Archives and Special Collections
92 Snell Library
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2351
archives@neu.edu

Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids

Printable Finding Aid. Back to Browsing Version.

• Center for Disease Control

• Aetna Life & Casualty

• AIDS (Disease)

• AIDS activists

• AIDS (Disease) -- United States -- Epidemiology

• AIDS (Disease) -- United States -- Prevention

• AIDS (Disease) -- Education

• AIDS (Disease) -- United States

• AIDS (Disease) -- United States -- Public opinion

• AIDS (Disease) -- United States -- States

Scope and Content Note

The records include newspaper and magazine clippings, journal articles, conference proceedings, pamphlets, brochures, Congressional proceedings, and newsletters from 1986 through 1992. Almost all the materials are photocopies or fax copies of originals which were not included in the collection. Citations were, for the most part, handwritten on the photocopies by Aetna research. Topics covered include AIDS activism and education initiatives, epidemiology, the economics of the AIDS epidemic, housing for AIDS patients, hospice care, the particular problems of infected infants, children, and teens, AIDS activists, and national and international political activity concerning AIDS. There are some materials from international bodies such as the 3rd, 4th, and 5th International Conferences on AIDS Education; also included are photocopies of Congressional debates and actions concerning AIDS and copies of journal articles on AIDS research. The files also include information on individuals associated with the early years of the AIDS epidemic, including Robert Gallo, Anthony Fauci, and Jerry Falwell; grant-making organizations, such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and AIDS activist groups, including the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP).

Historical Note

The Aetna Life and Casualty Company, founded in 1982 in Hartford, Connecticut, started collecting articles on AIDS, HIV infection, and related issues in 1986 to stay abreast of the latest health care crisis. The collection was originally intended to maintain current information in six subject areas: epidemiology, public policy, social issues, community issues, international issues, and business or workplace issues. The collection was created by Aetna staff in the Public Policy Issues Analysis Department as a research tool to help monitor the course of the epidemic. Professional research staff selected items for inclusion in the collection which was overseen by a single full-time staff member. The collection spans five years, from 1986 through the first months of 1992. The clippings go beyond the insurance ramifications of the disease and provide a broad overview of political, social, and cultural reactions to AIDS. The clippings are drawn chiefly from national newspapers, periodicals, and conferences and cover a variety of AIDS-related issues including homophobia, epidemiology, education, safe sex, gay rights, hospital care, health care workers, housing, and the effect of the AIDS epidemic on children, adolescents, and the elderly.