Dr. R. Adams Cowley photograph collection
Collection
Identifier: P0436
Scope and Contents
The Dr. R. Adams Cowley photograph collection consists of personal portraits; photographs of the Bicentennial Emergency Medical Services and Traumatology Conference and Exhibition; slides of various award presentations; slides used for a presentation on traumatology. Photos of U.S.A. Bicentennial Emergency Medical Services and Traumatology Conference and Exhibition are not individually identified.
Dates
- 1962-1988
Conditions Governing Access
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Conditions Governing Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Biographical / Historical
R. Adams Cowley, MD (1917-1991) was a pioneer in the field of open-heart surgery in the United States. Dr. Cowley performed operations before the heart-lung machine was widely used; unfortunately, patients would die from shock within days or weeks of surgery. He referred to shock as “a momentary pause in the act of death,” a process that, once set in motion, was irreversible. Cowley developed of the concept of the “golden hour,” which recognized that if a trauma victim could get appropriate care before that point, the patient was more likely to survive.
In 1960, the Baltimore Shock Trauma Center was born with the “golden hour” concept in mind. The Baltimore Shock Trauma Center encouraged trauma patients everywhere to be transported to trauma centers, while Cowley pushed the Maryland State Police’s Aviation Division to become one of the first ALS medevac transport systems in the world.
By 1973, he convinced Maryland’s governor to issue an executive order establishing the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medicine, which later absorbed emergency medical services and became the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), the first statewide EMS system with Dr. Cowley appointed as director. Over 30 years later, MIEMSS is still recognized as one of the world’s best EMS oversight systems.
Submitted to National Emergency Medical Services Museum in October 2009 by R. Adams
In 1960, the Baltimore Shock Trauma Center was born with the “golden hour” concept in mind. The Baltimore Shock Trauma Center encouraged trauma patients everywhere to be transported to trauma centers, while Cowley pushed the Maryland State Police’s Aviation Division to become one of the first ALS medevac transport systems in the world.
By 1973, he convinced Maryland’s governor to issue an executive order establishing the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medicine, which later absorbed emergency medical services and became the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), the first statewide EMS system with Dr. Cowley appointed as director. Over 30 years later, MIEMSS is still recognized as one of the world’s best EMS oversight systems.
Submitted to National Emergency Medical Services Museum in October 2009 by R. Adams
Extent
0.417 Linear Feet (173 photographic prints)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Dr. R. Adams Cowley photograph collection consists of personal portraits; photographs of the Bicentennial Emergency Medical Services and Traumatology Conference and Exhibition; slides of various award presentations; slides used for a presentation on traumatology.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. R Adams Cowley.
Processing Information
Processed by Michael Rawson in 1992 and Mary Ann Curtis in 2000.
- Title
- Guide to the Dr. R. Adams Cowley photograph collection
- Author
- Finding aid created by Michael Rawson, Mary Ann Curtis.
- Date
- 1992 (last modified: 2000 and 2018)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu