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 Auchincloss Florence Nightingale Collection  Freud Library Columbia University Medical Center Archives Hyman Collection in the History of Anesthesiology Personal Papers and Manuscripts
JEROME PIERCE WEBSTER, 1888-1974. Download box & folder list:
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE : Jerome Pierce Webster, plastic surgeon, medical historian, and book collector, was born August 2, 1888 in Ashland, New Hampshire, to the Rev. Lorin Webster, an Episcopal clergyman, and his wife, Jennie Adams Webster. In 1892 the family moved to Plymouth, N.H., where the Rev. Webster became Headmaster of the Holderness School, a position he would hold for thirty years. Jerome P. Webster was educated at Holderness, Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut (A.B., 1910), and Johns Hopkins University (M.D., 1914). He completed an internship and residency in surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1916 Webster was appointed Special Assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to Germany with responsibility for helping inspect prisoner-of-war camps. Upon the American entry into the war, he joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps and was attached to the 30th Engineers, 1st Gas Regiment. He saw action at Toul, Chateau-Thierry, and St. Mihiel, and received the Croix de Guerre with gold star. Upon the end of the war Webster returned to Hopkins to complete his surgical training. In 1921 he became the first resident in surgery at the recently opened Peking Union Medical College. He remained there until 1926, rising to Associate Professor of Surgery and kindling a life-long love of China and its people. It was at PUMC that Webster decided to specialize in plastic surgery. On his return trip to the U.S. in 1926 he visited numerous plastic surgeons in Europe, spending considerable time in England with the noted Harold Gillies. In 1927 Allen O. Whipple, Chairman of the Columbia University Department of Surgery, invited Webster to New York to establish a plastic surgery service at the soon-to-be-opened Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He accepted and was appointed Harkness Fellow in Surgery which allowed him to spend the fall and winter of 1927-28 further refining his surgical skills under Vilray P. Blair at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. Webster was in charge of plastic surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian’s Vanderbilt Clinic, 1928-1954, and was founder and director of the plastic surgery service at Presbyterian Hospital, 1930-1954. During this time Webster rose from Asst. Attending Surgeon to Attending Surgeon; he was named Consultant in Plastic Surgery upon his retirement in 1954. He would continue to operate until 1962. Plastic surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian grew tremendously under Webster’s direction. From a small service that had difficulty obtaining operating room time, by 1934 it was seeing over 1700 patients annually, largely in Vanderbilt Clinic but with a growing number of private patients. The division of plastic surgery saw over 60,000 patients between 1934 and 1954. Scientifically, Webster and his colleagues did important work with thoraco-epigastric tube flaps, multiple congenital deformities, cross-leg flaps, and skin grafts. Though a skillful and sought-after operator, Webster’s enduring medical legacy was as an educator. He has been called “the founding father of plastic surgery education in the United States.” The residency program in plastic surgery that he established at Columbia-Presbyterian in 1937 was one of the first in the U.S. and attracted students from around the world. During Webster’s tenure (1937-1954), over 40 surgeons were trained, many of whom would go on to become leaders in the field. He was appointed Associate in Surgery at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1931 and was eventually Professor of Clinical Surgery (1948-1954), before being named Professor Emeritus at his retirement in 1954. Concerned with professionalizing the still-emerging specialty of plastic surgery, Webster was one of the founders of the American Board of Plastic Surgery in 1937 and served as its chairman, 1947-49. He was active in all the major plastic surgery organizations serving as President of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, 1941-42; Vice President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, 1956-57; and 2nd Vice President of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, 1945-47. About the time he came to Columbia-Presbyterian, Webster became interested in the history of plastic surgery and he began to buy books, both current and historical, in the field. In 1932, with financial assistance from the Dept. of Surgery, he purchased from the Berlin rare book dealer Oscar Rothacker the complete libraries of two German plastic surgeons. With this single acquisition, which included hundreds of books dating back to 1490 as well as several thousand 19th and 20th century medical dissertations, Webster created the nucleus of what would become the most comprehensive plastic surgery library in the world. By the time of his death, the Jerome P. Webster Library of Plastic Surgery held about 5,500 books dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries, over 33,000 reprints, several thousand European medical school