Alcoholism, America’s Public Health Problem No. 4 — Marty Mann | 1946 NCEA Pamphlet | Lubbock A.A. Auxiliary Association
Offered here is an exceptionally early and historically significant alcoholism-education pamphlet by Marty Mann, published in 1946 during the formative period of the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism, the organization that would later become the National Council on Alcoholism.
Titled Alcoholism, America’s Public Health Problem No. 4, the pamphlet reproduces an address given by Marty Mann before a joint session of the South Carolina Legislature on March 6, 1946.
At the time, Mann was serving as Executive Director of the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism, then sponsored by the Yale Plan on Alcohol Studies. The pamphlet presents the developing public-health argument that alcoholism should be understood as a disease rather than a moral failing, and that alcoholics should receive treatment rather than punishment.
Marty Mann, Alcoholics Anonymous & Early Alcoholism Education
Marty Mann was one of the most influential figures in the early public education movement surrounding alcoholism. She was also an early member of Alcoholics Anonymous and became instrumental in bringing the disease concept of alcoholism into public discussion.
In this address, Mann speaks openly about her own experience with alcoholism, treatment, and recovery. Particularly noteworthy is her discussion of Alcoholics Anonymous, which she describes as living proof that alcoholics could recover and return to useful lives.
She writes about discovering A.A. in 1939 and explains how its understanding of alcoholism helped her finally make sense of her own condition. The pamphlet also records the remarkable early growth of Alcoholics Anonymous, noting more than 24,000 members in 755 groups at the time of the address.
The pamphlet therefore represents an unusually early intersection of:
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Marty Mann
- Yale alcoholism research
- the disease concept of alcoholism
- public-health education
- treatment reform
- organized community alcoholism programs
The National Committee for Education on Alcoholism
The pamphlet also includes information about the early structure and mission of the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism, identifying it as a division of the Yale Plan on Alcoholism.
Its three central principles are stated clearly:
- Alcoholism is a disease and the alcoholic a sick person.
- The alcoholic can be helped and is worth helping.
- Alcoholism is a public health problem and therefore a public responsibility.
The Board of Directors listed in the pamphlet includes major figures in the emerging alcoholism field, including E. M. Jellinek, Selden D. Bacon, Howard W. Haggard, M.D., and others, with Mrs. Marty Mann serving as Executive Director.
The rear section also lists affiliated local Committees for Education on Alcoholism across the United States, demonstrating how rapidly the movement was beginning to spread by 1946.
Lubbock A.A. Auxiliary — Olabell Lamb Association
This particular copy has an important association with the early Alcoholics Anonymous community in Lubbock, Texas.
Stamped vertically on the front cover is:
A.A. Auxiliary, Lubbock, Texas
and handwritten across the lower portion of the cover:
This belongs to Olabell Lamb
Olabell Lamb was a member of the Lubbock A.A. Auxiliary, an early organization of wives and family members connected with Alcoholics Anonymous in the area. Her membership has been confirmed through her family.
This association is especially interesting because these early A.A. auxiliaries developed before the formal establishment of Al-Anon Family Groups in 1951. As such, the piece carries a direct connection to the pre-Al-Anon family movement that was developing around Alcoholics Anonymous during the 1940s.
The ownership notation and auxiliary stamp are important elements of the pamphlet’s provenance and historical significance.
Publication Details
Title: Alcoholism, America’s Public Health Problem No. 4
Author: Mrs. Marty Mann
Format: Stapled pamphlet
Date: March 6, 1946
Address Delivered Before: Joint Session of the Legislature of the State of South Carolina
Location: House of Representatives, Columbia, South Carolina
Organization: National Committee for Education on Alcoholism
Affiliation: Yale Plan on Alcohol Studies
Association: Lubbock A.A. Auxiliary / Olabell Lamb
Condition
This pamphlet remains complete and intact, with age-related wear consistent with an early ephemeral publication.
The covers show toning, scattered staining and spotting, light edge wear, and the historical ownership markings described above. The interior pages show general age toning and scattered spotting and staining, but remain fully readable.
The original staples remain present.
The handwritten ownership notation and A.A. Auxiliary, Lubbock, Texas stamp are retained as important provenance rather than treated simply as defects.
Please review all photographs carefully for the most complete representation of condition.
Collector Significance
Published in 1946, this pamphlet captures Marty Mann during the earliest years of organized alcoholism education and contains one of the more compelling early public discussions linking the disease concept of alcoholism, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the need for treatment and public understanding.
Its association with Olabell Lamb and the Lubbock A.A. Auxiliary adds another significant layer, connecting the pamphlet not only to Marty Mann and the NCEA, but also to the developing network of A.A. families during the years before Al-Anon was formally organized.
A scarce and historically important piece for collectors of Marty Mann, Alcoholics Anonymous, early alcoholism treatment, NCEA material, Yale alcoholism studies, and pre-Al-Anon family history.
