Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Search Results

Collections Search Center
1 documents - page 1 of 1

David Vetter Collection

Creator:
Vetter, David, 1971-1984  Search this
Texas Children's Hospital  Search this
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration  Search this
Collector:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Science, Medicine, and Society  Search this
Donor:
Vetter, Carol Ann  Search this
Vetter, David J., Jr.  Search this
Extent:
4.6 Cubic feet (9 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Financial records
Reprints
Periodicals
Reports
Specifications
School records
Student drawings
Correspondence
Legislative documents
Articles
Trade literature
Manuals
Date:
1971-1986
Summary:
Papers document David Vetter, a Texas boy with a rare disease known as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency. His life in a special isolation unit received widespread publicity.
Scope and Contents:
Papers relating to David Vetter, a Texas boy with a rare disease known as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency. The papers document his and his family's efforts to maintain normalcy in his life in spite of the limitations imposed by his disease, and medical efforts to reduce or cope with the limitations. A special suit was designed for David by NASA scientists to give him mobility, and the papers include documentation of the development and implementation of the suit.

The collection includes letters, greeting cards, photographs, medical records and internal hospital memoranda and documents from the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, procedure manuals for the isolation unit, specifications for the space suit, David's school records and school art projects, receipts and other financial papers, trade literature for products used in creating the sterile isolation unit, medical journals, newspaper and magazine articles, and clippings. The collection also includes a project created by high school students in 1985 about David's life and legislation to honor David with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into seven series.

Series 1: Correspondence and Press, 1971-1985

Series 2: Mobile Biological Isolation System (MBIS), 1973-1983

Series 3: Medical Publications, 1972-1983

Series 4: Personal Papers, 1978-1983

Series 5: Nimitz High School Project, 1985

Series 6: Texas Children's Hospital Medical Records, 1965-1989

Series 7: Photographs, 1974-1983
Biographical / Historical:
David Vetter (1971-1984) was a Texas boy who was born with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency, a disease which required him to live in a sterile, plastic isolation unit. NASA scientists designed and created a special suit for David, which resembled astronauts' space suits. His parents, family, church, doctors, and community all made efforts to enable him to have a normal childhood and life. At age 12, he underwent experimental bone marrow surgery, which was not successful, and David died a few months later. The bone marrow donor, David's sister Katherine, carried a dormant strand of the Epstein-Barr virus which was not detected by the pre-operation screens. He was removed from the bubble in February of 1984 and died 15 days later.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Shriners Hospital Patient Isolation Unit Records, NMAH.AC.1142

Materials in the Division of Medicine and Science, National Museum of American History

Related objects include action figure toys, a t-shirt, and a space suit. See accessioons: 1986.0201 and 1986.0450.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by David Vetter's parents, David and Carol Ann Vetter in 1986.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Some health-related materials in Series 3: Medical Publications, Series 6: Texas Children's Hospital Medical Records, and Series 7: Photographs are restricted until 2034. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Immunological deficiency syndromes  Search this
Space suits  Search this
Hospitals  Search this
Severe combined immunodeficiency  Search this
Immune diseases  Search this
Isolation (Hospital care)  Search this
Greeting cards -- 20th century  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- 20th century
Financial records -- 20th century
Reprints
Periodicals
Reports -- 1950-1980
Specifications
School records
Student drawings
Correspondence -- 20th century
Legislative documents
Articles -- 20th century
Trade literature
Manuals
Citation:
David Vetter Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1133
See more items in:
David Vetter Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep841388a2d-7b6b-47e5-8696-e8ea3b315391
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1133
Online Media:

Modify Your Search







or


Narrow By
  • Images
  • Finding aids
  • Archival materials
  • Articles
  • Collection descriptions
  • Correspondence
  • Financial records
  • Legislative documents
  • Manuals
  • Periodicals
  • Photographs
  • Reports
  • Archival materials
  • Articles
  • Collection descriptions
  • Correspondence
  • Financial records
  • Legislative documents
  • Manuals
  • Periodicals
  • Photographs
  • Reports
  • Greeting cards
  • Hospitals
  • Immune diseases
  • Immunological deficiency syndromes
  • Isolation (Hospital care)
  • Severe combined immunodeficiency
  • Space suits
  • Greeting cards
  • Hospitals
  • Immune diseases
  • Immunological deficiency syndromes
  • Isolation (Hospital care)
  • Severe combined immunodeficiency
  • Space suits
  • National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Science, Medicine, and Society
  • Texas Children's Hospital
  • United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Vetter, Carol Ann
  • Vetter, David
  • Vetter, David J., Jr.
  • National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Science, Medicine, and Society
  • Texas Children's Hospital
  • United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Vetter, Carol Ann
  • Vetter, David
  • Vetter, David J., Jr.
Filter results to a specific time period.
  • 1970s
  • 1980s
  • Archives Center, National Museum of American History