John Rodman Paul, MD

Born: April 18, 1893
Died: May 6, 1971

Major Contribution:

John R. Paul and his colleague Dr. James D. Trask identified strains of poliovirus in human waste and the same strains in sewage, thus contributing essential understanding of how polio is spread. From his later study of Alaskan Eskimos (1949), he made the important discovery that a single experience with poliomyelitis resulted in lifelong immunity. This discovery provided the impetus for the development of immunizing vaccines.

Other Information:

Brief Biography: John Rodman Paul was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 18, 1893. He earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1915 and his M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1919. His long career at Yale began in 1928. He was particularly known for his work on poliomyelitis In 1931, Paul and Dr. James D. Trask founded the Yale Poliomyelitis Study Unit. In 1938, they received the first research grant from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which was renewed annually for 30 years. In 1940, he became the professor and chairman of the newly created department of preventive medicine.

Consequently, he participated on the Neurotropic Virus Disease Commission of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board (AFEB) and the Virus Commission that found poliomyelitis in US and British troops in North Africa. He also served on many committees of the United States Armed Forces, the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization. Notably, he was on the committee to evaluate the Salk vaccine.

Paul wrote a definitive book called the "History of Poliomyelitis," which was published by Yale University Press in 1971. During his career he also developed the concept of clinical epidemiology and worked on the epidemiology of mononucleosis and hepatitis. Paul helped devise the serological test known as the Paul-Bunnell test to identify mononucleosis in 1931.

Location of papers: Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.

Description of papers: The John Rodman Paul Papers include professional correspondence with colleagues and institutions, research notebooks, reports and photographs. Topical files highlight Dr. Paul’s work on the epidemiology of bacterial and viral diseases, especially poliomyelitis during the period of the 1930s through the 1960s.

These papers do not include manuscripts for most of his work; most of these can be found in the bibliography published at the time of Paul’s retirement in The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, vol 34, no.3–4, (1961 Dec.–1962 Feb.).

The files do contain correspondence associated with some of his publications, notably A History of Poliomyelitis (see below) and An Account of the American Epidemiological Society. Dorothy Horstmann, who worked closely with Paul, took responsibility for responding to some of his correspondence and publication of his remaining manuscripts after his death. The Dorothy Horstmann Papers are also at Yale University Library.

John Paul, “The Case for Live Poliovirus Vaccination,” Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, February 1960, 242–47.

John Paul, A History of Poliomyelitis. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1971.

Major Articles: John Rodman Paul, MD

Articles found at HighWire Press® Stanford University (*Asterisk denotes article is free of subscription fee.)

Studies On The Epidemiology Of Poliomyelitis. I. Methods And Criteria For The Detection Of Abortive Poliomyelitis. John R. Paul, R. Salinger, And J. D. Trask. Am. J. Epidemiol., May 1933; 17: 587 - 606.

Studies On The Epidemiology Of Poliomyelitis. Ii. The Incidence Of Abortive Types Of Poliomyelitis. John R. Paul, R. Salinger, And J. D. Trask. Am. J. Epidemiol., May 1933; 17: 601 - 612.

Observations On Serological Epidemiology: Antibodies To The Lansing Strain Of Poliomyelitis Virus In Sera From Alaskan Eskimos. J. R. Paul And J. T. Riordan. Am. J. Epidemiol., Sep 1950; 52: 202 - 212.

Comparative Neutralizing Antibody Patterns To Lansing (Type 2) Poliomyelitis Virus In Different Populations. John R. Paul, Joseph L. Melnick, And John T. Riordan. Am. J. Epidemiol., Nov 1952; 56: 232 - 251.

A Survey Of Neutralizing Antibodies To Polio-Myelitis Virus In Cairo, Egypt. John R. Paul, Joseph L. Melnick, Vohammie H. Barnett, And Natan Goldblum. Am. J. Epidemiol., May 1952; 55: 402 - 413.

The Trial Use Of Sabin's Attenuated Type 1 Poliovirus Vaccine In A Village In Southern Arizona. Dorothy M. Horstmann, J. C. Niederman, J. T. Riordan, And J. R. Paul. Am. J. Epidemiol., Sep 1959; 70: 169 - 184.

The Detection Of Poliovirus And Other Enteric Viruses In Flies: Results Of Tests Carried Out During An Oral Poliovirus Vaccine Trial. John T. Riordan, J. R. Paul, I. Yoshioka, And D. M. Horstmann. Am. J. Epidemiol., Sep 1961; 74: 123 - 136.

The Pathogenesis of Poliomyelitis.* John R. Paul. Am J Public Health, Apr 1956; 46: 490 - 491.

Genetic Perspectives In Disease Resistance And Susceptibility.* John R. Paul. Am J Public Health, Jun 1962; 52: 1042 - 1043.

Infection Induced By Oral Administration Of Attenuated Poliovirus To Persons Possessing Homotypic Antibody.* Dorothy M. Horstmann, J. R. Paul, J. L. Melnick, and Joyce V. Deutsch. J. Exp. Med., Jul 1957; 106: 159 - 177.

