^ Hi?*-: DtV. 1 \=^iaS I i THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES WiTH&RAWN COUmt:- ^^: f: l\U^M fromi date: •-nl AN ACCOUNT OF THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF ' PHILADELPHIA. BY G. E. DE SCHWEINITZ, A.M., M.D. President of the College. BeprintedfromTnternatioiKtl C/m?o.s, Vol. I., Tinfnty-second Serief<. Copyright, igia, by J. B. LlPPlNCOTT COMPANY, Philadelphia, Pa. library kJS ) AN ACCOUNT ^l^ OF lilX THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHIIADELPHIA BY G. E. DE SCHWEINITZ, A M., M.D. President of The College 1 he (Jrujiii of the College of Physicians, — J^-^"w"Ihof ;3 Presentea Dy ur. KODert AUbe Culltge of PhjsicianS of Loildoil, Lilt tO whoSC W' initiative its foiiiidatic:i is due is not definitely known. Doubtless to more than one man this credit belongs. As early as 1767 John Morgan made proposals to Thomas Penn for the erection of a College of Physicians. These proposals, how- ever, failed to meet with favorable reception and a charter was refused. A number of Philadelphia physicians, who subsequently became Fellows of the College, went, after their graduation from the Medical School of the College of Philadelphia (later the University of Pennsylvania), to Edinburgh for the completion of their studies. It is not unlikely that the success of the society in that city stimu- lated them, as Weir Mitchell suggests, to imitate it here. More- over, these physicians naturally formed friendships with influential men in Scotland and England, and doubtless, in the correspondence which subsequently was carried on between them, the foundation of a College of Physicians was frequently broached. Indeed, Samuel Powell Griffitts, writing in 1783, expressly states that the idea of an American College of Physicians had several times occurred to him. Dr. Puschenberger's researches indicate that the College of Physicians was not actually instituted until September, 1786, the first election of officers having been held in October of the same year. ' "Drawin'i? bv Erwin F. Faher. Photo:;raphs by Joseph N. Pearce. 1 795250 2 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA But tlie first meeting after its full organization, at which nine senior and four junior Fellows were present, did not take place until Jan- uary 2, 1787, and this day, therefore, by common consent, is re- garded as its official birthday. The minutes of this meeting record that the officers of the Col- lege were : President, John Redman ; vice-president, John Jones ; treasurer, Gerardus Clarkson ; secretary, James Hutchinson ; censors, William Shippen, Jr., Benjamin Rush, John Morgan, and Adam Kuhn. " A fair copy " of the constitution was signed by the mem- bers present, and the publication of this constitution in the Pennsyl- vania Packet and Daily Adver- tiser, February 1, 1787, was au- thorized. One month later, at the stated meeting of the College, the secretary reported that the con- stitution had been published as directed. A device for a seal was submitted and, slightly modified, was adopted so as to read non sihi sed toti. The seal was or- dered to be cut with this legend : " Sigillum Collegii Medi- e..rum, Philadelphia Institut., A. D., MDCCLXXXVII." Objects and Composition of the College. — The Constitution of the College of Physicians thus signed, sealed, and published records that " the objects of this College are, to advance the Science of Medicine, and thereby to lessen Human Misery, by investigating the diseases and remedies which are peculiar to our Country, by observing the effects of different seasons, climates, and situations upon the Human body, by recording the changes that are produced in diseases by the progress of Agriculture, Arts, Population, and Manners, by searching for Medicines in our Woods, Waters, and the bowels of the Earth, by enlarging our avenues to knowledge from- the discoveries and publications of foreign Countries ; by appoint- ing stated times for Literary intercourse and communications, and by cultivating order and uniformity in the practice of Physick." This document further directs that the College shall consist of John Redman First President, 1786-1805 THE . COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA ^^M^^^^^;^ William Shippen President from 1805 until 1808 twelve senior Fellows and an in- definite number of junior and as- sociate Fellows ; the senior and junior Fellows to be chosen from physicians who resided " in the City or District of Southwark or Liberties of Philadelphia," and the associates to be selected from " such persons of merit in the profession of medicine " who did not live within these described limits. The senior fellowship of the College was maintained by the ele- vation of juniors within one month after a vacancy was declared. Thus the juniors, in the language of Frederick P. Henry, formed a waiting list, and while they waited doubtless the censors, of whom there were four, as there are now, made sure that there had been no transgression " of good moral character and decent deportment," which Rule 4 prescribed as a sine qua non of eligibility. This distinction between senior and junior Fellows was not long maintained, and the amended form of Constitution adopted jSTovember 6. 17^7 shall consist of Fellow^s and Asso- ciates." This amended Constitu- tion has been signed by every Fel- low of the College since its adop- tion on the date named. Two years after the foundation of the College, Richard Peters signed, by order of the House of Representatives of the Freemen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylva- fiia, An Act for the Incorporation of the College of Physicians, which declares that "the members ol the said College of Physicians be. Adam Kdhn and shall be, a body corporate and president from isos until isis (lirfcts that " the College 4: THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA politic in deed and in name, by the name and style of '^The College OF Physicians of Philadelphia.' " In Philadelphia, on Thurs- day, the 26th of March, 1Y89, this charter was enacted into a law. The name College was chosen with the understanding that it should have tlie same significance it had in Roman law: a number of persons associated together by possession of common functions, i.e., a body of colleagues. Benjamin Push, in the first paper which he read before this collegiate body on February 6, 178Y, said : " By -^-- 'S-^ :^, ^ ^ t ^w=f^^ -■W W'"' .