Papers of Jacobus Louw Potter FRCP FACP Executive Dean Faculty of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, and Dr Elizabeth Mackay Potter
- Reference:GB 237 Coll-1651
- Dates of Creation:1942-2007
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:1.12 linear metres 7 boxes
Scope and Content
The Papers of Jacobus Louw Potter, and of Dr Elizabeth Mackay Potter, are comprised of:
Box 1:
1 x folder - correspondence, 1981-1987
1 x folder - correspondence, contracts and other material relating to film And so goodbye, 2003-2004
1 x folder - graduation material, programmes, seating plans, dinner menus etc - 1981-1987
2 x folders - collection of off-prints
1 x folder black/white photographs - New York - and which includes newspaper clippings
1 x folder black/white and colour photographs - New York - dormitory room 1958, Potter in office chair, Potter in lab', social gatherings - graduation gatherings in Washington Square Park with Martin Begun and Arthur Lindner, as well as Potter
1 x folder black/white and colour photographs - Nigeria trip - European conference - and assorted, including negative of Elizabeth M. Ross showing her as cook at Tonley House, Alford, 1944, and photographs of Jacobus L. Potter during his RAF career at Padgate, and other early photographs
1 x folder - graduation photograph, J. L. Potter, by 'Yerbury of Edinburgh'
1 x envelope containing 2 x bundles of photographic negatives - Re-union 1983, Poland 1985
1 x folder colour photographs - Edinburgh - Honorary Degree Graduation ceremonies, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and undated, and group photograph outside Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
1 x folder - additional photographs - Medical School graduation dinner photograph with Elizabeth M. Ross (3rd table back, 4th person facing) - 2 x photographs of Jacobus L. Potter, one with piper and fingers in ear, and another with him looking on with drink in hand - 1 x family/friend photograph, minister in church presiding at wedding
1 x copy of the births announcements, The Scotsman 22 November 1924, Potter, and Ross
2 x membership cards, Edinburgh University Union, January 1981, differing addresses
1 x folder containing invitation cards - Garden party, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, July 1981, and Luncheon, Royal College of Physicians, July 1981Box 2:
1 x sketch-book - Jacobus L. Potter - Edinburgh University - Course of Practical Histology - 1944-1945
1 x copy of 'Notes on clinical laboratory methods', 1944, with signature of Jacobus L. Potter on inside cover
1 x copy of 'Principles of medical statistics', A. Bradford Hill, 1953, with undated ms letter enclosed to 'Dear Doctor Potter' from 'Peter Farrel' on NY University College of Medicine paper
1 x copy of BBC script for Operation Leopard by Leslie Harcourt, March 1954
1 x off-print/copy of article, 'Morbidity from T.A.B.T. inoculation in RAF recruits', in British Medical Journal, No. 1462. 21 December 1957
1 x brass-plate - Dr. Jacobus Louw Potter / MB FRCPE FACP / Associate Dean / Associate Professor Medicine / New York University School of Medicine / 1958-1980
1 x copy of 'The crisis of the medical schools', 1967
1 x plate with Edinburgh University shield/arms
1 x copy of 'Study for Spanish Sonata for Piano', composed by Jacobus L. Potter, 2007
2 x CDs, copies of 'Study for Spanish Sonata' 1985, and 'Impromptus' 1984-86
1 x copy of 'Held in Trust', Iain Crawford, 1986, gifted from the Faculty to Potter along with card enrolling him as a member of the National Trust, 1987, with signed card
1 x signed copy of 'Warszawska Akademia Medyczna 1975 - Waclaw Mayzel' gifted by a group of Polish Professors, January 1985
1 x copy 'I Europejska Konferencja Na Temat. Autoimmunizacja W Chorobach Reumaycznych. Poznan, 3-5 Wrzesnia 1985'. Program
1 x copy of 'A tradition of excellence. A brief history of medicine in Edinburgh', Dr. Stephanie BlackdenBox 3:
1 x academic cap, and 1 x academic hoodBox 4:
1 x autograph book, 1930s
1 x folder copied material describing earlier family members: Rev. Robert Douglas Potter; Alice Sharp - Also copy of article from 'Northern Pictorial', 21 September 1944, featuring Elizabeth Mackay Ross and others, and some additional clippings of the same article
1 x folder containing copies of the course of study undergone by Elizabeth Mackay Ross at Edinburgh University, 1943-1949, and probably for use in the USA when the couple's careers took them there
1 x scroll awarding Jacobus Louw Potter the Vans Dunlop Scholarship in Materia Medica and Medicine, 14 July 1948
1 x folder containing Wedding Banns of Jacobus L. Potter and Elizabeth M. Ross, March 1949, and a copy of their Marriage certificate
1 x degree, M.B., Ch.B., University of Edinburgh, awarded to Elizabeth Mackay Ross, July 1949, with transcript from Latin, and 2 x small photo-copies
1 x folder containing the Class certificates of Jacobus Louw Potter, Edinburgh University
