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ITEM — Box: Small Manuscript Collections 01 Identifier: H MS c480

John H.T. McPherson, Jr. letter describing the treatment of Cocoanut Grove fire victims at Boston City Hospital

Content Description

Letter dated 30 November 1942 from John H.T. McPherson, Jr. to friends and family describing treatment of burn victims at Boston City Hospital in the aftermath of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire on November 28, 1942. 2 pages, typescript.

Dates

  • Creation: 30 November 1942

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Access requires advance notice. Contact Public Services for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in the collection. Researchers are responsible for identifying and contacting any third-party copyright holders for permission to reproduce or publish. For more information on the Center's use, publication, and reproduction policies, view our Reproductions and Use Policy.

Extent

0.01 cubic feet (1 file folder) ; 8.5" x 11"

Biographical Note

John H.T. McPherson, Jr (1917-2001) was a surgeon who attended and graduated from Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts in 1942. McPherson served as a member of the 5th General Hospital Group during World War II and returned to complete his surgical training at Boston City Hospital. McPherson was a surgical resident on duty at the Boston City Hospital November 28, 1942, when a fire broke out at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub. The Cocoanut Grove fire, located in the Bay Village neighborhood of Boston, was the deadliest nightclub fire in the United States resulting in 492 deaths. Local hospitals were well equipped to deal with this mass casualty event due to World War II emergency drills and treatment conducted on Cocoanut Grove victims significantly advanced medical understanding and methodology of burn treatment.

McPherson returned to Athens, Georgia in 1950 and worked in the Clarke County Hospital Authority and the Athens Regional Medical Center as a general, trauma, and orthopedic surgeon. A 1940 census identified him as white, he married Helen Fleming Cabaniss and had one child.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifted to the Harvard Medical Library by Helen McPherson Costantino and Margerat McPherson Smith in 2016 (Accession #2016-125).

Related Collections in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Center for the History of Medicine

Newton C. Browder slides from a lecture on the treatment of Cocoanut Grove fire victims, 1955. H MS c539. Harvard Medical Library, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Boston, Mass.

Henry Dean Moorman letter describing his experience at Boston City Hospital following the Cocoanut Grove Fire, 1942. H MS c584. Harvard Medical Library, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Boston, Mass.

Processing Information

Processed by Marco Lanier in November 2022. Collection was processed according to Level 1 protocol.

Title
McPherson, John H.T., Jr. (1917-2001). Letter describing the treatment of Cocoanut Grove fire victims at Boston City Hospital, 30 November 1942: Finding Aid.
Status
completed
Author
Marco Lanier
Date
2022-11-28
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
med00505

Repository Details

Part of the Center for the History of Medicine (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine) Repository

The Center for the History of Medicine in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine is one of the world's leading resources for the study of the history of health and medicine. Our mission is to enable the history of medicine and public health to inform healthcare, the health sciences, and the societies in which they are embedded.

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