^ , f. t— Hill 1-L r J « Mi FIRST HOME OF THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS IX THE OLD COLLEGE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA assuming the name of a College, we shall first be able to introduce order and dignity into the practice of physic, by establishing incen- tives and rewards for character. Men are generally anxious to preserve the good opinion of those with whom they are obliged to associate. The reception we shall meet with from each other in our meetings will serve to correct or to improve our conduct. And if w'e are as chaste as w^e should be, in the admission of members, a fellowship in our college will become in time not only the sign of ability, but an introduction to business and reputation in physic." THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICLVNS OF PHILADELPHIA 01 o H Z K *j 2 "^ z o a r ^ ..\ V, v|^ 1 11. -J ^ i $ \ iMl ■ — '"■' — ■■ - ' I BR r j^ 6 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHL4. The College never has been a teaching institution in the ordinary sense of that term, nor has it the power to confer degrees. It has the right only to bestow Fellowship and Associate Fellowship npon those who are eligible for these honors and to elect a limited number of Corresponding Members. This Collegium, therefore, is a scien- tific body, and once a month, except during July, August, and September, meetings are held at which papers on medical, surgical, and allied subjects are read and discussed. These communications are published in the Transactions, the hrst volume of which appeared in July, 1793. Between iSTovember, 1841, and January, 1850, three volumes of Transactions were issued, and in November of this year a new series of the summary of the Transactions of the College was begim, and continued until July, 1857. Then an arrangement was made with the American Journal of the Medical Sciences by which papers read before the College were published in that journal and separate copies were supplied for the use of the Fellows. This arrangement continued in force until November, 1874. The first volume of the Third Series of the Transactions was issued in 1875, and the eighth in 1880. Each year since that date a volume of Transactions has been printed.^ The first meetings of the College were held in the old Academy at Fourth and Arch Streets in the afternoon of the first Tuesday in each month. Now the meetings take place on the first Wednesday of each month, July, August, and September excepted, at eight o'clock in the evening. The gatherings of the Fellows of the College have not always been concerned alone with the discussion of scientific matters, but, ^ Other publications of the College during this period have been the follow- ing: ''The Proceedings of the College of Physicians Relative to the Prevention of the Introduction and Spreading of Contagious Diseases," a pamphlet pub- lished in 1798; "Facts and Observations Relative to the Nature and Origin of the Pestilential Fever which Prevailed in this City in 1793, 1797, and 1798/"' a pamphlet published in 1800; Dr. Wistar's Eulogium on Dr. William Shippen, delivered in 1809 and published in 1818; Dr. Rush's Eulogium on Dr. William Cullen, delivered July 9, 1790; "An Essay on the Yellow Fever of 1702 in Philadelphia," by Dr. John Redman, read September 3, 1793, and printed in 1805; "The Charter, Constitution, and By-laws of the College of Physicians," printed privately for the use of the Fellows in 1790, the last edition being that of 1900. Additional publications will be found mentioned in the Bibliography. THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA in the language of Dr. Tjson, '' The College early assumed a g-uar- dianship over the health, safety, and even the morals of the com- munity." The first standing committee, that on Meteorology and Epidemics, was appointed March 6, 1787, and it presented a yearly report until it was abolished in A^ovember, 1882, a period of 95 years. From 1793 until 1798 yellow fever prevailed in Philadelphia. Indeed, from 1793 until 1806 no year was entirely free from its baleful influence. During this period the Fellows of the College were active in their labors, giving freely of their service in attend- ance on the sick and suffering, and of their time in frequent con- ferences among themselves that they might, working in conjunction b THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA with the city aud iState authorities, devise meaus and ways ior checking the progress of the epidemics. Unfortunately, these con- ferences were fai' from harmonious, some of tiie Jb'eilows be- lieving that the disease was of local origin and others that it had been imported, and each faction maintained its opinion in vigorous and often acrimonious debate. fcJo, too, dilferences of opinion arose between the i'ellows and the members of the iioard of Health, espec- ially as to the etiology of the disease, the pathway of contagion, the value of public notihcation and the need of quarantine, in spite of these disturbing elements, much good was accomplished, and all of the i'ellows of the College, no matter what their individual opinions may have been, were untiringly brave in the performance of their duties. Two founders of the College died of the disease, and others were seriously ill. Even as late as 1820, when yellow fever for the last time visited Philadelphia, the College through its committees urged the view which it had adopted originally, namely, that the disease was imported and that it spread by contagion. During the earlier years of its existence the activities of the College pertaining to the maintenance of public health and the im- provement of public morals were noteworthy. For example, its ajDpointment in 1787 of a committee to submit plans for establishing cold and hot baths and a botanical garden for the city ; its consulta- tion with the State Legislature over the spread of infectious dis- eases in 1789 ; its consideration in 1794 of " the regulation of tlie practice of physic within the State," and of the establishment of a quarantine and a hospital for contagious diseases at the request of the various authorities concerned; its work in conjunction with the .Board of Health of the city in the management of the epidemic of cholera in 1788 ; its memorialization of the State Legislature in 1787 and of the Congress of the United States in 1790 on the deleterious effect of alcohol on the human system and the need of laws regulating its consumption; and its important actions in rela- tion to the preparation of the Pharmacopoeia of the United States, begun in 1788. In each decennial revision of this work tlie College has taken an active part. Always ready to maintain proper regulation of animal experi- mentation, the College has been insistent that experiments upon living animals are an absolute necessity in scientific work. In this THE COLLEGE OF PIIYSICLVNS OF PHILADELPHIA 10 THE COLLEGE OF PIIYSICtANS OF PHILADELPHIA respect, especially since 1885, when the College first sent a remon- strance to the Legislature against a bill to prevent such experiments, it has proved to he a veritable research-defence society, with the sole object in view, as Sir William Osier would say, of keeping the field MAIN STAIRWAY WITH STATUE OF .