dissertations, thousands of photographs, dozens of prints and engravings, and several manuscripts. Webster conceived of his library as a broad resource for the history of surgery in general. It includes one of the first anatomical works published in English (1553), the first work devoted solely to burns (1607), the first book on skin transplantation (1804), as well as works in a wide range of surgical specialties in many languages. Webster deeded the library to Columbia University in 1939, though it remained under his supervision while he lived. After his death, the library became part of Columbia’s Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library and in 1976 was physically transferred to the Library’s new quarters in the Hammer Health Sciences Center. As early as 1929, Webster had acquired a copy of the first book on plastic surgery, Gaspare Tagliacozzi’s De Curtorum Chirurgia per Insitionem of 1597. During a European study trip in 1931, Webster spent time in Italy hoping to find out more about this 16th century surgeon who had been a professor at the University of Bologna. Working with Martha Teach Gnudi, an American studying for her doctorate at Bologna, Webster discovered several hundred documents relating to Tagliacozzi in Italian archives. Upon Gnudi’s return to the US, Webster hired her as his research assistant and librarian. Together they wrote Documenti Inediti Intorno alla Vita di Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1935), a biographical sketch of Tagliacozzi based on the documents they had unearthed. They followed this with The Life and Times of Gaspare Tagliacozzi, Surgeon of Bologna, 1545-1599: With a Documented Study of the Scientific and Cultural Life of Bologna in the Sixteenth Century (New York: Reichner, 1950). This work, the only comprehensive biography of Tagliacozzi in any language, was immediately hailed as a classic of scientific biography; it won Gnudi and Webster the 1954 William H. Welch Medal of the American Association for the History of Medicine for a book “of outstanding scholarly merit in the field of medical history.” Subsequently, Webster wrote a short, unpublished history of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also did extensive research for a planned biography, never written, of Joseph Constantine Carpue (1764-1846), the British surgeon who revived plastic surgery in Europe in 1816. Besides his historical works, Webster authored or co-authored about three dozen scientific articles and wrote the chapter on plastic surgery for several editions of Frederick Christopher’s A Textbook of Surgery by American Authors (1936 and later). Besides his work for plastic surgery societies, Webster was active in a wide range of organizations. He was a founder and president of the American Bureau for Medical Aid to China, and was active in several other China-aid organizations; he was a longtime trustee of the Holderness School and Trinity College; and a member of the Grolier Club, the Charaka Club, and the Century Association. He was elected a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine in 1932 and served it as a trustee, vice president, chairman of the editorial board of its Bulletin, secretary and chairman of the Section on Historical and Cultural Medicine, and president of the Friends of the Rare Book Room. Webster received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bologna in 1952. He was twice decorated by the Chinese Nationalist and Greek governments for his medical assistance to their countries. The Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons bestowed an honorary citation on him in 1958 for his distinguished contributions to the field. He was an honorary member of several foreign medical societies. Webster married Geraldine Rockefeller McAlpin in 1934; they had three children before her death in 1938. In 1951, he married Emily Brune Randall who died in 1965. Jerome P. Webster died Nov. 14, 1974 at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City survived by his children and several grandchildren. This sketch was based on Webster’s New York Times obituary, Nov. 15, 1974; McLaughlin, Michael J., “The Origins of the Plastic Surgery Program at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center,” Plas Reconst Surg v. 99, n. 2 (Feb. 1997); Foo, Roy C. et al., “Jerome P. Webster, MD (1888-1974),” Current Surg v. 63, n. 1 (Jan/Feb 2006); and from materials in the Webster Papers. ORGANIZATION: Organized in 14 series and numerous sub-series: 1. Correspondence & Subject Files; 2. Biographical Materials & Personal Correspondence; 3. Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center/Presbyterian Hospital; 4. Organizations; 5. Jerome P. Webster Library of Plastic Surgery; 6. Writings & Research; 7. U.S. Army Courses in Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgery; 8. Diaries/Date Books; 9. Newspaper Clippings; 10. Clinical Records; 11. Index Cards; 12. Scrapbooks; 13. Non-Print, Separated, and Oversize Materials; 14. Artifacts. SCOPE AND CONTENT : The Webster Papers include correspondence, financial records, minutes, reports, clinical records, date books, research notes, drafts of books and articles, newspaper clippings, photographs, sketchbooks and drawings, prints, slides, film, and artifacts. Although photographs and transcripts of original documents from Italian archives bring the earliest date of these papers back to 1545, the bulk