Reference Request
Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 407
National Museum of Natural History. Mammal Identification Service
Mammal Identification Service Records, 1966-1976
Historical Note
The Mammal Identification Service (MIS) was established in 1966. It was located in the Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, and supported jointly by the Smithsonian and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Charles O. Handley, Jr., Curator in the Division of Mammals, was Principal Investigator of the project. Gary L. Ranck was appointed Curator of MIS in 1966. Ranck resigned the following year and was replaced by Ronald H. Pine, who served until 1973. The MIS was terminated in 1974 when NIH support ceased.
The primary purpose of MIS was to provide rapid identifications of mammals of medical and epidemiological importance. In addition to providing identifications, MIS published manuals on the classification and identification of mammals, and trained paramedical workers in techniques for the collection and field preservation of specimens.
Descriptive Entry
These records document the eight-year history of MIS and consist of correspondence of Handley, Ranck, and Pine concerning the creation of the project, the identification of mammal specimens, professional activities, and administrative matters; proposals submitted to NIH to provide funding for MIS; annual reports and a final report of the project; and administrative records.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Handley, Charles O. (Charles Overton), 1924-2000
- Ranck, Gary L. (Gary Laval), 1933-
- Pine, Ronald H.
- National Institutes of Health (U.S.)
- National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Division of Mammals
Subject
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 407, National Museum of Natural History. Mammal Identification Service, Mammal Identification Service Records