Guide to the Papers of Cecil Hackett

Series 1. Correspondence, 1929-1992

Hackett's correspondence documents his long and distinguished career as a doctor, anthropologist and medical researcher. While the bulk of the letters are of a medical and scientific nature, there is a high content of personal and family information found in them. Many of his work colleagues e.g., T. Draper Campbell, were also friends. Their letters included news on family and friends, reports of current work and comments on medical and scientific issues.

Being an expert in his field, Hackett also received correspondence from other researchers and scientists commenting on his work and seeking advice on various issues. He also used this network for assistance with his own research. There is also a small amount of correspondence between Hackett and various publishers in relation to the publication of some of his writings.

Correspondents include T. Draper Campbell, Sir John Cleland, Robert Edwards, Frank Fenner, H. H. Finlayson, R. W. Hornabrook, Ivan Magary, Charles Mountford, Cyril Mudford, Ted Steinbock, Norman Tindale, David Ungar and various staff from the World Health Organisation, the South Australian Museum and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

Due to the original disordered state of the papers, the Library has imposed its own arrangement. The correspondence has been artificially arranged in date order. However, Hackett kept a small amount of correspondence on certain topics together in files. The arrangement of the material in these files (10-13) has been retained by the Library.

Series 2. Diaries, notebooks, 1926-1972

This series consists of 28 diaries kept by Hackett. They provide a record of Hackett's trips to Central Australia and his research work in Africa and South East Asia along with study trips to various other countries. As well as giving a summary of daily events, the diaries also include addresses and notes.

Series 3. Personal documents and memorabilia, 1922-1997

This series consists of certificates, contracts, reports, dinner menus and other items of ephemera kept by Hackett. It also includes personal material such as professional references, a curriculum vitae written by Hackett in 1983 giving a detailed description of his career, his death certificate and copies of obituary notices.

Series 4. Published works, 1927-1987

While Hackett was best known for his writings on yaws, he also undertook pioneering work with the Australian Aborigines and implemented new practices and procedures for medical museums. This series consists of published works by Hackett including books, book chapters, journal articles and symposium papers on these topics.

File 7 contains a bound compilation of journal articles by Hackett from 1927-1954. The remaining journal articles have been listed by year of publication.

Series 5. Other writings, 1934-1984

This series consists mainly of typescript drafts and reports by Hackett. File two contains articles written by Hackett while working with the World Health Organisation. The articles have been bound together by Hackett and therefore they have been listed in his original order. Some notes and journal articles also appear in the back of this volume. His other works have been listed chronologically. Files 6-10 contain loose pages and chapters from unidentified writings.

Series 6. Research material, 1921-1994

This series consists of notes, journal articles, newscuttings and tables on a wide range of subjects including Aborigines, anthropology, archaeology, diseases, health, medical research and tropical medicine. Many of the notes are undated and unidentified.

The material is accompanied by a series of index cards containing references for books and journal articles and some general notes.

Series 7. Family history, 1850-1981

Cecil Hackett was born in 1905, the son of Richard William and Bertha Matilda Hackett. His grandfather was Walter Hackett, a pioneer of agricultural and horticultural industries in South Australia and a partner, with his brother, of a seed business in Rundle Street, Adelaide.

This series consists of correspondence relating to Hackett's family history research, certificates, documents and notebooks belonging to family members and photographs of family members and the family home in Brighton, South Australia.

Series 8. Other papers, 1959-1995

This series consists of miscellaneous papers mainly of a medical nature, newscuttings and pamphlets.

Series 9. Printed material, 1921-1992

This series consists of books and pamphlets on a variety of subjects including the Australian Aborigines, diseases in bones, tropical diseases and yaws. There is a series of reprints on the Aborigines and Australian marsupials written by colleagues and friends of Hackett e.g., T. D. Campbell, Frederic Wood Jones, Sir John Cleland and a bound volume of papers by T. G. H. Strehlow. Other works on the Australian Aborigines contain annotations by Hackett or photographs which he took on his trips to Central Australia.

2 boxes

Series 10. Photographs

This series consists mainly of black and white and some colour photographs belonging to Hackett. Included are portrait and group shots of Hackett, his wife, Beattie and their family and group photographs of Hackett and colleagues he met during his career. There are also albums and contact prints containing material relating to Hackett's research along with travel shots taken during this period.

There are a small number of photographs of Aborigines in Central Australia in the 1920s and 1930s. However, the majority of Hackett's photographs taken during this period are now held by the South Australian Museum and AIATSIS.

The material has been arranged by format, i.e., individual photographs, albums and contact prints and then by subject.

Photographs relating to Hackett's family history research can be found in Series 8.

Series 11. Other photographic material

This series consists of 35mm colour slides, black and white negatives, glass negatives (16), glass lantern slides (14), copper plates (2) and x-rays.

The colour slides include a medical series showing the effects of yaws and other skin diseases in the local population along with 'travel slides' taken by Hackett during his research work in Africa. Hackett originally numbered his slides according to the year that they were taken and by roll number. However, this arrangement has not been maintained over the years and they are now out of sequence.

There are also black and white negatives housed in small wallets and contact negatives which cover Hackett's research in Africa, Brazil and South East Asia. The lantern slides show examples of yaws and other tropical skin diseases while the series of glass negatives and the x-rays are of skeletal bones.

4 boxes