of the material spans Webster’s career at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, 1928-1974. There are only a few items from his time at Peking Union Medical College and almost nothing documenting his life before 1924. While Series 2 does contain some family correspondence and records, the papers largely document Webster’s professional life. For box and folder list, click on the button at the top of the finding aid. Each series and most sub-series are described separately: SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE & SUBJECT FILES There is extensive correspondence with Gustave Aufricht, Arturo Castiglione, John F. Fulton, Martha Teach Gnudi, Robert H. Ivy, Sir Archibald McIndoe, Gustavo Sanvenero-Rosselli, Ferris Smith, and Allen O. Whipple. Correspondence is generally organized by subject rather than by person; those letters not concerned with professional affairs are filed by surname in general alphabetical files. In addition, letters by the same person may have been filed under the name of an organization, or under the name of the correspondent, or in a general alphabetical folder. Researchers need to check all three locations to be sure of finding every letter from a specific individual. SERIES 2: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS & PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE Of particular interest is the “Report of the Work of Dr. Jerome P. Webster, Fellow in Surgery, Presbyterian Hospital, 1928-29,” relating his activities in the department of surgery during his first year at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. SERIES 3: COLUMBIA-PRESBYTERIAN MEDICAL CENTER/ PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL Subseries are as follows: Sub-Series 3.1: General (4 boxes; 1.3 cubic feet) Sub-Series 3.2: Division of Plastic Surgery (2.3 boxes; .75 cubic feet) Sub-Series 3.3: Webster Society (.25 cubic feet) Sub-Series 3.4: Plastic Surgery Residents (5 boxes; 1.5 cubic feet) SERIES 4: ORGANIZATIONS Subseries are as follows: Sub-Series 4.1 American Bureau for Medical Aid to China (11 boxes; 9.5 cubic feet) Sub-Series 4.1.1 includes records of plastic surgery courses given by Webster under the auspices of ABMAC in Shanghai during the Fall of 1948. Sub-Series 4.2 Other China Organizations (2.3 boxes; .75 cubic feet) Reflecting his love of books and libraries, there are records of Webster’s involvement with the Trinity College Library and its friends group (of which he was a founding member and Chairman, 1951-1955), as well as with the Watkinson Library, the College’s rare book library. SERIES 5: JEROME P. WEBSTER LIBRARY OF PLASTIC SURGERY Sub-series are as follows: Sub-series 5.1: Correspondence/Subject Files (4 boxes; 1 cubic foot) Sub-Series 5.2: Webster Library in the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library (.2 cubic feet) Sub-Series 5.3: Exhibits (2 boxes; .35 cubic feet) Sub-Series 5.4: Fund Drive (2 boxes; .35 cubic feet) Sub-Series 5.5: Book Purchases (11 boxes; 3.5 cubic feet) The series also includes records of Webster’s purchases of books and manuscripts on the history of Western embassies to East Asia from the 16th to early 19th century. This collection was not included in the Webster Library and was later bequeathed to Trinity College. Researchers should also consult Series 11, Index Cards, for additional information on book acquisitions. SERIES 6: WRITINGS & RESEARCH Sub-series are as follows: Sub-Series 6.1: Articles: Manuscripts (5.5 boxes; 1.75 cubic feet) Sub-Series 6.2: Articles: Reprints (.5 cubic feet) Sub-Series 6.3: Articles about Webster (.25 cubic feet) Sub-Series 6.4: The Life and Times of Gaspare Tagliacozzi, Surgeon of Bologna, 1545-1599 (1950) (11.25 boxes; 3.66 cubic feet) There is correspondence between Webster and Gnudi and with the publisher, Herbert Reichner; substantial research notes, including photographs and transcriptions of documents relating to Tagliacozzi found in Italian archives; financial records relating to the printing and sale of the book, 1949-1970; manuscript and typescript copies of the text; copies of newspaper and magazine reviews; a partial English translation of Tagliacozzi’s De Curtorum Chirurgia per Insitionem; and production materials, including galley proofs, binding samples, dust jackets, and illustrations. In addition, there is correspondence documenting Webster’s purchase of the Record Book of the Pharmacy of St. Paul in Bologna, which includes the only signature of Tagliacozzi in the United States. Researchers should also consult Series 11, Index Cards, for additional records relating to the Tagliacozzi biography. Sub-Series 6.5: Documenti Inediti Intorno alla Vita di Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1935) (3 folders) Sub-Series 6.6: Tagliacozzi Portraits (.33 cubic feet) Sub-Series 6.7: Joseph Constantine Carpue Research Files (.75 cubic feet) Researchers should also consult Series 11, Index Cards, for additional records relating to Webster’s research on Carpue. Sub-Series 6.8: “History of the College of Physicians and Surgeons” (.5 cubic feet) Sub-Series 6.9: Other Writings and Research (3 boxes; 1 cubic feet) Sub-Series 6.10: Vertical File: History of Medicine SERIES 7: U.S. ARMY TRAINING COURSES IN PLASTIC & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY There were four courses of twelve weeks each at the Medical Center between Sept. 28, 1942 and Dec. 18, 1943. The first two weeks were instruction in general surgery under the supervision of Dr. Allen O. Whipple, with the following ten weeks were devoted to plastic and maxillofacial surgery directed by Webster. A total of 82 officers were trained. The series is divided into six sub-series: four devoted to each course; one containing general records that pertain to all four courses; and one relating to Webster’s hospital inspection work for the Surgeon-General’s Office. SERIES 8: DIARIES & NOTEBOOKS SERIES 9: NEWSCLIPPINGS SERIES 10: CLINICAL RECORDS Researchers should also consult Series 11, Index Cards, for additional records relating to Webster’s patients; and Series 13.3, Slides, for color slides of his patients. Access to clinical records is regulated by the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). See the section on Access for details. Sub-series are as follows: Sub-series 10.1: Operation Notes & Schedules/Pathology Reports (8 boxes; 1.66 cubic feet) The schedules date from 1949, 1953-1959 and include all surgical operations at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Sub-Series 10.2: Patient Correspondence (1.75 boxes; .5 cubic feet) At the end of the series are several anomalous folders: patients referred to other surgeons; correspondence with physicians about the reconstruction of a penis; and records on several cases on which Webster served as consultant. Sub-Series 10.3: Clinical Cases for Book (1 box; .33 cubic feet) Sub-Series 10.4: Plastic Surgery Sketchbooks (7.25 boxes; 2.5 cubic feet) None of the drawings in the numbered volumes are signed. However a comparison of these drawings with those in the volume identified as being by Ivan Summers (Box 217, folder 4) demonstrates that he is the artist for most, if not all, of the drawings in this series. The volumes are numbered 1-71. There is a second draft volume for volume 22, a volume numbered 57½, and three unnumbered and undated volumes. An index to patient names can be found in Series 11, Index Cards. Sub-series 10.4.1 contains miscellaneous drawings (and a few photographs) dating from the 1930s through the 1950s. Some are arranged by patient name, but most are filed in no discernible order. Summers is also the artist for these items. Sub-Series 10.5: Photographs for Books and Articles (3.15 boxes; 1.05 cubic feet) Sub-Series 10.6 Patient Records (115 boxes; 38.5 cubic feet) The content of the records varies considerably. Some have only a one-page case history, while others span multiple file folders. Most fall somewhere in between in terms of size, though generally more recent records are more extensive. Records always contain a case history (handwritten up to the late 1940s, usually typed thereafter) and usually hold photographs and correspondence. Pathological and radiological reports are sometimes present. With the exception of pediatric patients, the correspondence for any one patient is usually brief and is often routine. Because children often came in for multiple operations over a long period of time and because they were minors, the correspondence for these patients is more likely to be extensive and rich in documentation. In addition, Webster’s pediatric patients and their parents often continued to correspond with him for years after their treatment was concluded. SERIES 11: INDEX CARDS SERIES 12: SCRAPBOOKS The other scrapbook, entitled “Bologna April 26, 1952,” documents the award of an honorary doctorate to Webster by the University of Bologna. There are texts of speeches by Webster, Gnudi, and University officials; newspaper clippings, largely from Bolognese publications; a program; and photographs. Most of the photographs had come loose from their pages and have been transferred to the photographs in Series 13. SERIES 13: NON-PRINT, SEPARATED & OVERSIZE MATERIALS Sub-series are as follows: Sub-Series 13.1 Photographs & Prints (3 boxes; 1 cubic feet) Sub-series 13.2 Oversize Photographs & Prints (2 flat boxes) Sub-series 13.3 Patient Slides (91 slide boxes; 3 slide carousel boxes; c. 6 cubic feet) Sub-series 13.4 Glass Slides, Non-Patient (4 boxes; 244 slides) Sub-series 13.5 Film (5 boxes and 5 reels) Because of their fragile condition, the film is closed to researchers until transfer to a more stable medium. Sub-series 13.6: Phonodiscs and audiotape (1 box) Sub-series 13.7: Oversize Print Materials (1 flat box, 1 carton) SERIES 14: ARTIFACTS For box and folder list of the papers, click on the button at the top of the finding aid. ACCESS: Because Protected Health Information (PHI) as defined by the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may be found throughout the records, access is allowed only under the terms of Archives and Special Collections’ Access Policy to Records Containing Protected Health Information. LANGUAGES: English, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Chinese. PROVENANCE: Bequest of Jerome P. Webster, 1974. NOTE: Webster’s collections of plastic surgery reprints and patient photographs are not considered part of his personal papers. The reprints have been cataloged separately; see http://library.cpmc.columbia.edu/hsl/archives/findingaids/webster.html for the finding aid. The patient photographs, which are of patients seen by all the surgeons in the Division of Plastic Surgery and date into the 1970s, are unprocessed. They are approximately 104 cubic feet. Aufricht, Gustave. |
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