A Survey of Poliomyelitis Virus Antibodies in French Morocco. John R. Paul and Dorothy M. Horstmann. Am J Trop Med Hyg, May 1955; 4: 512 - 524.

Books Reviews John R. Paul. J Hist Med Allied Sci, Apr 1955; X: 250 - 253.

Serologic Epidemiology of Poliomyelitis.* Joseph L. Melnick, John R. Paul, and Mary Walton. Am J Public Health, Apr 1955; 45: 429 - 437.

Antibodies To Three Different Antigenic Types Of Poliomyelitis Virus In Sera From North Alaskan Eskimos. John R. Paul, John T. Riordan, And Joseph L. Melnick. Am. J. Epidemiol., Sep 1951; 54: 275 - 285.

Serological Epidemiology: Antibody Patterns in North Alaskan Eskimos. John R. Paul, John T. Riordan, and Lisbeth M. Kraft. J. Immunol., Jun 1951; 66: 695 - 713.

Analyses from a Tropical Epidemic of Poliomyelitis Which Occurred in Florida and Cuba in 1946. John R. Paul, F. Ramirez Corria, and Dorothy M. Horstmann. Am J Trop Med Hyg, Jul 1949; s1-29: 543 - 554.

Susceptibility Of Cebus Capucina (The South American Ringtail Monkey) And Cercopithecus Cephus (The African Mustache Monkey) To Poliomyelitis Virus.* Joseph L. Melnick and John R. Paul. J. Exp. Med., Oct 1943; 78: 273 - 283.

The Detection Of Poliomyelitis Virus In Flies Collected During Epidemics Of Poliomyelitis: I. Methods, Results, And Types Of Flies Involved.* James D. Trask, John R. Paul, Joseph L. Melnick, and With the Technical Assistance of John T. Riordan and Marshall Bishop J. Exp. Med., Jun 1943; 77: 531 - 544.

The Detection Of Poliomyelitis Virus In Flies Collected During Epidemics Of Poliomyelitis: Ii. Clinical Circumstances Under Which Flies Were Collected.* James D. Trask and John R. Paul. J. Exp. Med., Jun 1943; 77: 545 - 556.

Observations on Fecal Examinations in Poliomyelitis.* James D. Trask and John R. Paul. Am J Public Health, Mar 1941; 31: 239 - 244.

The Epidemiology of Rheumatic Fever.* John R. Paul. Am J Public Health, Jun 1941; 31: 611 - 618.

Rheumatic Fever: Studies of the Epidemiology, Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Treatment of the Disease During the First Three Decades.* John R. Paul. Am J Public Health, Feb 1941; 31: 190.

Letter to the Editor.* John R. Paul. Am J Public Health, Jan 1943; 33: 76.

The Collected Reprints of The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, 1941 Vol. II.* John R. Paul. Am J Public Health, Nov 1942; 32: 1292 - 1293.

Occurrence and Recovery of the Virus of Infantile Paralysis from Sewage.* John R. Paul and James D. Trask. Am J Public Health, Mar 1942; 32: 235 - 239.

Pneumococcus Variants: I. Intermediate Forms and the Influence of Environment in Their Production During In-vitro S to R and R to S Transitions.* John R. Paul. J. Bacteriol., Jul 1934; 28: 45 - 67.

Experimental Poliomyelitis Induced by Intracutaneous Inoculation: A Strain of the Virus Apparently Peculiarly Infective when Injected by this Route.* James D. Trask and John R. Paul. J. Bacteriol., May 1936; 31: 527 - 530.

A Method For The Concentration Of Poliomyelitis Virus In Nasopharyngeal Washings.* John R. Paul. J. Bacteriol., May 1938; 35: 493 - 500.

The Detection Of Poliomyelitis Virus In So Called Abortive Types Of The Disease.* John R. Paul and J. D. Trask. J. Exp. Med., Sep 1932; 56: 319 - 343.

A Comparative Study Of Recently Isolated Human Strains And A Passage Strain Of Poliomyelitis Virus.* John R. Paul and James D. Trask. J. Exp. Med., Nov 1933; 58: 513 - 529. Neutralizing Antibodies In Abortive Poliomyelitis.* James D. Trask and John R. Paul. J. Exp. Med., Nov 1933; 58: 531 – 54.

Isolation Of Poliomyelitis Virus From The Nasopharynx.* John R. Paul, James D. Trask, and Leslie T. Webster. J. Exp. Med., Aug 1935; 62: 245 - 257.

The Neutralization Test In Poliomyelitis: Comparative Results With Four Strains Of The Virus.* John R. Paul and James D. Trask. J. Exp. Med., Apr 1935; 61: 447 - 464.

Viruses Of Poliomyelitis: An Immunological Comparison Of Six Strains.* James D. Trask, John R. Paul, Agnes R. Beebe, and William J. German. J. Exp. Med., May 1937; 65: 687 - 704.

I. Poliomyelitic Virus In Human Stools.* James D. Trask, John R. Paul, and Alfred J. Vignec. J. Exp. Med., Jun 1940; 71: 751 - 763.

Ii. Poliomyelitic Virus In Urban Sewage.* John R. Paul, James D. Trask, and Sven Gard J. Exp. Med., Jun 1940; 71: 765 - 777.

