Tulane University School of Medicine - T Wave Yearbook (New Orleans, LA)

Page 12 text:

Charity Hospital 1834-1939 In the fall of 1865, the school reopened its doors with 185 students enrolling. However, because of the devastation wrought by the Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction, the medical school faced its most trying times. The school struggled financially for its very existence until 1884, when wealthy New Orleans merchant Paul Tulane bequeathed $1,250,000 for the establishment of a university. The state legislature then placed all departments of the University of Louisiana under the newly renamed Tulane University of Louisiana. This donation enabled Tulane to once again assume front rank among American medical schools. By the early 1890 ' s. rapid growth of the medical school had established the need for new facilities. In 1893, a new building, the Richardson Memorial Building, was built on Canal Street to house the medical school. Although this building was heralded as one of the best equiped medical buildings of its day, by 1907, further expansion was needed. At this time Alexander Hutchinson bequeathed a large sum in memory of his wife Josephine. This fund was used to construct a new Richardson Building on what was to become the Uptown Campus. This building would now house all preclinical departments. Facilities of the old Richardson Building were enlarged for clinical teaching purposes and the building was renamed the Josephine Hutchinson Memorial. Meanwhile, the school was continuously attempting to raise its standards. When the medical school was initally founded, the school year had lasted only four months, and only two full courses of lectures were required for graduation. Since only one set of courses existed, the students were expected to take the same lectures twice. Admission to lectures was gained with a ticket purchased at a price of $20. This was the sole means by which the professors were paid. Additional fees included a matriculation of $5, and a diploma fee of $30. Incidental expenses included the purchase of two arms for dissection at 25 cents each, and two legs at 15 cents each. At this time, the only requirement for admission was the abilitv to finance one ' s education. IS

Page 11 text:

( ' ' NK ' ' ' «S • fW TUm IVEI 1. ! ■•- .. TllK UNiON— IT MITgTBE PREsr.wvrD. . 0 OAV MORNINt lBEPT. 20, 1834. S3M • ■ (Mpf ' V ' rtMvnnnvVM • r — — — 1 «J: . Wif. «Ve hiffh ' y irraftlficd tO ' «io tice the establishment in this riiyvif rwliical college. The gentlemen wlio fill the choirs of ?| r. )i.}i 8or8hip are men of akill and experience, and wehope ihnt ' ; ' f» mny not.be thought invidiou5, when we pdini in uaructMar lo IMe38r8.,HusT, Iwoalls and Lu7.emb£ g, with I VJ; A nJ apqaiintanct i3 more extend rJ. The two former ' «l«?e )fore onTiciated in a like capacity in similar ins ' itu- ip!ns, ynl the latter has established a reputation in our city .j tiie ' Tiighest grade as a surgeon. T ' . ?tcnmer Friendy was run into by the Tom Jefersoru (-[-virile Lafayelli; on Saturday, and sunk; water up lo tlie i » r .i..l,: n • a The fact that this bill gave the faculty of the new school professional privileges at Charity Hospital created an uproar among the town ' s medical practitioners. The opposition was based on the belief that the medical school would be given a monopoly over medicine and surgery at Charity. When it was made clear that this was not to be the case, the medical community joined together, resulting not only in the best medical care the city had ever seen, but also providing the school with a clinical teaching hospital that was gradually evolving into one of the top such facilities in the country. Charity Hospital is credited with being the first institution of its kind in the country, having been established in January 1736, almost 100 years prior to the founding of the Medical College of Louisiana. The hospital initially opened with a total of five beds and served not only as a hospital, but also as an asylum for the indigent of the city. The original hospital was located on a site in what is now known as the French Quarter and has since occupied four other buildings, including the present facility which was opened in 1939. Throughout the early 1800 ' s the hospital expanded, until, by the mid 1850 ' s. Charity was one of the largest hospitals in the world. It had the capability of housing 1.000 patients, although some patients were sleeping on pallets on the floor or sleeping two to a bed. Interestingly enough, it was said that there might be two patients to a bed. but they each had the opportunity to take a hot bath. At the present time, the number of beds is given as 1.640. However, the lack of nursing personnel has forced the closure of several wards, resulting in an actual number somewhat below this figure. Meanwhile, having obtained legislative approval for professional privileges at Charity Hospital, the faculty immediately set about drawing up the plans for a building to house the medical school. This building was estimated to cost $6,000 and was not completed until the end of 1843. In 1845, a Constitutional Convention specified that the Medical College of Louisiana was to become the Medical Department of The University of Louisiana. Two years later. additional funds were appropriated to erect buildings for the new university. The original building was relumed to the state to be used by the newly established law department. . much larger building was erected adjacent to the original medical building for use by the medical department. . ' i the time of its founding, the number of medical students consisted of a grand total of II. From 1834 lo 1859, the number of students grew from II lo 276. Just prior to the Civil War in 1861. the number of students increased dramatically to 404 because of political and sectional hostility which induced Southern students to abandon Sorthern Colleges. When the war broke out, most students joined the war effort in such numbers that, by 1862, only 94 students were enrolled. Federal occupation of Sew Orleans forced the closure of the medical school later that year.

Page 13 text:

Charity Hospital 1939 - Present Gradually, the annual sessions were lengthened from the original four months to first, four and one-half months in 1879, then to six months in 1893. In later years, the length of these sessions was further extended until it evolved into what it is today. It was also in 1893 that an educational qualification for admission was first required of all students. The minimum qualifiication for admission was a second grade teacher ' s certitlcate of a superintendent of education. Also, to further strengthen educational standards, attendance of three instead of two annual sessions was required. In 1899. this was lengthened to four obligatory sessions. By the early I900 ' s. it became apparent that a high degree of disparity existed between different medical schools. In 1908. .Abraham Flexncr was selected by the Carnegie Foundation to undertake an analysis of the state of medical education. He made a study of .v .American and Canadian Medical Schools, beginning at Tulane in the Winter of 1908. Flexner published his report in 1910. describing shocking and deplorable conditions in many medical schools. This opened the eyes of the public and the medical community such that the Flexner Report was. in effect, an obituary for a great many medical colleges. Within a few years, almost half of the colleges had disappeared, mostl) due to the adverse publicity. Although Flexner found medical education at Tulane far from ideal, he ranked Tulane among the top three medical .schools of the South. Tulane ' s high ranking was based on new and excellent laboratory facilities, the teaching faculty, the clinical availability of Charity Hospital. and the post graduate instruction provided by the New Orleans Polyclinic.