«;SCDLAPIUS, clear for tlie free advance of science in the interests of onr fellow- creatures. Space does not jDermit an elaboration of the important work which the College has performed in its efforts to prevent pollution of the water supply of the city, in its insistence upon the regis- ^IHE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 11 tratiun of births and deaths, in its urging the passage of laws for the inspection of drugs, in its aid in early days in the regenera^ tion of the Board of Health of this city, in its protest in 1855 to the Legislature against a bill the effect of which would have been to put tlie educational interests of the profession into the hands of politicians, and in its labors to stimulate the enactment of laws to lessen the dangers of dispensing poisonous medicines. ENTRANCE TO THE HUTCHINSON RECEPTION ROOM Although in recent years the College in its deliberations has confined itself in largest measure to the discussion of scientific matters, and has shown less inclination than in former times to take an active oificial part in public affairs, doubtless due, as the honorary librarian points out, to the rise in influence in these particulars of the county and State medical societies (and it was largely influential in 1848 in aiding the formation of the Medical Society of Penn- sylvania), it has by no means entirely disregarded them, and from time to time is consulted in these respects. It has been active, for 12 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA example, in discussions relating to tiie registration and reporting of pulmonary tuberculosis, in measures for the regulation of infectious diseases, and in paying sti'ict attention to quarantine laws, it main- tains a representative on the State Quarantine Board who presents a triennial report. The College at present is, as it was in the past, always ready to be consulted and to give advice in matters pertaining to the w'elfare of tlie community. A good example of this is the careful investiga- tion made by a committee appointed by the president of the College, with the authority of its Council, at the request of the Commissioner of Health of the Commonwealtli of Pennsylvania, to consider the propriety of the free distribution by the various county societies of antitetanic serum. To only a few of these public-spirited works of the College has it been possible to make reference. They constitute, as Dr. Stille has said, an imperfect catalogue, but " they indicate the sympathetic interest of the College in whatever concerned the progress and in- terests of medicine and the welfare of the community." The Library. — Of the many achievements of the College, the estab- lishment of its library, which now has a prominent position among the gTeat medical libraries of the world, must take place in the fore- most rank. First formally considered in June, 1788, the library actually began in the donation by Dr. John Morgan of 21 volumes. It is not possible, nor indeed necessary, in this account to record in detail the gTadual acquisition of books, nor to speak of the periods of time when the library was little used, when its development was puny, and its existence was threatened. These have been well described in the communications by Charles Perry Fisher, Dr. James Tyson, and Dr. Frederick P. Henry. ^ At first books came in slowly, the gift of individual Fellows, who also gave money for the purchase of books, and certain sums in this respect were ap- propriated by the College. In 1819 the collection of books had grown of sufficient importance to require a catalogue. Six years later the library of the Kappa Lambda Society was acquired, in 1848 the Otto collection was purchased, and in the next year the library obtained a number of books froin various Fellows, particularly - See first footnote and. bibliography. THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 18 from Drs. Bond, Condie, Parrish, and Wood, and was the recipient of many volumes from Mrs. Moreton Stille. In 1856 the Betton collection was added to its shelves, so that in 1859 the library- contained about 4000 volumes and a number of pamphlets. But, to quote from Mr. Charles Perry Fisher, the most important epoch in the liistory of the library was the foundation of the Lewis Library in 1864, whereby more than 2500 choice volumes in the finest condition were added to the collection. During his life Dr. Lewis gave to this library his constant care and attention, so that at the present time, with the additions which he made and with those made by his many friends, it contains 13,573 volumes. After this period of time the library rapidly increased in size and importance, and from 1882 until 1902 it acquired the libraries of a number of its Pellows, to wit : those of Dr. Charles D. Meigs, Dr. John Porsyth Meigs, Dr. K. M. Bertolet, Dr. Wil- liam P. Jenks, Dr. Samuel D. Gross (this is the library of the Academy of Surgery and was accepted as a permanent deposit), Dr. H. Lennox Hodge, Dr. John P. Weightman, Dr. 1!