The History of the Price Institute
Founded in 1957 as a generous trust by John W. Price, Jr. and his wife, Barbara Thruston Atwood Price
Dr. Price's Vision
The Price lnstitute was founded in 1957 by both John W. Price Jr. and his wife, Barbara Thruston Atwood Price. Price was a surgeon, financier and visionary. He joined the faculty of the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1908. His research in vascular surgery culminated in a paper he published in 1915 about arterial anastomosis.
He met with and was inspired by preeminent surgeons of his day, including the renowned Alexis Carrel, a New Orleans vascular surgeon and Nobel Laureate, who pioneered an operative technique which became the early standard for vascular anastomosis known as the "Carrel suture."
Price was later influenced by his financial skills. Ready for a new challenge, he ultimately lessened his surgical practice to invest his talents in the financial sector. He and his wife believed in the promise of basic research and used his position as a successful financier in 1957 to establish a generous trust, now held at PNC Bank and distributed to the institute, to attract the best and brightest surgical research fellows to the University of Louisville.
The Price Institute was founded in 1957 as a generous trust by John W. Price, Jr. and his wife, Barbara Thruston Atwood Price, to honor the memory of:
Mrs. Price's paternal great, great-grandfather, Coleman Rogers, who was a founder of the University of Louisville Medical School
Mrs. Price's paternal grandfather, Lewis Rogers
Mrs. Price's maternal great-grandfather, Charles Wilkins Short, Dean of the Medical School and Professor from 1827 to 1848
Mrs. Price's father, Lewis Rogers Atwood
Dr. Price's father, John Williamson Price
Since its inception, 30 surgery residents or surgeons have been Price Fellows, the first being J. Alex Haller, Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Surgery, Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, in 1958. Dr. Haller's project was in cardiovascular research. William H. Marshall, who conducted cancer research during his fellowship from 1962 to 1964, succeeded him.
The Price Institute also hosts Ferguson Fellows, visiting professors and Fulbright Scholars who come to brainstorm with colleagues, while learning the latest operative techniques and medical treatments for diseases affecting the surgical patient. Investing in the future of young surgeons and the patients whom they serve is Price's enduring legacy.
In addition to Dr. and Mrs. Price, the Price Institute has benefited greatly from the continued support from their daughter Mrs. Catherine Price Bass and her entire family. For their ongoing interest and willingness to support the Price Institute, a thank you is not enough.
"Why I Became a Surgeon"
A historical perspective
In 1910, surgery in mid-America was emerging as a medical specialty: no board, no formal training scheme, and no defined route to practice. Francis Reder, a general surgeon of the time, established order in the surgical field by leading an inclusive medical group, the Missouri State Medical Association.
Despite surgery’s novelty, many surgical innovations were created during this era that forever changed how surgeons operated. Reder, in response to these innovations, wondered about the individuals behind them. Specifically, what had motivated these people to undertake a profession that was known to be inherently difficult and time-consuming?
To obtain an answer, Reder ambitiously sought the opinion of approximately fifty well-known surgeons, inquiring as to why they chose a career in surgery. Amazingly, he received forty-four responses that offer remarkable insight into an exciting time in the field of surgery. The responses were collected from all over the world, many having to be translated from a surgeon’s native language to English. The responses, both original and translated, were printed in The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association in November 1910, as well as presented by Reder at the Missouri State Medical Association in May 1910. The work was titled, “The Surgeon and His Work”.
These letters and publications came into the possession of Paul H. Young, a neurological surgeon in St. Louis, Missouri. Young is mid-America’s go-to surgeon for complex and/or re-operative spinal procedures. In addition to being a published author, Young has created the first neurosurgical training entity on the African continent and has maintained it remarkably. Through a long friendship with Hiram C. Polk Jr., these documents came into the possession of the Price Institute of Surgical Research.
Copies of the original letters, along with a synopsis of each corresponding surgeon, adorn the walls of the Price Institute. In addition, copies of the material have been donated to the University of Louisville Medical Library for students to utilize. The Department of Surgery is honored to host these special tributes in perpetuity and expresses appreciation to doctors Reder and Young.