Joseph W. Pryor papers and x-rays
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Joseph W. Pryor papers and x-rays
- Date
- 1886-1956, predominant 1905-1948 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 4.56 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Physicians -- Kentucky -- Lexington.
- Radiography
- Ossification.
- Bones
- Arrangement
- This collection is arranged by subject in five series:
- Preferred Citation
- 0000ua166:[Identification of item], Joseph W. Pryor papers and x-rays, University of Kentucky Archives
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Dr. Joseph William Pryor, professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Kentucky from 1890-1929, was a locally respected physician and known in the international medical community for his work with early x-ray technology to study ossification (the formation of bones) in the hands.
- Dr. Pryor was born April 3, 1856, in Palmyra, Missouri, the son of Dr. Joseph William Pryor, Sr., and Frances Bailey Pryor. After attending St. Paul's College and Palmyra Seminary, he entered the University of Missouri Medical School in October, 1875, and graduated in a special ceremony in honor of the United States centennial on July 4, 1876. Beginning in 1877, Dr. Pryor served as an assistant to Dr. John T. Hogden, Dean of the St. Louis Medical School, before returning to Palmyra to practice.
- Dr. Pryor married Maggie Cheney of Woodford County, Kentucky, in 1881, and the couple moved to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1882. In July of that year, Dr. Pryor was one of the founding organizers of the Lexington and Fayette County Medical Society. He also led the attempt by that society to establish a free dispensary for the poor of Lexington, which opened in October of 1882.
- Dr. Pryor was the physician of several "firsts" in Lexington, including being the first to administer ether as an anesthetic and the first to perform a rib resection. He served as City Physician for two terms beginning in 1886, and was a member of both the city and county boards of health in the early 1900s. He was also involved in charity work at several Lexington hospitals.
- Dr. Pryor's association with the University of Kentucky began in 1885, when he became Medical Examiner for the school. In 1890 he was chosen as chair and professor of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology and began teaching. By 1894, he had developed an interest in the establishment of standards for preparatory education for medical school, including developing a certificate program at the University of Kentucky which would be accepted by several medical schools.
- Following his wife's death in 1896, Dr. Pryor married Eleanor Hancock, a former student, on July 4, 1898. The couple's only child, a son, was born in June of 1899 but died slightly over a year later. Eleanor Pryor painted the portrait of her husband which was later hung in Memorial Hall on the University of Kentucky campus.
- Dr. Pryor's work with x-rays began in February of 1896, only three months after Wilhelm Roentgen of Wurzburg, Germany, announced his discovery of the technology. Dr. Pryor, working with another professor, developed an x-ray of the hand of one of his patients. Dr. Pryor had previously amputated the hand, and used the x-ray to evaluate how the hand was healing. Later, Dr. Pryor used x-rays of the hands of children in the public city schools to study ossification (the formation of the bones) in the hand. He also studied x-rays of subjects of multiple births, particularly quadruplets, to discover if the births were mono or poly-zygotic. Dr Pryor published multiple journal articles on these topics.
- Dr. Pryor retired from the University of Kentucky in 1929, but remained an Emeritus Professor and professor on special assignment until his death on March 17, 1956, only three weeks before his hundredth birthday.
- Scope and Content
- The Joseph W. Pryor papers and x-rays predominantly consist of correspondence, manuscripts written by Pryor, publications including reprints, artifacts from his tenure, and a glass portrait of Dr. Pryor. It also includes glass negative x-rays related to the bone ossification research of Dr. Joseph W. Pryor.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The intellectual rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections and Digital Programs.
Contents of the Collection
Correspondence, 1905 - 1956
Scope and Contents note
The Correspondence series consists of letters and postcards received by Dr. Pryor, mainly having to do with the exchange of journal articles written by Dr. Pryor with other physicians in the United States and around the world. There are several letters from Dr. Thomas Morgan Rotch of Harvard discussing shared research interests in the 1909-1911 correspondence, and letters from Dr. William C. McCarthy of the Mayo Clinic, a former student of Dr. Pryor's, are present throughout. Letters are arranged chronologically; postcards are housed separately and also arranged chronologically.
Letters, 1905-1906
Letters, 1907-1908
Letters, 1909-1911
Letters, 1912-1916
Letters, 1917-1924
Letters, 1926
Letters, 1928-1930, 1933-1935
Letters, 1936
Letters, 1937-1939
Letters, 1940-1943
Letters, 1948, 1954, 1956, and undated
Postcards, 1906-1948
Manuscripts
Scope and Contents note
The Manuscripts series contains two autobiographical texts written by Dr. Pryor, both are undated. The first manuscript has thirty-four handwritten pages and is addressed to Professor Gillis of the University of Kentucky. The second is 314 typed pages and is entitled "Experiences: The Intimate Life of a Physician and Teacher," and is a draft of Dr. Pryor's published autobiography, Doctor Pryor.
"Experiences..." Forward - Chapter 8
"Experiences..." Chapters 9 - 14
"Experiences..." Chapter 15 - 16
untitled manuscript
Publications
Scope and Contents note
The Publications series consists of originals or reprints of Dr. Pryor's published journal articles from 1905-1948, and includes articles from ten journals. Some are: The Bulletin of the State College of Kentucky, The Journal of Heredity, and reprints from other anatomy and physiology journals.
1905, 1908, 1916
1923, 1925, 1928 - 1929
1933, 1936, 1939, 1948
Other Materials
Scope and Contents note
The Other Materials series includes two of Dr. Pryor's patients' registers, an identification plaque which hung under Dr. Pryor's portrait in Memorial Hall, and a glass negative portrait of Dr Pryor that was brought to the Archives by Stanley Littral? of the Botany Department.
Kentucky Academy of Science program, 1918; Doctor Pryor publication announcement
Patients registers, 1886-1889; Identification plaque
Glass negative portrait of Dr. Pryor
Patient register, 1918 April-1919 April 15
X-rays
Scope and Contents note
The X-ray series has approximately 110 glass negatives that were used by Dr. Pryor for his research in bone ossification. They were mostly taken from 1905-1909 and are either of hands or ankles. The x-ray subjects were mostly children (under age 20), but some are of adults. Age and gender is noted on most of the x-rays. Note: Several negatives are cracked or otherwise damaged. Ferrotyping is also present on much of the collection.
Hands, female
Hands, female
Hands, female and male
Hands, male
Hands, male (one female)
Hands, male or no gender identified
Hands and ankles, male and female
Hands (flexible film)
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