*T. Archer Randolph, Dr. Jacob M. Da Costa, Dr. John Ashhurst, Jr., Dr. Alfred Stille (the major portion of this library was first deposited in the Lewis collection), and Dr. William P. ISTorris. During this period numerous books were presented by many Pellows, a large collection coming from Dr. T. Minis Hays, and in 1900 nearly 7000 theses and inaugural dissertations were received, and a notable exchange of publications was arranged with foreign universities by the efforts of Dr. W. W. Keen. In the year 1901, with the aid of liberal subscriptions received from Drs. S. Weir Mitchell, John K. Mitchell, and George Pales Baker, the library of the late Dr. J. Stockton Hough, contain- ing 3247 volumes and 2070 pamphlets, many of the books being of the greatest value and interest, was purchased. Soon after, the College received the library of the late Dr. Thomas M. Drysdale and large gifts of books from the Board of Managers of the Ppiscopal Hospital of Philadelphia. Through the efforts of Dr. W. W. Keen, Sir William Osier, and Dr. William Landouzy, 940 inaugural Prench theses were obtained in 1907, and by exchange with the College Transactions 40 or 50 volumes of these Paris theses are yearly added to the shelves. Dr. Keen was also most liberal in 14 THE COLLEGIA OF PHYSICIANS OF PiriLADEEPHIA his donation of a number of exceedingly rare and valuable medical works, among which 21 are incunabula. At the present time there are 165 medical incunabula in the library of the College of Physicians — surely a notable collection. The titles of a few of them that command special interest are: Jacobus Dondus Paduanus. Aggregator Paduaims de medicinis simpli- cibus. [Strasburg, Adolf Rusch (the "R" printer), circa 1470.] Valescus de Taranta. De epidimia et peste. [Circa 1470.] Each of the above books has been credited with being possibly the first medical work printed. Both are extremely rare editions'. Matiieus Silvaticus. Liber pandectaruni niedicinae. [Argentorati, Joh. Mentelin,. circa 1470.] Simon Genuensis. Synonynia medicinse s. clavis sanationis. Mediolani. Zarotus, 1473. [First edition of the first medical dictionary. This book and the one following are the earliest dated books in the library of the College.] Bartiiolom^eus Metlinger. Regiment der jnngen Kinder. [Angslnirg. Zainer 1 1473.] [Second Renaissance contribution to pediatrics.] Benevenutus Grassi. De oculis eorumque egritudinibus et curis. Ferrara, Severinus Ferrariensis, Till [1474]. [First edition of the first book printed on diseases of the eye.] Pedacius Dioscorides Anazarbeits. De materia medica. Colle, de Medem- blich. 1478. [Said to be the first book printed at Colle.] Petrus ^^gidius Corboliensis. Carmina de iirinanim judiciis cum ex- positione Gentilis de Fulgineo. Padua, Matheus Cerdonis de Vindischgretz, 1483. [First edition, very rare.] Paultjs Bagellardits a Flitmine. De infantium a:'gritudinil)us et reme- diis. [Padua] Mathjieus Cerdonis de Vindischgretz, 1487. [Second edition of the first book printed on diseases of children. First edition was published nt Padua in 1472.] Isaac Junius. Tractatus particularibus disetis. [Padua.] IMathsseus Cer- donis de Vindischgretz, 1487. [First edition of the first book printed on diet.] Bernard de Gordon. Practica dicta lilium medicinse. Lyon, 149.5. [First and only edition in French in the fifteenth century.] Johannes Peyxigk. Compendium philosophiie naturalis. Liptzensi. Mel- chiar Letter, 1499. [The first book published with anatomical plates of indi- vidual organs. These plates' of organs were copied from the 1498 edition of Mundinus.] The following are the titles of a few noted books issued after the year 1500, contained in the College collection. Symphorianus CuAMPEaiius. Index librorum in hoc volumine contentorum: Symphoriani Champerii libelli duo. Primus de medicinse claris scriptoribus in quinque partibus tractatus. [Lugduni, 1506.] [The first edition of the first medical biography, also bibliography, published.] Joannes Ketam. Fascicule di raedecina vulgare. [Venetetia, Gregorio de THE COLI.EGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 15 Gregoriis, 1508.] [Only two copies kno\vii of this edition: this and one in the Public Library in Venice-Stockton-Hough, 1900.] Thomas Geminus. Compendiosa totius anatomic delineatio aere exarata. London [Gemini], 1559. [One of the earliest books on anatomy in the English language, dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, and containing what is said to be the first portrait of this Queen.] The following essay is an early imprint of our own country : Thomas Cadwalader. An essay on the West-India dry-gripes. Philadel- phia, B. Franklin, 1745. [One of the rarest American imprints. Tlie only known copy containing two prefaces, one of which was suppressed.] From statistics gathered of the various editions published of the CADWALADER HALL works of Harvey for a paper recently issued by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, there were found to be represented in the various medical libraries in this countiy and in Europe forty-two editions, as follows : Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis 25 Exercitationes duas*** ad Jo. Riolanum 3 Exercitationes de generatione animalium 10 Opera omnia*** 3 Prelectiones analomise universalis I The library of the College of Physicians contains 33 of the 42 noted, including the first edition of the " de motu cordis," 1628 ; 16 THE COL7.EGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA only one other library, the Surgeon-General's Office at Washington, containing as great a number — 33, The library is divided into the General Library, the Lewis Library, the S. D. Gross Library, and the Library of the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia, and the total number of volimies in this collection is 05,S96, to which should be added 8917 unbound theses and dissertations and nearly 90,000 unbound pamphlets. N^aturally, the expense of maintaining so important a collection of books is considerable, and since the commencement of its steady growtli, in 1866, the fixed charges against the library have grown greater year by year. These are met by the income from various library funds established by the generosity of Eellows and friends of the College. Certain special accounts — -for example, funds for completing files of journals, the Journal Association Xew Book Fund, the J. Ewing Mears account, and the S. D. Gross Library account — are also income-bearing, while the income of the George B. Wood fund is utilized for the library supplies. But the Col- lege is fortunate in the generosity of Fellows and other friends, and the good example set so long ago by John Morgan continues. It would not be possible to name all those to whose generosity the growth of the library is so much