Medical College of Virginia - X Ray Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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Soon the Civil War erupted, and the College found itself playing an important role in the education of Confederate surgeons and in the hospital care of wounded and sick military personnel. One of the most noteworthy of the faculty contri- butions was that of Dr. James B. IVicCaw, who had lately joined the College as professor of chemistry. He organized the Chimborazo Hospital and served as surgeon-in-charge and commandant until he had the unhappy duty of surrendering the facility to federal control. Chimborazo, reputed to have been the largest military hospital ever organized until that time, treat- ed 76,000 sick and wounded soldiers during the four years of the war. The College was the only medical school in the Confederacy, still in existence, which graduated a class during each of the war years. During this period, approximately one third of those enrolled were grad- uated. Many soldiers assigned as hospital stewards had completed a year ' s work under a preceptor, or at another medical school, and while stationed in an; around Richmond took advantage of the opportunity to attend lectures and complete work for their medi- cal degrees. The class of 1862 included Dr. Simon Baruch, who has been quoted as having been amazed at being sent out to do major surgery without ever having lanced a boil. School of Pharmacy. An admirable opportunity is now offered to PharMACEUTI- , CAL Students and Druggist ' s Clerks to acquire an accurate ; knowledge of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, aiid of : Chemistry and Pharmacy, by attending the Lectures, delivered in the MEDICAL COLLEGE OF VIRGINIA, beginning Oct. ist, and closing in June; when, after passing a satisfactory exami- nation, the applieant will receive a DiPLOWfA, which will hold good in every State in the Union. By reference to the Schedule of Lectiires, it will be seen that the lectures on these subjects are consecutive, saving niuch time and trouble. ' ■ Fee FOR the Course, $50 ; Graduation Fee, $15, ]. B. McGAVi ' , Z?«wi. : Although pharmacy was taught from the beginning, authority for the granting of a de- gree was not granted until January 22, 1879, when by action of the General Assembly, the charter was amended to permit the College to confer the degree of graduate in pharmacy upon such candidates as-having completed two full courses of lectures on materia medi- ca, therapeutics, and on chemistry and phar- macy, and having been thoroughly examined by them and complied with such regulations as may be adopted by the faculty-shall be deemed worthy of distinction. The first graduates of the school of pharmacy were John E. Morris, James V. Ramos, and Charles J. Winfree all of Richmond. Thus the College began its program which was to ultimately include education for all the recognized health professions.

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COLLEGE BECOMES A STATE INSTITUTION Old Dominion Hospital The catalog for the session 1860-1861 tells of the first hospital building. Pa- tients had been housed within the Col- lege buildings since the beginning, but there had not been a separate hospital. In issuing this yearly announcement, the faculty feel they have cause to con- gratulate themselves and the friends of the institution, upon its position and prospects, resulting from the recent pas- sage of an Act of the Assembly, appro- priating the sum of $30,000 for its bene- fit. The Act further provides that before payment of the sum appropriated a deed conveying all the property of the College to the Literary Fund should be prepared by the Attorney General and approved by the Governor of the State, and exe- cuted by the College authorities. acknowledged and duly recorded. The Board of Visitors, at a meeting held on the 14th of March last, accepted the provisions of this Act, and gave the necessary authority for the execution of the deed. This measure has since been consummated, and the Medical College of Virginia is now not merely under the patronage of the State, but under its absolute ownership and control. The new hospital, referred to until 1893 as the College Infirmary, was built at a cost of $22,336,57 and opened in April, 1861. The building was brick, three stories in height exclusive of base- ment, and had a bed capacity of 80. The dean ' s report stated, There is a bath- room with water closets adjacent on each floor. The building is lighted by gas and heated by means of furnaces.

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1882 isis came in 1882 when Gt Wm. Cameron of the Readjuster regime decided to readjust the Board of Visitors by appoint- ing a new Board, appointing to it only two mem- bers of the old board, Dr. Lewis Wheat and the Right Reverend Francis M. Whittle, both of whom declined to serve. The members of the new board met at Ford ' s Hotel, but Governor Cameron insisted they meet at the College, effect an organization, and in- spect the books. When they reached the Egyptian Building they found Dean James McCaw and Dr. John Wellford standing guard and refusing admission. They then organized on the grounds and W. E. Sims made an attempt to enter the building, but he was arrested by a policeman the faculty members had on hand just in case he might be needed. Sometime later the new Board held another meeting in an attempt to eject the faculty; this attempt also failed, as did a third. The old Board sought advice of counsel and convinced that they were still the only legally qualified Visitors, appointed a committee to confer with the Attorney-General. No progress was made here and the matter was finally settled when the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the old Board on April 30, 1883. 1895 In 1895, Sadie Heath Cabaniss began nursing education under the Nightingale Plan at the College at the Old Dominion Hospital. Then Miss Cabaniss, after having had the experience of practical nursing, set herself to other tasks, suggested by this work. When she resigned from the Old Dominion Hospital in 1901, she came into residence at the Nurses Settlement in the fall of that year. In 1909, Miss Cabaniss became the first pub- lic health nurse in the State. She subsequently suffered a severe illness, which necessitated her abandoning all work for a period of three years, but she subsequently served in North Carolina and Florida and finally in 1917 as a war measure served in the ship yards at Port Wentworth for several months. She finally returned to Virginia where she died in July, 1921.