Hans Kraus, M.D. (#345)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers, 1961-1993
At the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Series Description
 

Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1961-1993 [bulk dates 1961-1963]
Physician; physical therapist; mountaineer, alpinist. Medical records, notes and other materials documenting Dr. Kraus' treatment of President John F. Kennedy.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
According to the deed of gift signed March 2006, copyright of these materials has been retained by the donor. Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excesses of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from Madi Kraus of New York, NY, in March 2006 (Acc. 2006-029).

Extent
About 80 items (3 linear inches ; 0.25 cubic foot).

Date Opened
April 2006.

Finding Aid Prepared by
James M. Roth.

Revisions
Finding aid updated in March 2008 by Jaimie Quaglino.

Related Collections
John F. Kennedy Personal Papers, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
  

Personal Papers of Hans Kraus (1905-1996)

Biographical Note
Hans Kraus was born November 28, 1905 in Trieste, Austria. He attended the University of Vienna Medical School in the 1920s, becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Kraus’s first marriage to Susanne Simon (late 1930s, pre-1938) ended in divorce (1950s). In 1938 the Kraus family fled to the United States where they settled in New York. Kraus became a U.S. citizen in 1945. In 1959 Kraus married Madi Springer-Miller, a champion skier and the first woman to ski the "Lip" of Tuckerman's Ravine on Mount Washington, NH. They had two daughters, Ann and Mary.

Based on his research during the 1940s at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, Dr. Kraus first made the connection between exercise and health. He campaigned for better physical exercise programs for children, and his studies on children led to President Eisenhower's establishing the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In collaboration with Dr. Sonja Weber, Dr. Kraus developed an understanding of the underlying causes of back pain and devised the K-W Test and exercises to alleviate it. It was this specialty that brought him to the White House in 1961, when President Kennedy’s back was in constant pain and he had to use crutches when not in public. Dr. Eugene Cohen, President Kennedy’s endocrinologist, suggested bringing in Dr. Kraus, a noted orthopedic specialist, to consult and treat the President. He tested President Kennedy in late 1961, and for the next two years, Dr. Kraus prescribed a regimen of twice daily exercises that the President performed in addition to his swimming. By October 1963, President Kennedy’s back was determined to be in the best shape it had ever been and his overall health had improved as well. Dr. Kraus was the associate professor emeritus of clinical physical medicine and rehabilitation at the New York University Medical College, New York City, until he retired in 1973. Recognized as the father of sports medicine in the United States, he was the author of numerous scientific articles and books on musculoskeletal and athletic injuries. Hans Kraus died on March 6, 1996 in New York City.

Biographical note based on Wikipedia.com

Collection Overview
The papers of Hans Kraus consist of medical records documenting Dr. Kraus' treatment of President John F. Kennedy’s back pain.

List of Series
Series 1. Medical File: K, 1961-1993

Series Description

Series 1. Medical File: K, 1961-1993.
About 80 items.
Arrangement: chronological by date.

This series consists of medical records, correspondence, notes and other materials regarding Dr. Hans Kraus' treatment of President John F. Kennedy’s back pain. The file documents Dr. Kraus’ diagnosis and prescribed exercise regimen for President Kennedy over the course of two years. Some material also relates to the establishment of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. There are also several letters and greeting cards sent from Mrs. Evelyn Lincoln during the 1990s and a few news clippings related to the President’s health. Note that the original folder was labeled “K.” To better access the material, the collection was arranged into five folders. The original chronological order of the materials has been retained.