indebted, but many volumes have come from Drs. S. Weir Mitchell. J. K. Mitchell. Hare, Keen. Packard, Dulles. TTirst, tho late Dr. J. Alison Scott, H. C. Wood. John B. Poberts, and others. Iforeover. the prominent publishing houses of Philadelphia have always l^een most liberal in the pres- entation of books coming from their presses. About 3000 volumes are purchased annually with the funds of the College, and many others are donated by the authors, publishers, and friends to whom reference has been made. It is interesting to note that from 1896 to 1911, 8675 new medical publications in English. French, German, and a few in other languages have been added to the library, and of these 575 were written or edited by Fellows of the College. The current literature of the day in all modern languages is represented by periodical publications, and at this time the total num- ber of such periodical publications received is 1203. The libraiy is free, and is open to any one who is interested in the vohimes Avhich rest npon its shelves. Onlv Fellows have the THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 17 privilege of taking boolvs from the building, but to any one intro- duced by a Fellow the same privilege is granted. The advantages of the library are freely utilized ; for example, in 1908, more than 12,000 visitors were registered and nearly 23,000 books were consulted. It is unnecessary, as Dr. Henry says, to add to this statement to prove that the College of Physicians possesses a real working library. Its great influence is evident, and it has done much to maintain the well-known literary reputation of the pro- fession of this citv in medical matters. THOMSON ROOM The Homes of the College of Physicians. — Since the institution of the College on the 2d of January, 1Y87, until its removal to its present splendid quarters, five homes have sheltered the members of its guild and housed the treasures of its library. These abodes, in the language of Dr. Tyson,^ were, first, the Academy building on Fourth Street for nearly five years ; second, the hall of the Philosophical Society for nearly fifty-three years ; third, the Mer- Transaetions of the College of Physicians, Third Series, vol. xxx, 1908, p. 226. 18 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIAXS OF PHILADELPHIA cantile Library for seven years; fourth, the Picture House in the Pennsylvania Plospital grounds for eleven years, and, fifth, its OAvn hall at Thirteenth and Locust Streets from March, 1863, until JSTovember 10, 1909, when it moved into its present quarters, ordi- narily known as the 'New Hall of the College of Physicians. As the College increased in influence and membership, it became evident that new surroundings were necessary, and the first building fund was established !N"ovember 2, 1849, a mem- orable date in its history. On December 18, 1861, the College determined to begin the construction of the building at Thirteenth and Locust Streets, which was completed and occupied for the first time in March, 1863, The great generosity of Dr. George B. Wood in the erection of this, the first building specially designed for the College of Physicians, must never be forgotten. Here the College remained until TsTovember, 1909, but fur a long time prior to its removal it was evident that these quarters in the old ivy-twined building, loved and interesting as they were, could no longer adequately store the ever-increasing library nor accommodate the various meetings which took place within its walls. It would not be profitable to describe the various plans which were proposed before finally it was decided to purchase the lot upon which the present College building stands. These discussions lasted for a period of eight years, and after the institution of a third building fund on January 21, 1903 (a second building fund had been begun on April 7, 1875), the lot on 22d Street above Chestnut was pur- chased on May 29, 1903. The corner-stone of the new building was laid by Weir ]\ritchell on April 29. 1908, and the building was completed and occupied on ISTovember 10 and 11. 1909, and dedicated with impressive ceremonies, lasting for two days.* The erection of this building was in largest measure due to the unselfish and untiring activity of the Funds Committee,^ to the liberal contributions of the Fellows, and particularly to the energy ^ The arranfjenients of the ceremonies of dedication were siiccessfiilly cairied out by a committee composed of Dr. Charles' H. Frazier (chairman). Dr. George W. Norris, Dr. T. Mellor Tyson, the President and Vice-President of the College. ^ The committee to collect funds was composed of Dr. S. ^IcC. Hamill (chair- man), Drs. T. G. Ashton, J. H. Girvin. D. Braden Kyle, David Riesman, Alfred Stengel, G. C. Stout, C. H. Frazier. and the Vice-President of the College. THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 19 20 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIAXS OF PTTILADELPHIA and generosity of Dr. S. Weir ^litcliell. The contributions thus received, together with the splendid donation of Mr. Andrew Carnegie and the generous financial aid given by Mrs. Frederick Penfield, ^Irs. S. Weir Mitchell, Mr. Clement Griscom, Mr. Dunwoody, Mr. Clement Newbold, Mr. W. W. Frazier, Mr. C. C. Harrison, Mr. Frederick Vanderbilt, Mr. Eckley B. Coxe, Jr., and manv others, whose names VESTIBULE LEADING TO MITCHELL HALL WITH DOORS LEADING TO ASHHURST AND NOKKIS ROOMS are gratefully recorded in the Transdcfions/' furnished enough of the needed funds to authorize the Building Committee " to proceed with the erection of the 'New Hall, and to spend the sum of money that was indicated as necessary by the plans presented by the archi- tects, ]\ressrs. Stewardson and Jamieson. So satisfactory was the work of this committee that in liis final report its efficient secre- * Transactions of the College of Physicians, Third series, vol. xxxi, lOOf). This volume also contains a full account of the exercises on the occasion of the dedication of the New Hall of the College of Physicians. '' The Buiklintf Committee was composed of Drs. James C. ^^'ilson. George B. McClellan, J. K. Mitchell, Richard H. Harte, Frederick P. Henry, William J. Taylor, and the President and Vice-President of the College. THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 21 tary, Dr. William J. Taylor, was able to exhibit a balance on the credit page of his ledger. Not only was the building erected accord- ing to the plans draA\ni by the architects and accepted by the Fel- lows of the College, but with the aid of liberal subscriptions from friends and Fellows of the College the various halls presently to be referred to were furnished in an eminently satsifactory manner. Such indebtedness as remained was neutralized by the generosity of Mr. Edward Stotesbury, in the presentation of a large sum of ASHHURST ROOM CONTAINING CARD CATALOGUE, INCUNABULA, AND REFERENCE BOOKS money, given, to use his own words, '' to relieve the College from debt and leave it free to pursue its career of honorable usefulness," The New Hall of the College of Physicians.