1 x folder containing: 1 x Senior leaving certificate, Beath High School - Jacobus L. Potter - 1942; 1 x certificate, Scottish Universities Entrance Board - Jacobus Louw Potter - Lower and Higher passes in subjects - 1943; 1 x certificate, Scottish Universities Entrance Board - Elizabeth Mackay Ross - Lower and Higher passes in subjects - 1942-1943; 1 x form, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, assistance in the payment of class fees - 1945; 2 x copies programme for University of Edinburgh, Graduation Ceremonial, McEwan Hall, Wednesday 20 July 1949, with on p.9, graduate no.110 Ross, Elizabeth Mackay, Scotland; 1 x copy programme for University of Edinburgh, Graduation Ceremonial, McEwan Hall, Wednesday 14 July 1948, with on p.7, graduate no.91 Potter, Jacobus Louw, Scotland; 3 x examination papers for Membership of Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, October 1952; 1 x letter from Royal College of Physicians indicating election as Fellow, 22 July 1971; 1 x certificate, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, indicating that Elizabeth Mackay Potter has satisfied all the requirements of the Commission and successfully passed examinations, 23 July 1975; 1 x certificate indicating that Elizabeth Mackay Potter M.D., has served as Resident, 1976-1978, St. Clare's Hospital and Health Center, New York
1 x folder containing: 1 x vaccination certificate issued by Edinburgh Provident Dispensary, Marshall Street, to Jacobus L. Potter - November 1946; 1 x certificate issued by Edinburgh City Hospital for Infectious Diseases admitting Jacobus L. Potter to Cliniques of the Hospital - June 1947; 1 x certificate issued by City of Edinburgh Public Health Department to J. L. Potter indicating attendance at cases in the Maternity Wards - 1947; 1 x Medical Registration Certificate, Scottish Branch of the General Medical Council of Medical Education and Registration of the UK - Potter, Jacobus Louw - July 1948; 1 x Medical Registration Certificate, Scottish Branch of the General Medical Council of Medical Education and Registration of the UK - Ross, Elizabeth Mackay - August 1949; 1 x National Insurance card - Jacobus L. Potter - 1952-53; 1 x NHS Medical Card - Jacobus L. Potter - 1960; 1 x NHS Medical Card - Jacobus L. Potter - 1981; and, 1 x telegram, undated, Western Union, indicating a Public Health Service Research Grant
1 x folder containing General Medical Council certificates and correspondence: Additional qualifications certificate - 7 April 1953; Certificate of registration of additional qualifications (Overseas list) - 28 October 1976; Letter re: registration no.0670289 - 11 November 1976
1 x folder containing ID-related material: 4 x UK Passports issued to Jacobus Louw Potter - 1957, 1971, 1982, and 1992; 2 x Immigration cards issued to Jacobus L. Potter and Elizabeth M. Potter by US Department of Justice - 1962, 1963; 6 x ID and membership cards, Jacobus L. Potter - New York University Medical Center - American College of Physicians, Fellow - American Philatelic Society, 1974 - RSNO, 2005; 2 x identity cards, plastic, Elizabeth M. Potter - Resident Physician, St. Clare's Hospital & Health Center, New York, 1976 - and Faculty card, New York University Medical Center, to December 1979
1 x board-mounted certificate from the City of New York in recognition of the scientific ability of Jacobus Louw Potter, and appointment as Health Research Council Career Scientist, 1 July 1963
1 x certificate, the Society of the Sigma Xi, Devoted to the Promotion of Research in Science, warranting that Jacobus L. Potter was duly elected a member of the New York University Chapter, 12 May 1966
1 x meritorious certificate, New York University School of Medicine, to Jacobus L. Potter, 8 June 1967
1 x board-mounted certificate of election of Jacobus Louw Potter to membership at New York University and its Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, 1970
1 x certificate of election of Jacobus L. Potter as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, 6 April 1975
1 x certificate, New York Infirmary, New York City, NY, indicating that Elizabeth Mackay Potter completed training as a Senior Resident, Internal Medicine, 1975-1976
1 x folder correspondence 1976-1979, being: request for copies of School certificates for 1942-1943 (Scottish Certificate of Education Examination Board), February 1976; letter to Jacobus L. Potter from St. Clare's Hospital & Health Center, New York, on death of his wife, September 1979
1 x certificate, the University of the State of New York, Education Department, indicating that Elizabeth M. Potter was qualified to practice Medicine and Surgery, 24 March 1978
1 x folder with curriculum vitae, Elizabeth M. Potter, and copies of obituaries from newsletters
1 x certificate with resolution of New York University Medical Center Board accepting resignation of Dr. Jacobus L. Potter from post as Associate Dean of the School of Medicine and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, 2 December 1980
1 x Scottish flag gifted to Dean Jacobus Potter 'from the staff at LEMSIP', with gift-tag
