Psychiatrist Lawrence Kolb (1881-1972) was a career medical officer and administrator in the U.S. Public Health Service, best known for his innovative diagnostic framework for drug addiction and its treatment, and his insistence that drug addiction was a medical problem, not a criminal one. The most influential addiction specialist of the era, he served as first superintendent of the PHS Narcotic Hospital at Lexington, KY. During his early PHS career, Kolb also made important contributions to intelligence testing of immigrants and the treatment of what was then known as shell shock, a type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As Assistant Surgeon General, 1938-1945, he advocated for an expansion of mental health services, and drafted a plan for a national neuropsychiatric research institute that became the blueprint for the National Institute of Mental Health.

The National Library of Medicine is the repository for the Lawrence Kolb Papers, which range from 1909 to 1972. The collection contains correspondence, reprints, book drafts, speeches, reports, photographs, and biographical material.

As part of its Profiles in Science project, the National Library of Medicine has made available online a digitized selection of the Lawrence Kolb Papers. This website provides access to selected portions of the Lawrence Kolb Papers available in the National Library of Medicine's Digital Collections. Individuals interested in conducting research using the full collection of Lawrence Kolb Papers should contact the National Library of Medicine.

This Profile is designed to introduce you to the various phases of Kolb's U.S. Public Health Service career and professional life. Narrative sections available from the navigation bar under "The Story" focus on Kolb's life and contributions to immigration screening, intelligence testing, addiction medicine, and the expansion of mental health research and services in the United States. A bibliography of Kolb's publications and a list of additional resources are also available.

Researchers can search the digitized items using the Search box or browse all Documents and Visuals in the collection by selecting "Collection Items" from the navigation bar.