— Thus it came about that the sixth home of the College of Physicians was erected and occupied. Speaking of this new hall, the Vice-President of the College, addressing the secretary of the Building Committee on the day of presentation, said : " On behalf of the President and of- ficers, and in the name of the Fellows of the College, T have the honor to accept this home, of mark beyond all others, to accept it with pride in the nobility of its structure, with satisfaction in the 22 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA iunplitiidc of its uiiTivalled equipment, and with rejoicing in the completion of its brave and generous plans." It is a home of which the College and its Fellows may well 1)C proud, as indeed may be the citizens of the city of Philadelphia. It affords ample space for the library, it provides the Fellows with adequate read- ing rooms, it contains large halls suitable for lectures and for regular meetings, not only of the College of Physicians, but of other scien- tific societies which are accommo- dated within its walls, and it con- tains the splendid collection of the ]\riitter ]Museum, composed of •INCUNABULA RARJ: MEDICAL;BOOKS AND CARD. CASE CORNER OF ASHHURST ROOM anatomical and other specimens, as well as the offices of the Direc- tory of Nurses and those used by the librarian and his staff of as- sistants. The style of architecture is English, of about the end of the seventeenth century, the material is dark-red brick laid Flemish bond, with basement cornices, pilasters, and other trimmings of Indiana limestone. The building itself has a frontage of 108 feet and a depth of 150 feet, and stands upon a lot of ground 130 feet front by 180 feet deep, a lot, therefore, of sufficient size to permit the building to be placed at a considerable distance from the street line on all sides. At the street line is a low brick wall with ]ua;h THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 23 brick posts and an iron railing between them. Through the liberality of friends and patients of the late Dr. John Forsyth Meigs, and under the supervision of Dr. John K. Mitchell, the area between the railing and the building proper has been planted with shrubbery and grass. Owing to the great generosity of Mr. Eckley B. Coxe, Jr., certain unsightly buildings in the neighborhood of the Col- lege, to wit, a large stable and three mean houses, have been acquired by the College. These have been razed to the gi-ound, and on the space thus gained there will be erected in the near future a memorial to the late vice-president of the College, Dr. Wharton Sinkler. To accommodate the library the bookstack was erected, which consists of seven tiers and has a capacity of 300,000 volumes. Al- though fireproof construction is used throughout, this stack is cut off from the rest of the building by fire doors, and is provided with wire glass windows in metal frames, the windows being pro- tected by rolling steel fire shutters. The front vestibule and main hallway and staircase are floored and wainscoted with Vennont marble of different shades. The reception hall of the first story is wainscoted to the ceiling with " silver ava," a light gray wood, having been selected with a view to harmonizing with the marbles in the adjoining hall. On the right of the vestibule are the ofiices of the l^urses' Directory, and on the left the superintendent's ofiice, beyond which, opening to the left, is the Hutchinson recep- tion room, provided by the de- scendants of Dr. James Hutchin- son, and the family of the late Dr. James H. Hutchinson. A broad stairway leads from the first fioor upwards, and at its head stands the splendid statue of ^sculapius, a replica of the one in the Vatican, the gift of Dr. CORNER OF ASHHURST ROOM 24 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICLINS OF PHILADELPHIA Kicliard H. Jdarte, treasurer of the (Joliege. Beyond, reached by two shorter stairways, is the large vestibule leading iuto the luouu- mental hall which occupies the front portion of the second story. This is the meeting place of the Jb'ellows of the College and is also a portrait gallery, for upon its walls hang the portraits of the for- mer presidents and vice-presidents of the College. This hall, named Mitchell Hall, in honor of Weir Mitchell, was furnished by the generosity of many friends and h ellows of the College, and partic- ularly by the active interest of Dr. John K. Musser. It has oak wainscoting, pilasters, a deeply cohered, plastered ceiling, and a seating capacity of 500. its proportions, design, and decorations combine to make this a hall of great dignity and beauty. Trom its eastern end doors lead into the Ashhurst and oNorris rooms, and at the upper end on each side are the entrances to the Wood and Packard rooms. The former was furnished by the Wood family and contains a marble bust of Dr. George B. Wood, the gift of Messrs. Craige, Walter, and J. Bertram Lippincott, and a bronze bust of Dr. Horatio C. Wood, the gift of Messrs. George Wood and George Wood Bacon, its walls being lined with the mahogany book shelves of the late Dr. George B. Wood. The latter was furnished by the brothers of the late Dr. I rederick A. Packard, and in it the Library Committee holds its monthly meetings. In the lower hall to the right and left are respectively the Thomson and the Cadwalader rooms, the first furnished by the children, nephew, and nieces of the late Dr. William Thomson, and the second by Mrs. S. Weir Mitchell. On each side of the head of the stairway are respectively the Norris and Ashhurst rooms, the first furnished in memory of Dr. William T. j^orris, by his chil- dren, and by Mr. Charles Norris and