Experimental Poliomyelitis In Cercopithecus Aethiops Sabaeus (The Green African Monkey) By Oral And Other Routes.* James D. Trask and John R. Paul. J. Exp. Med., Apr 1941; 73: 453 - 459.

Periodic Examination Of Sewage For The Virus Of Poliomyelitis.* James D. Trask, John R. Paul, and With the Technical Assistance of John T. Riordan. J. Exp. Med., Jan 1942; 75: 1 - 6.

The Skin Infectivity Of Poliomyelitis Virus. James D. Trask and John R. Paul. Science, Jan 1938; 87: 44 - 45.

Poliomyelitic Virus In Sewage. John R. Paul, James D. Trask, and C. S. Culotta. Science, Sep 1939; 90: 258 - 259.

The Detection Of Poliomyelitis Virus In Flies. J. R. Paul, J. D. Trask, M. B. Bishop, J. L. Melnick, And A. E. Casey. Science, Oct 1941; 94: 395 - 396.

Articles Found at ScienceDirect.com

A recent definition of poliomyelitis viruses. Herdis von Magnus, James H. S. Gear and John R. Paul. Virology, Volume 1, Issue 2, July 1955, Pages 185-189.

Recent trends in poliomyelitis research. John R. Paul. The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 11, Issue 5, November 1951, Pages 577-580.

Endemiologic aspects of hepatitis in U. S. troops in Germany 1946–1950. John R. Paul and Horace T. Gardner. The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 8, Issue 5, May 1950, Pages 565-580.

Foreword. John R. Paul. The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 6, Issue 5, May 1949, Pages 535-536 .

JSTOR

CommunicationPoliomyelitis: The Virus, Its Dissemination and Methods of Immunization. John F. Enders; John R. Paul; Thomas Francis, Jr. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-712X%28195504%298%3A7%3C1%3ACPTVID... Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Vol. 8, No. 7 (Apr., 1955), pp. 1-2

Articles from WorldCat™

Infections And Immunity - Comparative Statistical Analyses of the 1916 and 1931 Epidemics of Poliomyelitis in and about the City of New Haven. John R Paul. The Yale journal of biology and medicine. 73, no. 1, (2000): 121. New Haven, CT: Yale Journal of Biology and medicine, Inc. Available at 319 libraries.

Infections And Immunity - The Case For Live Poliovirus Vaccination. John R Paul. The Yale journal of biology and medicine. 73, no. 1, (2000): 159. New Haven, CT:Yale Journal of Biology and medicine, Inc. Available at 319 libraries.

Virology and Epidemiology. Dorothy Millicent Horstmann; Yale journal of biology and medicine. Hamden, CT: Archon Books.[1962. Available at 58 libraries.

Memorial. John R. Paul, M.D. BV White Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, 1972; 83: l-li. From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at 245 libraries.

Serological Epidemiology. John R Paul; Colin White. New York, Academic Press, 1973. Available at 178 libraries.

Paul, John Rodman. American National Biography. v. 17 (1999). Available at Kansas State Library Topeka, KS.

John Rodman Paul : April 18, 1893-May 6, 1971. Dorothy M Horstmann; Paul B Beeson. Washington, D.C. : National Academy of Sciences. 1975. Available at University of Missouri, Columbia Columbia, MO, University of Puget Sound Library Tacoma, WA, Ohio State University Columbus, OH, Columbia University Libraries New York, NY .

John R. Paul and the Definition of Preventive Medicine. AJ Viseltear. The Yale Journal Of Biology And Medicine, 1982 May-Aug; 55(3-4): 167-72. From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at 319 libraries.

Thomas Francis, Jr : July 15, 1900-October 1, 1969. John R Paul. Book Internet Resource. Washington, D.C. : National Academy of Sciences, 1974. Available at University of Missouri, Columbia Columbia, MO, Ohio State University Columbus, OH, Columbia University Libraries New York, NY , University of Puget Sound Library Tacoma, WA.

Symposium on poliomyelitis. John R Paul. American journal of medicine. vol. 6, no. 5, May 1949. New York, York Pub. Co., 1949. Located at University of Illinois, Urbana, ILs; University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA; Yale University Library New Haven, CT; Yale University Medical Library, New Haven, CT.

Poliomyelitis. Robert Debré. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1955. Located at 20 libraries.

Poliomyelitis in British and American troops in the Middle East; the isolation of virus from human feces. John R Paul; United States. Board for the Investigation and Control of Influenza and Other Epidemic Diseases in the Army. Neurotropic Virus Disease Commission. 1943. Located at the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

Susceptibility Of East African Monkeys To Experimental Poliomyelitis. John R Paul; United States. Board for the Investigation and Control of Influenza and Other Epidemic Diseases in the Army. Neurotropic Virus Disease Commission. 1943. Located at National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

A Brief account of Dr. James D. Trask. John R Paul. New York: National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, 1945.

Key word suggestions for additional publication searches: polio, Dorothy M. Horstmann, James D. Trask, seriological epidemiology, Egypt, Alaska, sewage, live poliovirus vaccination, live vaccine.