The William S. Thayer Collection spans his entire career at Johns Hopkins. It consists of correspondence, drafts of Thayer's talks, and some of his poetry. In addition, there are 5 volumes of his reprints from 1894 to 1932. Thayer's letters to his secretary, Gertrude Steffens, are written over summer vacations and concern his private practice, household questions, and his wife's health. His letters to Longcope concern the School of Medicine. The subjects covered include patient history taking, the clinical pathology conferences, and letters of recommendation. An interesting set of letters are from Thayer to his sister Sally Ames, written from Russia during the Russian Revolution. Since his wife died while he was in Russia, the correspondence is primarily concerned with that tragedy; nevertheless, the letters also offer a unique perspective on the Russian Revolution. The correspondence has been organized by date. About two-thirds of the letters of condolence addressed to Sally Ames are from family friends rather than the medical profession.