Dr. G. E. de Schweinitz, and the second furnished by Dr. Kichard H, Harte in memory of the late Dr. John Ashhurst, Jr. The Norris room contains the periodicals, and upon its shelves, suitably lighted, more than 1200 current periodicals are placed. Also here may be seen many rare editions of old medical works. The Ashhurst room contains the card catalogue and the bound volumes of the most important and actively used medical journals, the only books which are not in the bookstack. In each of these rooms the walls are hung with numerous prints, engravings, photographs and THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA ZO pictures. Beyond the stairway in the lower liall is the Miitter Museum and its splendid collection. This room is furnished with an iron gallery around three sides, so as to give a large amount of wall space for cases. An important feature of this new hall of the College of Physi- cians is the private study room. A large number of these rooms are provided on the second and mezzanine floors, and here the Fellows of the College may work free from interruption and surround them- NORRI8 BOOM, CONTAINING CURRENT PERIODICAiS selves with the volumes which they require in their special researches. The Cadwalader and Thomson rooms are utilized by various scientific societies, to which they are rented by the Hall Committee of the College ; for example, the County Medical Society, the Patho- logical Society, the jSTeurological Societj^, the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, the Obstetrical Society, and the various Sections of the College itself. Opening from the left of the northern end of the Hutchinson 26 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIAXS OF PHILADELPHIA receptioiL room is the entrance to the Gross Library, furnislied by the Gross family, its handsome bookcases being the gift of JJr. J. Ewing Mears; in this room take place the meetings of the Council of the College. The entire equipment of the building, insofar as heating, lighting, ventilating, vacuum cleaning, pneumatic tubes, electric lifts, and intercommunicating telephone system are con- cerned, represents the latest and most approved designs. A large kitchen in the basement makes it possible to give the official dinners of the College in the New Hall. Provisions for these dinners and other social functions arise from the income of the Weir Mitchell Entertainment Eund. To two adjuncts of the College of Physicians only a brief refer- ence has been made, and therefore a word in regard to them fol- lows: In 1849, at the instigation of Dr. Isaac Parrish, a cabinet of pathological specimens was established, and later a curator was elected and a committee on the museum was appointed. This mu- seum, after thirteen years of healthy gTowth, was united with the Miitter collection. Dr. Miitter first offered his museum to the College in 1856, but for various reasons the agreement which constituted the transfer was not signed until December, 1858. The various terms of the bequest were carried out as carefully as possible by the Col- lege, and for this splendid collection of specimens, casts, oil paint- ings, water-colors, etc., special quarters were provided in the build- ing at Thirteenth and Locust Streets, where it remained until it was transferred to its present situation in the jS^ew Hall. Xot only did Dr. Miitter present his museum to the College, but with it came a handsome endowment, and the legacy provides for the appoint- ment once in three years of a lecturer who shall discourse on some subject connected with surgical pathology. The first lecture was delivered March 2, 1864, by Dr. John Packard, and since then this post has been occupied by many distinguished surgeons and pathol- ogists, among whom may be mentioned Dr. Harrison Allen, Dr. John H. Brinton, Dr. S. D. Gross. Dr. E. O. Shakespeare, and Dr. George W. Crile. The museum itself, under the able management of the com- mittee in charge of it, has gl•o^^^l to fine proportions. The Hyrtl collection of human skulls and preparations by erosion, and the Politzer ear specimens, are among its most notable possessions. THE COLT.EGE OF PIIYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 27 28 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF IMIILADELPIIIA The museiuii is open to all research students, medical students, and physicians under proper regulations, and is constantly visited by those whose investigations require the study of its specimens. At the suggestion of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, a Directory for Nurses was organized and its first office opened in May, 1882. The income of this directory has usually been in excess of its needs, and there- fore its committee has been able to add materially to the funds required in otlier portions of the College, notably to those of the THE BOOK STACK library. The fee formerly asked for furnishing a nurse is now abolished, and, in the language of Dr. Mitchell, the Directory is as free as is the library. Its great use can be described in a sentence, namely, that since 1882 nearly 50,000 requests for trained nurses have been received by its directors. The College of Physicians administers two prize funds, from the income of which are awarded the Alvarenga Prize and the N"athan TiCwis Hatfield Prize. The first of these funds was given THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 29 to the College by the late Pedro Francisco Da Costa Alvarenga, of Lisbon, Portugal, who was an Associate Fellow of the College, and the income is awarded to the successful competitor, who may ^\'rite on any subject in medicine, by a committee yearly appointed. The deed of trust of the ISTathan Lewis Hatfield Memorial Fund is administered by three trustees, and the income, w^hich must never be less than $500, is awarded by a committee appointed triennially PRIVATE STUDY ROOM by the president of the College to an essay which must represent original research in medicine. Since the foundation of the College on January 2, 1787, 935 Fellows, 91 American Associate Fellows, 51 Foreign Associates, and 8 Corresponding Fellows have been elected. The roll-call at the present time is : Eesident Fellows, 404 ; ISTon-resident Fellows, 27 ; Foreign Associate Fellows, 20 ; Corresponding Fellows, 4 ; making, counting 4 whose dues have been remitted, a total of 504. The monthly scientific meetings