Correspondence

Collection of photographs, newspapers, correspondence, certificates, publications, and miscellaneous items belonging to and related to surgeon and professor John Benjamin Murphy (1857-1916).

Correspondence includes a 1911 letter and poem from Edith Palmer Putnam; a 1922 letter from Franklin Martin about the J. B. Murphy Oration in Surgery; and Civil War material.

Miscellaneous archival materials include text of a radio address about Murphy given by Reverend James R. Keane, November 8, 1940; a letter of introduction for Murphy on a trip to Berlin to collect Koch lymph (a substance thought to cure tuberculosis) in 1891; a memorial for Murphy sent by the American College of Surgeons to his family; and a hand-illuminated album presented to Murphy and his wife Jeannette by the Sisters of Mercy in commemoration of their 25th wedding anniversary.

Photographs include portraits of Murphy, alone and in groups, and photos of Murphy in the surgical theater at Mercy Hospital, as well as photos of the J. B. Murphy Memorial building and its cornerstone laying.

Newspapers include photocopies of articles about Murphy's life, work, and death; a volume of clippings related to Murphy's death in 1916; and an oversize volume of full newspaper pages covering Murphy's visit to Los Angeles for an American Medical Association meeting in 1911.

Publications include articles about Murphy's work; the 1920 Murphy Oration in Surgery by Sir Berkeley Moynihan about Murphy's life; invitations and programs for events honoring Murphy; and the American College of Surgeons Bulletin covering the dedication of the Murphy Memorial, 1926.

Certificates and diplomas include Murphy's high school and medical school diplomas, certificates of completion of clinical courses and of membership in various organizations, and a hand-illuminated certificate accompanying the Laetare Medal awarded by the University of Notre Dame in 1902 in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society.

Stormy Petrel materials include promotional materials for the biography of Murphy written by surgeon and Northwestern professor Loyal Davis published in 1938; correspondence from Kroch's bookstore to Murphy's daughter Cecille Baggot; and photocopies of clippings about publication.