Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • Collections
      • Open Access
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • EEO & Small Business
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Patricia Bath Papers

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Donor
Bath, Eraka
Inventor
Bath, Patricia, Dr., 1942-2019
Occupation
Medicine
Surgeons
Topic
Black people -- Race identity
Blindness
Cataract
Eye -- Diseases
Eye equipment and supplies
Inventions
Inventors, Black
Lasers
Ophthalmologists
Ophthalmology
Patents -- United States
Posters
Women inventors
Provenance
Collection donated by Eraka Bath, 2023
See more items in
Patricia Bath Papers
Summary
Papers document ophthalmologist, inventor, scientist, and educator Dr. Patricia Bath (1942-2019), a pioneering laser scientist who patented the medical invention the Laserphaco.
Biographical
Over the course of her forty-year career as a physician, scientist, inventor, educator, and mentor, Dr. Patricia Bath contributed to the field of ophthalmology, by inventing a device and method that uses a laser to remove the clouded lens of cataract and by promoting more equitable access to eye care. Dr. Bath's work extended outside the walls of the hospital, research lab, and traditional classroom. She worked in "the trenches" with communities both in the United States and internationally to screen early for eye diseases, thus ensuring any needed intervention and educating others about the importance of healthy eyes. Patricia Bath was born in Harlem on November 4, 1942, to Rupert and Gladys (nee Elliott) Bath. She attended Charles Evans Hughes High School in Manhattan, graduating in 1960. In 1959, while in high school, Patricia participated in a summer science training program at Harlem Hospital, sponsored by Yeshiva University. Her joint research project with Arnold Lentnek focused on cancer and on how to better provide nourishment to patients suffering from the disease. According to the September 24, 1960, New Pittsburgh Courier, "their study links cancer with a deficiency in nutrition, suggesting a previously unexplored avenue in the quest for new types of chemicals with which to attack cancer." The research was later presented at the International Congress on Nutrition in Washington, DC. This early scientific training ignited a lifelong passion of inquiry, learning, and problem solving, all characteristics of an inventor. Patricia graduated from Hunter College in Manhattan in 1964 and from Howard University Medical School in 1968. She completed an internship at Harlem Hospital (1968-1969), and a fellowship at Columbia University (1969-1970), and training at New York University (1970-1973). Dr. Bath joined the faculty of UCLA and Charles R. Drew University as an assistant professor of surgery (Drew) and ophthalmology (UCLA) in 1974. Patricia Bath strongly identified as an inventor. In one of her last public appearances, on April 3, 2019, Dr. Bath testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Trailblazers and Lost Einsteins: Women Inventors and the Future of American Innovation, stating: "Of the many titles associated with my name and work, I choose to speak to you from the viewpoint, lens, and focus of a woman inventor. It is my hope that by sharing my views, experiences, and recommendations that other women inventors will keep the faith, not give up, and pursue their intellectual property goals with renewed vigor." She continued her testimony by emphasizing the ongoing need or STEM/STEAM education. "The pipeline for increasing women scientists and engineers begins by igniting the spark for learning and curiosity," she said. "We need to support STEM/STEAM throughout the educational infrastructure of the USA." In 2014, the United States Patent and Trademark office news release stated that Bath, "helped restore or improve vision to millions of patients worldwide." This an extraordinary achievement that was made possible because of Dr. Bath's persistence, intellect, and work ethic. Her list of "firsts" is both lengthy and impressive: she was the first African American woman doctor to receive a medical patent, train in ophthalmology at Columbia University's medical school, join the surgical staff of UCLA Medical Center, chair the ophthalmology residency training program at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the first woman appointed to the ophthalmology faculty at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute. She was an outspoken champion of underserved populations affected by inadequate access to healthcare, cofounding the nonprofit American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in 1976, advocating a community approach to eye care services, education, and research. Throughout her career, Dr. Bath reinforced her mission: primary eye care must be made available to all people, everywhere, regardless of their economic status. Working with cataract patients in the 1980s, Dr. Bath began to research ways to make cataract surgery more accurate and less invasive. She envisioned using a laser to remove the clouded lens, making a much smaller incision than was then typical. In 1988, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued US Patent 4,744,360 to Dr. Bath for an "apparatus for ablation and removing cataract lenses." She would name the device the Laserphaco Probe. Dr. Bath was awarded a total of five patents: Apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses (US 4,744,360) Method and apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses (US 5,843,071) Laser apparatus for surgery of cataractous lenses (US 5,919,186) Pulsed ultrasound method for fragmenting/emulsifying and removing cataractous lenses (US 6,083,192) Combination ultrasound and laser method and apparatus for removing cataract lenses (US 6,544,254). Dr. Bath held eight patents — five in the United States and three internationally — for inventing the method and removal of cataract lenses using laser ablation and her Laserphaco probe. It is difficult to grasp just how big an impact Dr. Bath had on the field of cataract surgery. Known as a "laser pioneer" by Photonics, she is recognized worldwide as a trailblazer in the treatment of cataracts using her Laserphaco invention, which is defined in the textbook "Eradicating Blindness" as well as countless online articles. Dr. Bath is the mother of laser cataract surgery, as she was the first to apply and demonstrate efficacy of laser techniques to the standard phacoemulsification. Her discovery determined the appropriate wavelength, temperature and incision size, which she combined with irrigation and aspiration within her Laserphaco probe. Dr. Bath's invention is acknowledged to be one of the most important discoveries in the field of ophthalmology and laid the foundation for femtosecond laser cataract surgery. These advances have revolutionized the treatment of cataracts, one of the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment, and have helped to restore sight to patients all over the world. Dr. Bath has over 50 publications and received numerous honors, awards and recognition from professional associations. Selected Honors and Awards: •1995: NAACP Legal Defense Fund Black Woman Achievement Award •1999: National Museum of American History, Innovative Lives Program •2001: American Medical Women's Association Hall of Fame Induction •2006: The Tubman Museum's Sheila Award •2011: American Academy of Ophthalmology Induction into the Museum of Vision for Contributions to Ophthalmology •2012: Tribeca Film Festival Disruptive Innovation Award •2013: Association of Black Women Physicians Lifetime Achievement Award for Ophthalmology Contributions •2014: Alpha Kappa Alpha Presidential Award for Health and Medical Services •2014: Howard University Charter Day Award for Distinguished Achievement in Ophthalmology and Medicine •2017: Medscape 1 of 12 Women Physicians Who Changed the Course of American Medicine •2017: Time Magazine Firsts: Women Who Are Changing the World for being the first to invent and demonstrate laserphaco cataract surgery •2017: Hunter College Hall of Fame Induction •2018: New York Academy of Medicine John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice for invention of laserphaco cataract surgery •2018: Alliance for Aging Research: Silver Innovator Award for contributions and research toward blindness prevention Dr. Bath was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons from 1976 to 1989, a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, as well as a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Dr. Bath has been honored by two of her universities. Hunter College placed her in its "Hall of Fame" in 1988 and Howard University declared her a "Howard University Pioneer in Academic Medicine" in 1993. A picture book on her life and work in science was published in 2017 and was cited by both the National Science Teachers Association and the Chicago Public Library's list of best children's books of the year. Upon her passing in May 2019, Dr. Bath was memorialized by a multitude of media and professional organizations, from The New York Times, The Washington Post and Associated Press to The Lancet, The BMJ and PBS NewsHour. Dr. Bath will always be remembered as a pioneering laser scientist who—with her patented medical inventions—changed the world of sight forever.
Extent
13 Cubic feet (31 boxes, 4 map folders)
Date
1956-2019
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.1585
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Business cards
Color slides
Correspondence
Patents
Photographs
Reports
Videotapes
Writings
Citation
Patricia Bath Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into four series. Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1956-2019 Series 2: Subject Files, 1960-2016 Series 3: Laserphaco Materials, 1971-2003 Series 4: Audiovisual Materials, 1988-1994, undated
Processing Information
Collection processsed by Grace Boyle, intern, 2024; supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2024.
Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form
Business cards
Color slides
Correspondence -- 20th century
Correspondence -- 21st century
Patents -- 1950-2000
Photographs
Reports
Videotapes
Writings
Content Description
The papers document Dr. Patricia Bath's medical career and professional positions, invention work on the Laserphaco, advocacy and community work, presentations, and publications. The collection contains awards, clippings, correspondence, patents, research notes, business records, education materials, scrapbooks, photographs and slides, and audiovisual materials.
Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1697808600785-1697808601002-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8cd72edb2-958a-4f35-a487-186d403842e6

In the Collection

Pages

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • next ›
  • last »
  • National Society for the Prevention of Blindness

  • Blindness

  • Biographical Materials

  • Mademoiselle Magazine Ten Young Women of the Year

  • Subject Files

  • Photographs

  • Certificates and Awards

  • Photographs

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness

  • Obama, Barack

  • "Black Pioneers," Orange County Register

  • A Gift of Sight Celebration

  • Haber, Alan B.

  • DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation

  • Leases and Loans, Carol Management Company, First National City Bank, Howard University

  • Letters: Publications and Presentations

  • Independent Sector, National Leadership Forum

  • University of California, Los Angeles, Honorary Reception Correspondences

  • Presentation Slides, "Re Drug Abuse"

  • Kraff, Manus

  • Fleming, Melvin

  • Business Cards, "Z"

  • Presentation Slides, "General Ophthalmology Teaching Slides B"

  • New York Ear and Eye Infirmary

  • Black Artists and Medical Pioneers

  • Payroll Slips

  • International Ophthalmology

  • Phoebus Foundation

  • American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Nametags and Ribbons

  • Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

  • Leadership Knows No Season. Pepco salutes African-American achievements, then and now

  • Martin Luther King, Jr., General Hospital, Division of Ophthalmology staff

  • Black History and Culture

  • Discrimination and Women

  • Dash, Hal, Cerrell Associates

  • Myer, Benaden, Shapiro, Correspondence

  • Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, Spokesman, Volume 1, Number 1

  • University of California, Los Angeles and King/Drew Hospital, Accreditation/ Residency Training Program

  • Presentation Slides, "China Tour"

  • Maiveaux Howard University, Telemedicine, D.C. Disaster Preparedness, St. George's University

  • Medical Licenses

  • Unsolicited References

  • Rolodex

  • Nevus of OTA: Classification, Synopsis, and Case Presentation

  • International Union of Nutritional Sciences (with UNICEF) Community Action-Family Nutrition Programmes

  • Ophthalmology Times and Jack M. Dodick

  • World Health Organization Meeting Reports on the Prevention of Blindness

  • Business Cards, "E"

  • Ocular Surgery News, "The 21st-century female ophthalmologist"

  • Good-Lite Company, eye chart

  • Cowan, Claude, biographical

  • Business Cards, "V"

  • Helen Keller International Incorporated, "Prevention of Xerophthalmia and Nutrional Blindness"

  • Bradley, Tom

  • Patricia Bath, Orlando Report

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, You could be going blind and not even know it. Get your eyes examined. Don't lose sight of glaucoma

  • Museum of African American Technology (MAAT) Science Village

  • "Notebook of Patricia E. Bath M.D.," Laserphaco Invention Notebook

  • U.S. Patent 4,744,360 "Method and Apparatus for Ablating and Removing Cataract Lenses"

  • Millen, White, Zelano, and Branigan Patent Application

  • The Black Inventions Museum

  • Business Cards, Patricia Bath

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness: North African Center for Sight (Tunisia)

  • Quantitative Analysis of Components of the Visual Evoked Potential of the Rabbit Visual Pathway and Optic Cortex

  • Business Cards, "T"

  • Japan and European (France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland) Method and Apparatus for Ablating and Removing Cataract Lenses

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness

  • St. John's Hospital and Health Center

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness: Future Projects

  • Curriculum Vitae, "Old CV File"

  • Helen Keller International Incorporated, "Manual for Training Health Workers in the Recognition, Treatment and Prevention of Vitamin A Deficiency: Signs and Symptoms of Nutritional Blindness"

  • Yearbooks: Wadleigh Junior High School, Hughes High School

  • Business Cards, "A"

  • Gordley vs. County of Los Angeles, Expert Witness Client Fee Contract

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness: St. Oda School for the Visually Impaired

  • Caricature of Dr. Patricia Bath

  • Business Cards, "H"

  • U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Trailblazers and Lost Einsteins: Women Inventors and the Future of American Innovation

  • Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School "Training"

  • Presentation "Pathology of Explanted YAG Damage IOLs" Papers, "Safety Considerations and Concepts of IOL Damage" Papers, Lens Damage Slides on Film

  • Button, Patricia Bath induction weekend

  • National Minority Mentor Recruitment Manual

  • Business Cards, "S"

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness

  • Presentation Slides

  • Laserphaco Symposium, Las Vegas

  • Xerophthalmia Club, Bulletin 41

  • Keratoprosthesis

  • Articles by Dr. Bath

  • Black Women of Achievement Award

  • Dixon, Julian C. (Congressman)

  • Hunter College Transcripts

  • Lateral Cantholysis

  • Crystalline Corneal Dystrophy of Schnyder Case Reports and Review of Literature, Survey of Ophthalmology

  • Business Cards, "D"

  • American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, "AIPB Photos of Children"

  • U.S. Patent 4,744,360 "Method and Apparatus for Ablating and Removing Cataract Lenses," File History

  • Business Cards, "I"

  • FDA Classification of Medical Devices

  • Inventive Thinking Associations

Pages

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • next ›
  • last »
Photographs
View Slideshow
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer
View Finding aid

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top