have gro^^^^ in importance, 30 THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA aud during each year between thirty and forty communications are presented on the floor of the College. The average attendance has steadily increased, and as Fellows are permitted to invite physicians not members of the College, the audience is always an inspiring one. Two years ago the College established a series of lectures on " Great Doctors and Achievements in Medical Research," to which not only all physicians are invited, but prominent citizens of the municipality. These lectures have served to educate the public and to demonstrate to the citizens of this community how important is the influence of this gi*eat institution. In 1910 the Weir Mitchell Lectures of the College of Plivsicians wove created. Distinsruished MEDAL STRUCK ON THE DEDICATION OF THE NEW HALL OF THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS. DESIGNED BY PROFESSOR H. MC KENZIE, OF PHILADELPHIA lecturers, usually from a distant point, are invited, exactly as they are under the auspices of the Harvey Society of ISTew York, and among these lecturers of the last year liave been Arthur E. Cushny of London, Edmund Wilson of Columbia University, Svante Arrhenius of Stockholm, and William T. Porter of Harvard. As constituted at present, the aft'airs of the College are admin- istered by the following officers : President, vice-president, four censors, a secretary, treasurer, and honorary librarian. The Council of the College, composed of the officers named, the chairman of the eight standing committees, and six elective councillors, has supervision of the affairs of the College and executive capacity to act upon and dispose of any business referred to it by resolution of THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF PHILADELPHIA 31 the College, specifying power to act. The Council reports its decision upon all matters referred to it by the College for such opinion, and submits from time to time such suggestions as it shall believe to be adapted to promote the objects for which the College was instituted. It receives the monthly reports of the various standing and special committees and makes a monthly report at each stated meeting of the College. Tt passes upon the names of all those proposed for Fellowship. The standing committees are these: Publication, Library, Miitter Museum, Hall, Directory for T^urses, Finance, Entertainment, and Scientific Business. In his inaugural address the first president of this College of Physicians prayed that wisdom, prudence, discretion, and judgment would be granted unto the Fellows to conduct their affairs to good effect and useful purposes, and prayed further that those who heard him and that those who were to follow in their footsteps would publicly and privately serve their generation. This we believe they have done, and we know that the College of Physicians has been a great good in this city, in this country, and in all that pertains to the advancement of medical science in all lands. BIBLIOGRAPHY Of the establishment and history of the College of Physicians of Philadel- phia a number of notable accounts have been written and published, to wit: " An Accovmt of the Institution of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia," by Dr. W. S. W. Ruschenberger, its president from 1879 until 1883 {Transac- tions of the College of Physicians, Third Series, vol. ix, 1887) ; "Reminiscences of the College of Physicians," by Dr. Alfred Stillg, its president from 1883 until 1884 {Transactions of the College of Physicians, Third Series, vol. ix, 1887) ; " A Commemoration Address on the Occasion of the Centennial Anniversary of the Institution of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia," by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, its president from 1886 until 1889. and from 1892 until 1895 {Trans- actions of the College of Physicians, Third Series, vol. ix, 1887) ; "An Account of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 1788 to 1906," by Charles Perry Fisher, for a number of years' its assistant librarian, and at present librarian and superintendent of the building {Transactions of the College of Physicians, Third Series, vol. xxviii, 1906) ; "Early Medical Libraries in America, Being an Account of the Origin and Growth of the Libraries of the Pennsylvania Hospital and of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia," by Dr. Francis' R. Packard, a member of the Library Committee {Medical Library and Historical Jotirnal, June, 1907); "The College of Physicians of Philadel- phia," by Dr. J. Norman Henry, a member of the Hall Committee ("Founder's Week Memorial Volume," Philadelphia, 1908); "The College of Physicians of .32 THE COLLEGK 0¥ PTIYSTCTAXS OF PTIILADELPHIA Philadelphia," by Dr. W. W. Keen, its president from 1900 until 1902 [British Medical Journal, October 10, 1909); "Address on the Dedication of the New Hall of the College," by Dr. James Tyson, its president from 1907 until 1910 (Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Third Series, vol. xxxi, 1909); "Historical Sketch of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia," by Dr. Frederick P. Henry, its honorary librarian (Neio York Medical Journal, November 13, 1909) ; "Additional Facts and Observations relative to the Nature and Origin of the Pestilential Fever," Philadelphia, 1806; "Address from a Special Committee to the Medical Societies of the United States concerning the Dangers to which the Country is exposed by the Ineffectual Methods of Quar- antine at its Ports," 1887; Centennial Celebration — "Catalogue of Loan Col- lection of Portraits," 1887; "Draught of the Pharmacopoeia," prepared by Drs. Hewson, Wood, and Bache, as a Committee of the College of Physicians, 2 vols., 1831; "Medico-legal Report on the Schoeppe Murder Trial," 1869; "Report to the Board of Health on Epidemic Cholera," 1832; the articles mentioned in the first footnote. Necessarily it is from these sources that the material for this sketch has been derived, and from them, too, many statements have been quoted. This narrative also includes certain events of more recent occurrence and a few facts not previously published. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY k ^-- .. Los Angeles •% V ^ This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. "-■ ^ ^ Form L9-6m-3, '54(3446)444