Drexel University College of Medicine - Medic Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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sickness, anc prac lC21 I' . g Homeopathic Hospital of Pennsylvania o11 April 20, 1850. In 1852 a staff was Organized, a large building o11 Chestnut Street near the Schuylkill was leased and a lllhlllllll became 11ot a dream but an actuality. Vincent L. Bradford vv is elected president of the hospital board, and at its opening spoke: Let, then 'ill those who regard l1o111eopatl1y witl1 favor unite in the support of a cl1ar1t1ble establislnnent in which it shall at once be applied to the removal of pain ind l t' llv tauvht to a large succession of learners who in aftel clilluse its benefits far and wide. Two years later, however. tl1e hospital life will was forced to close its doors for want of support, its property and funds being given to the Soldiers' Hospitals during tl1e Civil XVar. Manx ellorts to organize a new hospital proved futile until on September 9, 1862, a XVO1llZlI1'S association for tl1e nianagenrent of a hospital was forn1ed. These ladies started a hospital in the rear of tl1e college building for wounded and sick fm C age Tee- .--fvebf, if :ff . g ': - Vi- 1-2 fZifLi?g?35'ie-Sli?-'e'yi'? '' 'l' LHP' 'I-. -.1 su ' Z fl f'M1aea.11f. ff Lai.-dgigsgT5?: ..- 5511ni-1' my jst x in -rf -24 . m l .1 X 1 '---4-.11f1e-was-. 11 1' ' EE 1P 'l E? 1r '1-'ll- w lll in EE i nu la il - .- 1 1. ll il T il ' lllllllllll Le' T 1 Q' 13 ll 111111111 ff 1 - ' E l 1 : 'rl F 'F l'1 l 1: -- T 11 1 ll all ill 551- if ' - si -- 1. 1 11 M 'V A1 1 R N- ' 1 . ll 1 E .1l1i 1-if M ll 1 1, :1 1'glf'L,L,1 . -f- 1 as I 2 ' -I 1' 'lv 2 .1 1 11 ... ll' , ll 1 ' Q 531' ul 11 -1 I Lau: - 11 ' sc. 1111ll11+1e ...s Ls- 1 im - ' 'f ' 1 111 11 1 1 1 - '1' C- iiillli 1 Q Q tm 1 -1 Q 1 1 li, lillllil l i 'i 1' ' ll ll ll El! 1. i I ll lu 11 li 1-Hill ll I ll Ill U' ' 'll 1 ll .45 .il 1 1 111111111 ,sa ...Q 1 L 1 1 IL we-- ' liil ' l1,1l1'f S. :alll 1, ..1 ll 1 it if sfefi i nl Il 'Il ' lm I ml JU 1 U 1. v,-T ,I ig 11 :.1,,,, 1. .. I, lu 5 . 1111 , , UU i f - ll-l ', 5 - ug p ln III' 1 1 ll S3 ji -Jlg ' 11 '1-- 1 ' -,:f '-S 1, 1 ---Lf.. ?'T.--- 5:-2,541-.iff f , q ugmn2 glial-.. ,Al llil ,, ,.11 'G-' Y7:.f-- 4- ,i,cJ', qW,,,,B.,1q1-1 'if-ff 'f ' ff soldiers. To this institution canre inanv who had been discharved uncurecl ronr . D I.'nited States Arnry Hospitals. But after tl1e war this hospital was also forced to close its doors. 1 The need for clinical material and increased facilities became 1nore and more apparent in order to keep the college open. And so i11 1869 the faculty held a fair in the Horticultural l-lall, the proceeds to be used for the construction of a hospital. Seventeen thousand dollars was raised at this ti111e. ln 18711 a property on Filbert Street was purchased and a hve-story brick hos- pital was erected on this property. During the early eigl1tee11 seventies we note some contention between rneinbers of the Hospital Corporation and the faculty. lVe hnd tl1e Hospital Corporation at this time endeavoring to keep tl1at institu- tion separate from the college. and the contending wish of tl1e faculty to erect an anrphitheatre to pernrit of adequate clinical instruction. This condition gave way eventually to the present corporate title. 18

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College History HGOOD luck to you in the land of liberty, where you can do all that is good without let or hindrance. These were the words written to Doctor Constantine Hering by Hahnemann in 1833. P The following year, Doctors Hering, jeans and XVllll8I'I1S0ll founded and incor- porated the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, endowed with the privilege of conferring upon its graduates the degree of Doctor of Homeopathic Medicine. And thus was founded the first medical college of its kind in the world. However, there had been a previous institution at Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the teaching of I-Iomeopathy, also founded by Hering, but this school was more in the nature of a post-graduate course for those already graduates in medicine. In the fall of 1848 the rear of a building at 22Q Arch Street was leased and