Saturday, May 7, 2022

R. E. Stadelman, The Snake Guy


 

Written on the back, "R.E. Stadelman & Todos Santos Indians at 116 Palace Hotel, Guat. City, Nov. 29, 1940.  R.E.S. & T.S."  There's also a processor's stamp, "Foto-Reinet, B766, Guatemala."  Every once in a while, I find a photo where I can actually do a bit of research.  I don't know what the R.E. stands for, but it looks like he was some sort of scientist.  The Smithsonian has at least one collection of gastropod shells in their collection that was found by Stadelman, dated February 1931.  There's also a stereo photo of Stadelman himself in the California state archive, captioned, "Mr. R. E. Stadelman of the laboratory who extracts venom from the snakes. H.K. Mulford Laboratories.  Glenolden, Pa."  Okay, a bit weird grammatically, but that's what it says, and the picture is of the same guy in this photo. The H.K. Mulford Corporation was founded by pharmacist Henry Kendall Mulford in Philadelphia, PA, in the late 1880s, and was sold to Sharp & Dohme in 1929, though the Mulford name was retained.  They had a laboratory complex located in Glenolden, PA, that made diphtheria, smallpox, and rabies vaccines, digitalis, and antivenin, hence the need for a snake guy.  

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