Cook, Sir Albert Ruskin (1870-1951) and Cook, Lady Katharine (1863-1938)

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, 1812-1951, giving many details of the Cooks' life and work in Uganda. There is also a large collection of diaries, 1855-1951, a number of photographs of Uganda and holidays abroad, c.1896-1930s, family and personal papers, 1882-1951, a small amount of printed material, c.1896-c.1947, and microfilms of records held at the Albert R Cook Library of Medicine at the Makerere University Medical School, Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, covering 1897-1960s and including patient case notes and registers 1897-1920.

As far as possible the collection has been kept in a similar order to that in which it was found, although much of the correspondence had been re-arranged by W D Foster whilst researching his book 'Sir Albert Cook A Missionary Doctor in Uganda' (Newhaven Press 1978).

The correspondence falls into several groups: letters from A R Cook; letters sent to him by his family and friends; the journal letters of Albert and his wife; and family letters not concerning him. All of these are arranged chronologically within their divisions. The index at the end of the list refers to sections A and D of the correspondence only (hard-copy version available only - index is not on database).

An outline list follows:

A: LETTERS FROM ALBERT RUSKIN COOK 1881-1951

B: JOURNAL LETTERS FROM A.R. COOK (SOME IN A) 1896-1921

C: JOURNAL LETTERS FROM KATHARINE COOK 1897-1910

D: CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED BY A R COOK

1-525 family 1881-1942

525-648 friends 1889-1950

649-658 business 1916-1943

E: FAMILY LETTERS NOT CONCERNING A R COOK 1812-1910

F: MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE 1897-1943

G: DIARIES OF A R COOK 1884-1951

H: DIARIES OF HARRIET BICKERSTETH COOK 1864-1888

I: DIARIES OF CHARLOTTE BICKERSTETH 1855-1863

J: FAMILY AND PERSONAL PAPERS 1882-1951

K: PHOTOGRAPHS c.1896-1930s

L: MISCELLANEOUS PRINTED MATERIAL RELATING TO UGANDA c.1896-c.1947

M: MICROFILMS OF HOLDINGS AT MAKERERE MEDICAL SCHOOL LIBRARY 1897-1959

Outline of Life and Career of A.R. Cook:

1870 Mar 22 Born in Hampstead, son of Dr W.H. Cook and Harriet Bickersteth Cook

1888 BSc

1893 Graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge. B.A

1895 Graduated from St Bartholomew's Hospital. M.B

1896 Went to Uganda with Church Missionary Society mission

1897 Established Mengo Hospital

1900 Married Katharine Timpson, a missionary nurse

1901 M.D.

1901 A.R. Cook and J.H. Cook were first to diagnose sleeping sickness in East Africa

1906 Birth of his daughter, Margaret Ellen Cook

1914-18 President of Uganda Branch, British Medical Association

1917 Founded school for African medical assistants

1918 O.B.E.

1921 Lady Coryndon Maternity Training School founded

1922 C.M.G.

1932 Received knighthood

1934 Retired

1936-37 President of Uganda Branch, B.M.A.

1937 Represented Uganda at coronation

1938 May 17 Katharine Cook died

1951 Apr 23 Died in Kampala, Uganda, aged 81

Lady Cook, CMG OBE MD (1863-1938), was matron of Mengo Hospital 1897-1911, was involved in the foundation of the Lady Coryndon Maternity Training School and founded the Nurses Training College in 1931.

At Wellcome Collection:
There is correspondence between Cook and Henry Wellcome in the Wellcome Archives, including a file on Wellcome's support for Mengo Hospital, with a history and progress report, 1931-1936 (WA/HMM/CO/Alp/153).

At other repositories:
Material of A R Cook is also held by the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide, Westminster College, Cambridge, amongst the papers of a) Bertha and Ralph Leech who worked in Church Missionary Society Hospitals in Mego, Uganda, and in Kenya between 1938 and 1964, and b) Dr Roy Billington, medical missionary in Uganda 1937-1972.