Collection Guide
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Porter (Robert L.) Papers
MSS.77.11
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Contributing Institution:
University of California, San Francisco Archives & Special Collections
Title: Robert Langley Porter papers
Creator:
Porter, R. Langley
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.77.11
Physical Description:
2.709 Linear Feet
2 cartons, 1 oversize folder
Date (inclusive): 1928-1959
Abstract: Dr. Robert Langley Porter was a prominent San Francisco pediatrician and important figure in the history of UCSF, serving
as a lecturer, Dean of the medical school, and driving force behind the creation of the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute.
Collection contains items relating to his work, life, and interests.
Language of Material:
English
.
[Identification of item], Robert Langley Porter papers, MSS 77-11. Archives and Special Collections, University of California,
San Francisco.
Collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Library and Center for Knowledge Management. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from material must be submitted in writing to the UCSF Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of
the Library and Center for Knowledge Management as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to the UCSF Archives and Special Collections by Mrs. Anne Porter Burmeister, daughter of Langley
Porter, in 1977.
R. Langley Porter was born in Montreal, Canada in 1870. He attended Pennsylvania Military Academy, then came to California
obtaining a teaching post in chemistry in 1891 at Cooper Medical College. Intrigued by medicine, he enrolled as a medical
student in the Cooper Medical College, graduating in 1896 and completed extensive postgraduate education. He traveled extensively
in Europe and studied in London, becoming a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians and studying pathology and pediatrics
in Freiburg and Berlin.
Returning to San Francisco, he became one of the city's first pediatricians with a successful private practice. His interest
in pediatrics prompted him to join the Stanford faculty in chargeof the Cooper Pediatric Clinic, where he began clinical teaching.
In 1906, Porter served as City Physician for Communicable Diseases, and some credit him with averting an epidemic of plague
following the earthquake by his efforts to rid the city of rats. He was responsible for obtaining city support for the first
clinical laboratory at the county hospital. Poor health interrupted his career until he joined the University of California
faculty in 1918, becoming a lecturer in pediatrics. In 1927 Dr. Porter was appointed the Dean of the UC School of Medicine
by University President W. W. Campbell. He returned to Parnassus and initiated major reforms during the interwar period. During
the Depression years, he presided over the state-funded construction of the Clinics Building and secured California Department
of Mental Hygiene support for creation of the Langley Porter Clinic, later the LPPI. He retired from the deanship in 1940.
Contains the autobiographical writings and poetry; personal correspondence; miscellaneous writings; speeches; dedications;
lectures to students; and personal research in psychology of Dr. Robert Langley Porter. Collection also contains ephemeral
materials related to nutrition and health including recipes, menus, formulas; newspaper clippings of public health initiatives;
reprints of articles both published by Porter and other scholars. Large blue folder 18" x 12" with newspaper clippings, scrapbook
of memorabilia, black graduation cap with red ribbon, a pocket of hair, unsure if human.
The collection has been subdivided into subject files and six series:Newspaper clippings miscellany; Writings and publication
files; Medical Teachings Lectures/Remarks; Working files/Research; Speeches/Dedications; and Correspondence.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Porter, Robert Langley, 1870-
Medical education.
Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute