Dr. Leonard Morse Hepatitis Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: SC008-MORS

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials pertaining to Dr. Morse’s investigation into the hepatitis outbreak among the Holy Cross Football team in 1969. It includes correspondence, notes, photographs, charts and reports. Many of these materials were gathered during the investigation into the incident. The collection also includes newspaper clippings documenting the incident as it unfolded as well as journal articles published by Dr. Morse after the investigation was concluded. The materials in this collection date from 1969 to 2010 but the majority date from 1969 to 1972.

Dates

Creation: 1969-2010

Creator

Morse, Leonard (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research unless restrictions are noted. Please ask Archives Staff for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials believed to be under copyright or other restrictions are available for limited noncommercial, educational and personal use only, or for fair use as defined by United States copyright law and with proper citation. Please note that the College of the Holy Cross may not hold the rights to all items in this collection. Users assume responsibility for identifying all copyright holders and for determining whether permission is needed to make any use of the content. For permission under rights held by the College, please contact archives@holycross.edu.

Biographical Note

Dr. Leonard Morse was born in 1929 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1955 and completed his residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester. Dr. Morse specialized in infectious diseases. In addition to his private practice, he held privileges at St. Vincent Hospital and also worked as a consultant for the Worcester Department of Public Health. From 2002 to 2011, Dr. Morse held the position of Public Health Commissioner for the city of Worcester.

Historical Note

The 1969 Holy Cross Football team was abruptly ended due to an outbreak of hepatitis A. 90 of the team’s 97 players and coaches were infected due to contamination from an irrigation pit into the water supply of a faucet at the football practice field. After the initial diagnosis, an investigation into the incident was led by Dr. Leonard Morse to discover the source.