Oversize

The Wilbur Olin Atwater Papers comprise 12.75 linear feet of biographical information, correspondence, publications, photographs, and data sheets. The collection includes materials from 1882 through 1993, with the majority of the materials dating between 1882 and 1907. It contains details of Atwater's study of the chemical composition of various foods, and his development and experiments with respiration and bomb calorimeters. This collection is significant in documenting the history of United States Department of Agriculture as it contains early dietary guidance. Atwater was a pioneer in the study of nutrition, and many of his areas of research, including the nutritive value of foods, and the dietary and economic needs of low-income families, are still emphasized in USDA programs today.

Series I consists of research notes and materials gathered together in preparation for a new biography on Atwater, likely "W.O. Atwater: A Centenary Guide to the Life and Work of the Pioneer Nutritionist." This work, published in CD-ROM form, also contains documents and photographs both from this collection, and from the Wesleyan University Archives.

Series II contains original correspondence including copies and transcripts of Atwater's letters to his colleagues at Wesleyan including Edward Bennett Rosa, Charles Dayton Woods, Ewald Wollny, and C.A. Rosenthal, dating from 1882-1894, regarding their research at Wesleyan and Atwater's life and work in Paris. Also included is correspondence regarding Atwater, dating between 1973 and 1993. The more recent materials include correspondence between scholars regarding a biography and exhibit honoring Atwater's work. Additionally, this series contains magnetic media.

Series III contains publications by Atwater or about Atwater and his work. Atwater's works were published between 1885 and 1907, and biographical works are dated 1974 and 1993. Publications written by Atwater include United States Department of Agriculture bulletins, and an annual report of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Storrs, Connecticut. Also included are published biographies, and an unfavorable response to Atwater's work regarding the nutritional value of alcohol, published by several Christian Temperance organizations. This series also includes a paper by Atwater's daughter, Helen Atwater, titled "Economic Aspects of the Home and Family."

Series IV contains photographs of Atwater throughout his career, and of experiment subjects demonstrating the types of tasks performed within the calorimeter, such as cleaning, ironing, riding a stationary bicycle and reading. These tasks were performed inside the calorimeter in order to study the energy expended during specific activities. The calorimeter consisted of a room, with arrangements for analyzing the composition of the incoming and outgoing air, in which a subject's carbon dioxide output is measured. A later modification also allowed measurement of oxygen uptake. The series also includes numerous internal, external and detail images of Atwater's calorimeters, and of researchers at work in the lab. Additionally, this series includes photographic images of various publications and correspondence. The majority of the photographs date between 1892 and 1907.

Series V contains data sheets documenting Atwater's studies of the chemical composition of various foods. This was the beginning of a federal role in gathering and disseminating food composition data for foods eaten in the United States. The data sheets are numbered and arranged by type of food. Categories include fruits, vegetables, grains, bread, fish, dairy, and meats.