Todd L. Savitt, PhD, was born in 1943 and is a historian of medicine and medical practice, particularly pertaining to African American medical history and American West medical history. He has many numerous articles, including those on the topic of E.S. Kellogg and C.A. McNulty, with works appearing in Montana: The Magazine of Western History in 2003, 2007, 2016, 2017 and 2020.

This research collection primarily pertains to Edwin S. Kellogg and Charles A. McNulty.

Edwin S. Kellogg was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1850. He completed his medical education at Dartmouth College and two other homeopathic schools, before serving as county physician in Walla Walla, Washington Territory. He moved to Helena, Montana Territory in 1884. In Helena, he was involved in several legal cases, mostly related to or involving the performance of abortions, and had a reputation in the community as an abortionist, even though it was illegal to perform or to receive an abortion in Montana. Some of the most notable Kellogg trials include the 1893 "Case of the Headless Fetus", the 1900 Sophie Hrella Case, the 1900 Adeline Bromley Case, and the 1914-1915 Lydia Johnson Case. The State Board of Medical Examiners also at times revoked his medical license and pursued legal charges against him, such as unprofessional conduct and practicing without a license. He was never convicted in any abortion-related trials. Kellogg died in Helena shortly after the Lydia Johnson Case in 1915. He is buried in Forestvale Cemetery in Helena, Montana.

Charles A. McNulty was born in Bellevue, Iowa in 1855, to Arabella and George W. McNulty. By 1879, he was studying dentistry in Butte, Montana. He married Flora McKay in 1884. Prior to their marriage, Flora received a bachelor’s degree in medical studies from Iowa College in 1883. As newlyweds they moved frequently throughout Montana, in part due to the inconsistent nature of a frontier dentistry practice. Both Charles and Flora attended the University of Colorado Medical Department to pursue further medical training, then finished their degrees in Chicago. In 1887, the McNultys established a medical and dental practice in Virginia City. Despite her accreditation, Flora was never a practicing physician. The practice experienced instability due to competition within the small town. The rural landscape meant most of McNulty's business consisted of house calls. In 1894, McNulty successfully ran for the Madison County coroner position. In this role, he oversaw the inquest of the shooting of William Ennis and testified in the subsequent 1898 murder trial. In 1899, McNulty left the Virginia City area and frequently traveled for the remainder of his life. Flora and Charles were formally divorced in 1900. Charles committed suicide in Harlem, Montana in 1904.