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

Page 10 text:

History Of Tulane Medical School gW ulane Medical School had it ' s auspicious beginning as the Medical College of Louisiana in September Mi I 1834. Three brash young medical men, all less than 26 years of age, initiated the beginning of medical mjy education in Louisiana. They were Thomas Hunt, who was to become the first dean of the medical school, Warren Stone and John Harrison. In addition to these three founders, the faculty of the school consisted of four other local physicians: Augustus Cenas, Charles Luzenberg. R.R. Ingalls and E.B. Smith. Dr. Thomas Hunt Dr. John H. Harrison Dr. Warren Stone Establishment of the school was met with considerable opposition from the Creoles, whose ideas concerning medical education were based on the European system which stressed academics well grounded in Latin and Greek classics. The idea of providing medical education without this foundation was utterly incomprehensible. Furthermore, the Creoles regarded all American universities with disdain and considered them hardly on a par with the European universities. When the medical school first opened it ' s doors in Janurary 1835, it became the first medical school in the Deep South and the fifteenth oldest in the country. The Inaugural address was given by Dean Hunt in the First Presbyterian Church. In addition to this church, other borrowed quarters were used for lectures. A lecture room in the State House and wards in Charity Hospital also served as classrooms. These temporary facilities were the only ones available for use during the next several years, while the faculty attempted to secure the necessary funds for constructio n of a permanent structure to house the fledgeling school. In 1836, the governor of the state attempted to help the medical faculty obtain funding for the erection of a school building. A measure appropriating $60,000 for this purpose was proposed and passed by the Senate, but was defeated in the House. It was not until 1843 that any definitive action was taken. On March 22 of that year, a law was passed permitting the medical faculty to erect a bulding on a lot belonging to the state, on Common Street between Baronne and Dryades Streets. There were two conditions attached to the law: first, the faculty should donate their services to Charity Hospital without pay for ten years, and second, that one student from each parish would be admitted annually to the medical school for the next ten years. The senator and representatives from each parish were to name each candidate. The state also reserved the right to reclaim all properties at the end of the ten year period. The fact that this new bill gave the faculty of the new school professional priviledges 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.

Page 9 text:

tso a exceCCe tce V U-

Page 11 text:

Tulane University School of Medicine 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, Charity was one of the largest hospitals in the world. It had the capabilities 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 at 1,130; however, the lack of nursing personnel has forced the closure of several wards, resulting in an acutal number somewhat below this figure. Meanwhile, having obtained legislative approval for professional privileges at Charity Hospital, the faculty immediately set about drawing up plans for a building to house the medical school. This building was estimated to cost $6,000 and was not complete 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 returned to the state to be used by the newly established law department. A much larger building was erected adjacent to the original medical building for use by the medical department. Charity Hospital 1934 - 1939