University of Maryland School of Pharmacy - Terra Mariae Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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tlic Eni])cn r. Xalliaii K. Smiili ; as well a uiKkr .M iltenberger, jc.l)n i()ii, Dnnald.-oii and Howard, all of iIkiii hkii of great di-iiiulion and liigii scliolarsliip. To the iiirtuencc of these teaeliers, doubtless, was largely due those lofty ideals of professional con ku-t that were so characteristic of him. Dr. Cordell entered upon i)ractice in the city of llaltiniore in 1869, but the literary and educational side of Iii profession ajjpealed to him more strongly than the practical, and while he continued to engage in i)rivate jiractice until he was stricken down, his enduring reputation rests u])on his acliievements in medical literature ; u|)on his researches in medical archaeology, especially thai of Maryland; and upon his altruistic and ]jhilanthropic efforts to relieve the distress and augment the happiness of his less fortunate fellow beings. While his education was much interrupted by the four years of the Civil War. he found lime subset|uenlly to l)econie an exceptionally well educated man, and he acquire l an excellent knowledge of both Latin and Ciennan. The latter language he largely learned bv attending the services in the Cierman churches, while his knowledge of Latin was kept constantly fresh by his habit of reading daily from the classics. He also kei)t abreast the advances of medicine by assiduous study, and by taking advani.ige of the opportunities for clinical instruction that were ofi ' ered him. He served as Attending Physi- cian to the Baltimore General Disi)cnsary from lS6 ' )-72. and tlui ac |uired a large e.xperi- ence during the earlv years of his professional life. He was a foumler of the Woman ' s Medical College of llaltimore in 1882. and was Professor of Materia Medica and Ther- apeutics from 1882-84, and of the Practice of Medicine from 1884-1 ' ' ' 03 ; during which time he was also Attending Physician to the Good Samaritan lIos])ital. He was the author of notable i apers ujwn a number of medical subjects, and his report of the outbreak of tet.inus from injuries due to tov ])istols. in 1881. is a classic. Time does not allow a further enum- eration of hi- contribution- of a -triclly scicntitic character. From 1870-71 he was Librarian of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty, and again from 1880-87. He had here unlimited access to medical books and journals, and (leveloi)ed a close acquaintance with n.edical literature. During a portion of this time he was also co- eilitor with Dr. .Xshby. of the .Maryland Medic.il joiuiial. and the issues of that journal dur- ing that time are tilled with articles written in his graceful but trenchant style. In 1882. in conjunction with Professor .Xsiiby. the writer and several others, he was a founder of tile Woman ' s Medical College of r.,iltimoie. and his first experience as a teacher of medical -tudents was obtained in this -mall but excellent school, which dieil after an existence of twentv-eight vears. Through his efTorts the course of instruction was lengthened from two to three sessions, at a time when no otlier me lical sdn ' ol in tiie city, and but few in the whole country re |uired more than two sessions. He was also in-trimiem,il in having a i)reliminary examin:ition adopted to determine the fitness of prospective students to begin the stiwlv of me licine. long liefore it w ,i- done here or elsewhere in this country: and to still farther add to the list of his far--ighted and constructive activities for the betterment of medical education, he suggested the meeting together of representatives of the local medical colleges to consider improvements in medical instruction; .ind fro)n ibis confer- ence went out the call to the colleges of this country that resulted in the formation of the .Association of . merican .Medical Colleges, which has had such :i potent intluence in the betterment « f medical educ.ition in tiie I ' nited States. Cordell ' s work h.i- been forgollen 24

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iEugpup iFamttbrotr QlorlirU :w m M H S T is must betitting at this time that the Pxiard of Editors of Ti ' .rra Mariae should endeavor to remember our late professor and friend, Eugene Fauntle- rov Cordell. In attempting to eulogize his life and deeds, we feel that Professor ' inslow has beautifully ])ortrayed them in the following vivid word-picture, which was delivered in his memorv on Academic Day. Pallid Death, who visits impartially the hovels of the poor and the • • palaces of princes, has knocked again at our door, and one of our most dis- tinguished, most useful, and most loyal co-laborers has answered to the call. ( )n July 31st, l ' )13, Eugene Fauntleroy Cordell, A.M., M.D ., Professor of the History of Medicine and Librarian of the Medical School, locked the doors of the Library and posted a notice that the library would not be open until September 1st. With a light heart and a lithesome step he left the halls that were so dear to him, and eagerly anticipated his usual vacation of a month. With his dex ' oted wife he visited the scenes of his boyhood at Charles- town, W. ' a., and with his cup overflowing with delight, he spent several weeks in joyous communion with his friends in that pleasant town. During the latter part of his visit he was seized with a painful, but not alarming disorder, and returned home. His condition was not such as to cause apprehension, and it was confidently e.xjiected that he would be able to resume his activities in a