8 x articles in the form of clippings, including obituary, from a number of journalsBox 5:
1 x album, 'My Wedding Book' containing telegrams and other cards and ephemera, and names of guests at the wedding of Elizabeth Mackay Ross and Jacobus Louw Potter on 26 March 1949, St. David's Church, Lower Largo, Fife
Diaries and Letters [to be added after additional delivery from USA]
1 x box of slides (2 x cartridges)
1 x USB-stick containing imagesBox 6:
Diaries and Letters [to be added after additional delivery from USA]
1 x folder - correspondence, 7 January 1954 to 28 February 1954Box 7:
1 x degree, board-mounted, M.B., Ch.B., University of Edinburgh, awarded to Jacobus Louw Potter, July 1948
2 x board-mounted certificates of Membership, Regium Medicorum Collegium Edinburgense - Jacobus Louw Potter - February 1953, and July 1972
1 x leatherette portfolio or document case - inscribed 'JLP', and 'Board of Research Associates, New York University Medical Center'Box 8:
1 x copy, annotated, Illustrations of Regional Anatomy, Section I - Central nervous system, 5th ed. Edinburgh 1944
1 x copy, annotated, Illustrations of Regional Anatomy, Section II - Head & neck, 5th ed. Edinburgh 1944
1 x copy, annotated, Illustrations of Regional Anatomy, Section II - Abdomen, 5th ed. Edinburgh 1944
1 x copy, annotated, Illustrations of Regional Anatomy, Section IV - Pelvis, 5th ed. Edinburgh 1944
1 x copy, annotated, Illustrations of Regional Anatomy, Section V - Thorax, 5th ed. Edinburgh 1944
1 x copy, annotated, Illustrations of Regional Anatomy, Section VI - Upper limb, 5th ed. Edinburgh 1944
1 x copy, annotated, Illustrations of Regional Anatomy, Section VII - Lower limb, 5th ed. Edinburgh 1944
2 x copies, Aids to the investigation of peripheral nerve injuries, Medical Research Council War Memorandum No.7, HMSO, 1943
1 x copy, Plays of Moliere in French with an Enlish translation, Vol. 1. 1655-1656, A. R. Waller. Published by John Grant: Edinburgh, 1926Also... in addition to the larger sized items in Box 7, there is a group photograph of the Graduating Class of 1948, Medicine, outside McEwen Hall
Administrative / Biographical History
Jacobus Louw Potter was born on 21 November 1924 in Cardenden, Fife. His birth was announced in the Births column of the Scotsman on the same day - Saturday 22 November 1924 - as that of his future wife Elizabeth Ross. He was the son of a miner who became a church minister. Potter was educated at Beath High School, and he studied at Edinburgh University graduating in 1948 with the degrees of M.B., Ch.B. He married Elizabeth Ross, also an Edinburgh graduate, at Lower Largo, Fife, on 26 March 1949.
Elizabeth Mackay Ross was born three days earlier than her future husband on 18 November 1924 in St. Andrews, Fife. Her family lived in Lower Largo, and she attended Waid Academy, Anstruther, and Edinburgh Ladies College, the latter between October 1939 and 1943. After school she entered Edinburgh University, graduating in 1949 with the degrees of M.B., Ch.B.
One of the first posts that Jacobus Louw Potter held was that of resident surgeon in the rheumatic diseases unit of the Northern General Hospital, Edinburgh, but in 1952 he joined the medical branch of the Royal Air Force becoming a squadron leader in charge of the medical division, RAF Hospital, Padgate, in Cheshire. In 1954 he returned to Edinburgh as a research fellow at the Northern General, though he went to the USA to research at the New York University School of Medicine's pathology department.
In 1962, Potter returned to the USA, to White Plains, New York, and spent the next 20-years in the country. He had varied roles including: work with the Health Research Council of the City of New York; Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the New York University School of Medicine, 1958-1980; physician/consultant for the New York Veteran's Administration Hospital; and, consultant at New York Infirmary. He also served on various bodies and committees, and he was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, his wife after graduation - until 1963 - held posts at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, the Northern General Hospital, and Bruntsfield Hospital in Edinburgh, all in Edinburgh, and at Bangour Hospital outside the city. Joining her husband in the USA she worked at the New York University School of Medicine, the New York University Medical Center, New York Infirmary, and St. Clare's Hospital Center.
Elizabeth Mackay Potter predeceased her husband on 26 July 1979.
In 1981 Potter was back in Scotland where he took up the post of Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Edinburgh University.
Jacobus Louw Potter died on 9 May 2015 in Edinburgh. His second wife, Catherine Matthews, or Rena, had predeceased him a little earlier in 2015.Access Information
Access should be unrestricted but please check in advance of any consultation.
Acquisition Information
Acquired from family, July-August 2015, and after. Accession nos: E2015.52, SC-Acc-2017-001
Subjects
Corporate Names