same subject, or the inadvertent misfiling of material in a file to which it did not belong. The separated files have therefore been amalgamated, and the merged ones separated. A number of very scanty files on related topics were also amalgamated - for example letters filed under the names of individuals which dealt with the same question of principle, or cuttings filed under various headings all relating to the dietary treatment of MS.