the doors of the first homeopathic college were opened, a single course of lectures being given. The faculty this first year consisted of nine, while tl1e class boasted of fifteen members. Without a doubt few of tl1e courses we are now burdened with bothered the first yea-1' men in those days. They never heard of Chandler's Organic Chemistry and yet they all became successful practitioners. The next year an old church building on Filbert Street, between Eleventh and Twelfth Streets, served as a college. The college faculty was increased as well as the number of students. So that we find at the second commencement, on March 2, 1850, held in the Music Fund Hall, twenty students on the list of graduates. Those who first founded the college had also in mind a dispensary where students would be enabled to put the theories of homeopathy into practice. The Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County granted a charter to tl1e 17

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In 1867 we find Doctor Lippe wishing the abolition of tl1e Chair of Special Pathology and Diagnostics, tl1en l1elcl by Doctor Raue, giving as his reason the belief that Sllllll instruction was contrary to pure hon1eopathy. Tl1is state of affairs finally led to the withdrawal of Dr. Hering a11cl other members of the faculty and the founding of The Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia by Doctor Hering. For a time both colleges re111ai11ecl in existence. The Mwlicnl Imfc'slz'gnlor for August, 1867, mentions the older institution, and with con- siderable SHYCZISIII adds that It offers to give a thorough medical education taught by only seven professors. During 1868-69 the relations between the two rival colleges were anything but cordial. I11 1869, through so111e delicate politics. a ccmtrolling share of the stock in the old college passed into the hands of Doctor Hering a11cl a u11ion once 111ore was effected a11cl tl1e rivalry ceased. At this time it was decided that the new name should stand as a tribute to the founder of homeopathy. And so o11ce again there was united strength for the advancement of their common principles. At this time we f111cl Hahnemann Medical College pioneering a three-year medical course. Again i11 1880 we find the contention between the college a11cl hospital once more acute, and the facilities and equipment of both institutions inadequate a11cl obsolete. Negotiations were again in order and the task of constructing a new hospital and college appeared on the horizon. Setback after setback occurred, but finally and largely through the generosity of the faculty. in September, 1883, the sum of S1o3.666.67 was paid for a piece of ground lying between Broad and Fifteenth Streets, above Race Street. In tl1e fall of 1884 the erection of a new college building was begun. lVork continued fora period of two years, and in September, 1886, the new college was dedicated. Through the efforts of Dr. A. R. Thomas. who served for twenty- seven years as Professor of Anatomy, and for twenty years as Dean of the College, and to whom college a11cl hospital alike owe an eternal debt of gratitude, the new 150-bed hospital was opened in 1890. The establislnnent of these two modern buildings placed HZll1Il6Ill3I1l1 i11 the front rank of medical colleges a11cl assured for all ti111e tl1e IJCYIIIZIIICIII founding of honieopathy in the United States. Four years after the ope11i11g of the new hospital the medical roster was extended to a four-year course. Then Hahnemann was once again in the loregrouncl. These two institutions achninistered to the sick for forty years. But eventually, as is always the case. these institutions once again began to feel old age creeping upon tl1e111. Again history repeated itself and negotiation after negotiation was again made. The success of these negotiations now stands as a memorial reaching to tl1e sky, ad111inisteri11g daily to fllC 11eecls of the lame, the halt and the blind. YVhile in the renovated old hospital building is 11ow teniporarily housed the medical college. And so throughout the history of The Hahnemann Medical College and Hos- pital of Philadelphia we hnd the 5211116 progressive spirit. A spirit wl1icl1 cannot and will not die. 19