Ralston Paterson

James Ralston Kennedy "RP" Paterson, (21 May 1897 – 29 August 1981) was a Scottish medical doctor and scientist specialising in oncology and radiology. Along with Herbert Parker, pioneered the development of the Paterson-Parker rules for the Radium Dosage System, also known as the Manchester system.

Early life Ralston Paterson was born on 21 May 1897 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He attended George Heriot’s School and upon graduation served as an officer in World War I with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and was decorated with the Military Cross.

Medical career After the War, Paterson returned to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and in 1923 was awarded Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) with honors. In 1926 he became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and in 1927 he was granted the Doctor of Medicine (MD) with commendation. At Edinburgh he met his wife and collaborator Edith Paterson, née Jones, known as "EP". The couple had three children, David, Colin and Elspeth.

In 1925, his interest in radiology led to his taking the Royal College of Radiologists disploma (DMRE) at Cambridge. Paterson went to the Mayo Clinic for a fellowship in radiology. He received further training in radiotherapy at clinics at the University of Chicago, in Toronto and South Africa. He returned in 1930 to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as acting director of the radiotherapy department.

In 1931, Paterson was appointed as radiotherapy director of the recently combined Holt Radium Institute and Christie Hospital in Manchester. Edith Paterson began her research at the Holt institute without position or salary. She in time developed her own reputation as a researcher. Paterson retired in 1962 and he and his wife devoted their efforts to the running of a cattle and sheep farm at Stenreishill, near Moffat, Scotland. He died at home in his sleep. Edith would continue to run the farm until 1992. British Association of Radiotherapists, president, 1938-1939 Founding member, Royal College of Radiologists (then known as the Faculty of Radiologists) President, Faculty of Radiologists, 1943-1946 Military Cross (MC), 1917 Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) with Honors, Edinburgh, 1923 Diploma in Medical Radiology & Electrology (DMRE), Cambridge, 1924 MD with Commendation, 1927 Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSEd), Edinburgh, 1927 Fellowship of the Faculty of Radiology (FFR), 1938 Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), 1948 Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), 1950 Professor of Radiotherapy, University of Manchester, 1960 Gold medal, Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, 1961 President, International Congress of Radiology in London, 1950 Gold Medal, Faculty of Radiologists, 1966

Legacy Working with Herbert Parker, Paterson developed the Paterson-Parker rules for the Radium Dosage System also known as the Manchester system.

The Cancer Research Campaign named their Paterson Institute for Cancer Research at The Christie hospital in Manchester after Paterson. Although since renamed the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, it occupies the Paterson Building, a modern laboratory completed in 2024.

Select publications Paterson, Ralston, and Herbert M. Parker. (1934). "A dosage system for gamma ray therapy." The British Journal of Radiology. 7(82): 592-632. Paterson, Ralston, and Herbert M. Parker. (1938). "A dosage system for interstitial radium therapy." The British Journal of Radiology. 11(124): 252-266.