James Ralston Kennedy "RP" Paterson,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, MC, MD,

FRCSEd The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

FRCR The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) is the professional body responsible for the specialties of clinical oncology and clinical radiology throughout the United Kingdom. Its role is to advance the science and practice of radiology and oncol ...

, DMRE (Cantab) (21 May 1897 – 29 August 1981) was a radiologist and oncologist in Scotland. Along with Herbert Parker, pioneered the development of the Paterson-Parker rules for the ''Radium Dosage System'' also known as the Manchester system.

Life and Times

James Ralston Kennedy Paterson, also known as Ralston Paterson or 'RP' Paterson was born on 21 May 1897 in

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. He attended

George Heriot’s School George Heriot's School is a Scottish independent primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staf ...

and upon graduation served as an officer in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with the

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

and was decorated with the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

. After the War he went back to the

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

and in 1923 awarded MB, ChB (Latin: Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae) with honors, in 1926 completed

, and in 1927 granted the MD with commendation. At Edinburgh he met his wife and collaborator Edith Irvin Jones ("EP"). The couple had three children, David, Colin and Elspeth.Lewis, Nancy R. (26 September 1981). J. Ralston Paterson. British Medical Journal. 283(6295):869. In 1925 interest with

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

led to DMRE at Cambridge. Paterson went to the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

for a

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. He received further training in

radiotherapy Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...

at clinics at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. He returned in 1930 to the

as acting director of the

department. In 1931, Paterson was appointed as

director of the recently combined Holt Radium Institute and

Christie Hospital The Christie Hospital in Manchester, England, is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe. It is managed by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital was established by a committee under the chairmanship of Richard Ch ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Edith Paterson began her research at the Holt institute without position or salary. She in time developed her own reputation as a researcher. In November 1943, Paterson and his wife were invited by the government of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

including

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

to assist with the establishment of a cancer institute that would provide medical care and services to the community. The Australian government allocated £100,000 for an institute dedicated to cancer treatment and research, with treatment methodologies to focus on X-ray and Radium. Paterson retired in 1962 and he and his wife devoted their efforts to the running of a

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

and

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

farm at Stenreishill, near

Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. He died at home in his sleep. Edith would continue to run the farm until 1992.

Professional accomplishments

Peterson received numerous accolades and awards in his career. *British Association of Radiotherapists, president, 1938-1939 *Founding member,

Faculty of Radiologists The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) is the professional body responsible for the specialties of clinical oncology and clinical radiology throughout the United Kingdom. Its role is to advance the science and practice of radiology and oncol ...

*President,

, President, 1943-1946 * MC, 1917 * MB, ChB with Honors, Edinburgh, 1923 * DMRE (Cantab), Canterbury, 1924 * MD with Commendation, 1927 *

, Edinburgh, 1927 * FFR, 1938 *

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...

, 1948 *

, 1950 *Professor of Radiotherapy,

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, 1960 *Gold medal,

Society of Apothecaries The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the livery companies of the City of London. It is one of the largest livery companies (with over 1,600 members in 2012) and ranks 58th in their order of precedence. The society is a m ...

, 1961 *President, International Radiological Congress in London, 1950 *Gold Medal,

, 1966

Legacy

*Working with Herbert Parker, developed the Paterson-Parker rules for the ''Radium Dosage System'' also known as the Manchester system.Paterson, Ralston, and Herbert M. Parker. (1938). "A dosage system for interstitial radium therapy." The British Journal of Radiology. 11(124): 252-266. * Paterson Research Laboratory

Select Publications

*Paterson, Ralston, and Herbert M. Parker. (1934). "A dosage system for gamma ray therapy." The British Journal of Radiology. 7(82): 592-632. *Paterson, Ralston, and Herbert M. Parker. (1938). "A dosage system for interstitial radium therapy." The British Journal of Radiology. 11(124): 252-266.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paterson, James Ralston Kennedy British radiologists 20th-century Scottish medical doctors 1897 births 1981 deaths People educated at George Heriot's School Medical doctors from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Cambridge Mayo Clinic people University of Chicago alumni Recipients of the Military Cross Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Academics of the University of Manchester British oncologists Military personnel from Edinburgh