few days. This e.xpectation, however, was not to be re- alized, as on the morning of .August 27th, he suddenly heard the voice of his Maker and, we reverently believe, answered adsiiiii at the last roll call. Dr. Cordell was born at Charlestown, Va., now West ' irginia, on June 25th, 1843; the son of Dr. L. O ' Connor and Christine Turner Cordell. His early education was re- ceived at the Charlestown Academy, and at the Episcopal High School at Alexandria, ' a. ; and for a short time he was a student at the Virginia Military Institute. When he was only eighteen years of age the Civil War broke out and, notwithstanding the objection of his father, he enlLsted as a private in Wise ' s Legion, of the Confederate Army. He served bravely from 1861-65, being in many engagements; was wounded at Winchester on September 19th, 1863, and was a ])risoner of w-ar from March 2, 1865, to June 10, 1865. During the latter part of his service he was a coiumissioned officer with the rank of lieu- tenant, though he was often in command of his company. Dr. Cordell girded on his sword under a sense of duty to his state and country, but he was essentially a man of peace, and when the war ceased his thoughts soon turned toward a vocation whose object is to save life and relieve suffering, namely, that of medicine. He entered the Medical School of this University in 1866 and, as was usual in those days, graduated two years later in 1868. Dur- ing 1868-69 he was Assistant Physician at the P altimore Infirmary, now known as the Uni- versity Hospital, where he served under the courtly McSherry and the beloxed Chew, and 23

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or was never recogmzed ; and the part played by the College of Physicians and Surgeons, The Baltimore Medical College, The Woman ' s Medical College of Baltimore, and the Uni- versity of Maryland in creating a sentiment in favor of radical changes in medical require- ments has also long since been lost sight of. In man - other ways was Dr. Cordell ' s altruism exhibited in a bountiful measure. Indeed it was a well spring within him, constantly impell- ing him to new activities in behalf of those who were in need of succor. Thus he was President and chief worker of the Hospital Relief Association for several years; one of the founders for the Home for Incurables, an excellent institution, now in useful operation, for the care of a peculiarly helpless and distressing class of cases; and more recently, the Home for Widows and ( )rphan ' S of Physicians, now located on Bolton street in this city. He certainly exemplified the scriptural injunction : ' ■Thmi slialt love thy neighbor as thyself; indeed, in many respects he loved his neighbor more than himself. His un- selfish efforts in so many directions were recognized and appreciated, and he was the recip- ient of many tokens of respect and esteem. He was elected president of many of the local medical societies, and from 1902-4 he was President of the Johns Hopkins Hospital His- torical Club, and in 1903-4 he was President of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, the highest honor within the gift of the medical profession of this State. As has been stated, he was a prolific writer and was the author of numerous papers on his- torical, medical and literary subjects; but it is as a medical historiographer that he will be best known to those who come after us. In 1891 he iiublislicd his Historical Sketch of the University of Maryland, and in l ' J07 brought out in two volumes an am])lified history of the University, covering the first century of its existence. In 1903 he published his Medical Annals of Maryland, which embraced a co r.plete history of the physicians of Maryland from the time of the founding of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland in 17 ' J ' ) to the celebration of its centennial in 1899. These works are exhaustive in character, and, as he says in the preface to the Medical Annals: He has striven to produce a volume which will, for all time to come, he regarded as authoritative in all matters relating to the medical history of the State. I imagine there will be but little added to these histories by future historians, and that they will be authoritati e for all time to come. In l ' )03 Dr. Cordell was appointed librarian of the Medical Lilirary of the University, and Honorary Professor of the History of Medicine, later being advanced to the full ])rofessorship of the History of Medicine. At the time of his appointment the Liljrary consisted of a few hundred dust-covered, ancient olumes ; at the time of his demise, 14,000 or more books had been accumulated, indexed and arranged for use and study. This phenomenal devel- opment was almost entirely due to his activity, zeal and acc|uaintance with both books and physicians. ' ith but small financial assistance from the Faculty, he gathered this large collection from near and far, and truly erected for himself a monument, let us hope, more durable than Ijrass. The Library was the child of his old age. and he regarded it with almost parental aft ' ection. He nursed and nourished it, treated its ailments and healed its bruises, set its fractures and sutured its wounds. He had an aft ' ectionate interest in each book, and held manv of them as beloved friends and companions. I must n ot linger longer in this interesting field, but must devote the remainder of the time allotted to me to a consideration of his intense loyalty to his Alma Mater. He was always a most loyal alumnus, but as he advanced in years this love became almost an obsession. At first, his thought 25