University of Maryland School of Medicine - Terrae Mariae Medicus (Baltimore, MD)

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Samuel Chew, M.D. In 1848, anatomical dissection, previous- ly an elective, was made compulsory. Gas light was introduced into the dissecting rooms, in order that the students might spend their evenings dissecting without in- terrupting their daily schedule of lectures. This was the first time in America that prac- tical anatomy was made a requirement for graduation. At about this same time, a chair in Path- ological Anatomy was established. This marked the beginning of the separation of the teaching of pathology from that of the clinical branches. This was the era when the Baltimore Clip- per was sweeping the seas and the city was experiencing a phenomenal growth as the riches of the world poured thru its port. The infirmary was soon jammed to capacity and the overcrowded conditions made expansion mandatory. In 1852 the Infirmary was extended to the corner of Greene Street by the addition of a rectangular wing. Private cubicles and a large amphitheater with skylight were in- cluded in the new structure. Tlie expansion established the hospital as the largest in the city with a capacity of 150 patients. Early in 1861, Professor William A. Hammond of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology provided microscopes in the Anatomical Museum. Since the museum possessed one of the largest microscopic collections in the country , introduction of tliese microscopes unveiled a wealth of his- tological material for the students. For the first time in the United States, histology was introduced into the curriculum. WAR The outbreak of hostilities in the Civil War found the School of Medicine at a peak. At this time it had no peers to the south and only a few to the Jiorth. Recog- nized as the leading medical institution of South, most of the student body was drawn from southern states. Enrollment declined sharply as tlie students hurried home to join tlie Conferederate armies. Military Surgery and Hygiene was established in the curricu- lum as Baltimore huddled under Northern cannon on nearby Federal Hill. Professor Hammond was appointed Sur- geon General of the Union Army in 1862, and founded the Army Medical Museum and Medical Library at Washington. In 1863 Dr. Richard McSherry assumed the chair of Practice of Medicine upon the dcatli of Dr. Chew. Dr. Chew ' s son. Dr. Samuel C. Chew, became Professor of Materia Medica. A PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT Following the war there was an influx of physicians to Baltimore from the South. 16

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early years. Dr. Granville Sharp Pattison was a Scot, small in stature and sandy- haired, with an aggressive stride and con- fident air. He had been associated with the distinguished anatomist Allen Burns of the Andersonian Institute in Glasgow. He brought with him a large collection of ana- tomical specimens prepared by Burns. This collection was purchased by the university for $8,000 to begin the Anatomical Mu- seum. In 1820, Pattison had applied for the chair of surgery at the University of Penn- sylvania. His appointment was bitterly op- posed by one Nathaniel Chapman of Phila- delphia and he was not awarded the posi- tion. Pattison drafted a fiery letter to Chap- man which was ignored, so Pattison sought out Dr. Patrick Macauley to serve as his second. He challenged Chapman to a duel which the latter declined. In 1821 Chap- man published and distributed a paper en- titled, Official Transcript of Proceedings in Case of Divorce of Andrew Ure, M.D. vs Catherine Ure for Adultery with Gran- ville Sharp Pattison. Several years later, Pattison met Chapman and his brother-in- law, Gen. Thomas Cadwalader on the street in Philadelphia and publicly insulted Chap- man. Cadwalader challenged Pattison and a duel was arranged for the following week. In the quiet Delaware countryside, Patti- son ' s shot shattered the General ' s pistol arm, himself suffering only a hiatus in his coat tail. Following this Pattison resigned his position and left Baltimore. Following Pattison ' s abrupt departure, Nathan Ryno Smith became Professor of Surgery and the dominant figure in the faculty. Appointed in 1826, he was already a well known figure in American medical educa- tion. The son of Nathan Smith, founder of Dartmouth and Yale medical schools, he Nathan Ryno Smith, m.d. himself was a leader in the reestablishment of the University of Vermont Medical School and in the organization of Jefferson Medical College. Destined to head surgery for 42 years, the department flourished under his stern eye. In 1843, Professor Potter died and in the next three years the Chair of Medicine was filled three times. Finally in 1846, Dr. Wil- liam Power was appointed at the age of 33. As a student in Paris, he had observed the methods of percussion and the use of the stethescope there. These observations he brought to Baltimore and was the first to teach them in the city. Pulmonary tuberculosis, a disease fatal to so many of the early professors of the school, brought about Dr. Power ' s death in 1852. The vacancy was filled by Dr. Samuel Chew, noted as a polished speaker and clas- sical scholar. 15

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During this period many physicians began to earn prominence in diversified fields of medicine and the art of specialization had begun. In 1866 the chair of Physiology, Hygiene and General Pathology was created with Professor Frank Donaldson as head. Con- currently, the first clinics were held in dis- eases of children and on venereal disease. The formation of these clinics marks the foundation of the Out-Patient Department. One year later, the organization of the chair of Diseases of Women and Children was regarded as the first recognition in the country of this field as a distinct branch of medicine. Dr. William T. Howard, who later became president of the American Gynecological Association was appointed as first professor. The following year saw a clinic in diseases of the eye instituted. It was in the same year, 1868, that the state legislature approved a bill to provide $2500 per year for the medical education of a certain number of students to be drawn from the state senatorial districts. A Gen- eral Dispensary was founded in 1869 to treat the public on an out-patient basis and a new wealth of clinical material had been tapped. In 1870, to accommodate the increase in the student body, a Students Building was constructed adjoining the Infirmary and housing 24 young men. Further developments occurred in 1873. At tliis time, the dispensary made public its policy of attending poor women in their homes. A trained dentist was provided in the clinic to instruct students in the art of drawing teeth . The Department of Dis- eases of the Eye and Ear was created with Dr. Julian J. Chisholm as professor. Dr. Chisholm had treated the first wounded at Ft. Sumter and was noted for his Manual of Military Surgery. Since the city had condemned the use of some wooden sheds which had been erected at the rear of the Infirmary for the treatment of excess patients, it was decided to apply The Greene Street addition erected in 1875. f ' -:-- ' tm 17