Finding aid for the W. Hugh Missildine, MD Papers

Biography of Biography or History

Whitney Hugh Missildine, MD (1915-1986) was a veteran of World War II, a well-known psychiatrist and professor in The Ohio State University Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Missildine had a significant impact on the provision of mental health services for children in central Ohio. In 1949 he established the Columbus Children’s Mental Health Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His influential book, Your Inner Child of the Past, which promoted the idea that people can solve emotional problems as adults by understanding their feelings from childhood was published in 1962. Dr. Missildine retired in 1975, but he was still a sought-after community speaker and resource for psychiatric information.

Scope and Content

The W. Hugh Missildine, MD Papers (0.25 linear feet) contains material related to his career as a psychiatrist who specialized in treating children. There are articles by and about Dr. Missildine. The article about him from 1990 describes him as “The Man Who Discovered Your Inner Child.” There are issues of the journal Feelings & their Medical Significance edited by Dr. Missildine and published by Ross Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio. The 25th anniversary edition of Feelings published in 1983 includes a tribute to Dr. Missildine. Additionally, there is a photograph of Dr. Missildine and a copy of an article that he wrote for Teen Magazine.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open to the public and is available for viewing in the Medical Heritage Center. Materials do not circulate and must be used in the supervised reading room. Restrictions, including copyright, may exist and some materials may be too fragile to photocopy or digitize. The MHC charges for duplication services, which must be performed by staff.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], W. Hugh Missildine, MD Papers, Spec.202323.Missildine, Medical Heritage Center, Health Sciences Library, The Ohio State University.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to the Medical Heritage Center in May 2018 by Nancy M. Donaldson.

Processing Information

Lisa Wood processed the collection in December 2023.

Detailed Description of The Collection