Call Number:

CPP 12/003-04

Repository:

Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Extent:

.6 linear feet (1 document box, 1 half document box)

Language:

English

Date:

2005-2013 (inclusive)

Creator:

College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Section on Medical History

Form:

CD-Rs, Correspondence, Lectures, and Minutes

Abstract:

The Section on Medical History was founded in 1904. In 1905, the Section began holding meetings at which lectures on medical history were presented, inviting papers from physicians and scholars from a variety of backgrounds. By the 1970s, the section had become the sponsor of several annual lectures, including the Kate Hurd Mead Lecture (co-sponsored by the [Woman's] Medical College of Pennsylvania, now Drexel College of Medicine) which was started in 1952 and the Samuel X. Radbill Lecture (1974). As of 2019, the Section on Medical History remains an active body of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The Records of the Section on Medical History IV span the years 2005 to 2013, and consist of correspondence, Executive Committee minutes, lecture flyers and programs, and speaker information, including CD-Rs of recorded lectures sponsored by the Section. Unlike earlier collections of Section records, this collection is not organized under the Clerk's or Chair's names, but by the type of material and chronology. Researchers should note that the Library may not have the required hardware to play back the recorded lectures at this time.

On 2 November 1904, the Secretary of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia announced that President Arthur V. Meigs had authorized the formation of a new section of the College, the Section on Medical History. The new section was formed according to the 1900 by-laws of the College of Physicians, which state that a section may be created when fifteen Fellows submit a written request to the President; when the President approves the request, a new section is formed. On 1 February 1905, President Meigs appointed Francis R. Packard, Charles Oliver, and Samuel McClintock Hamill to serve on the Executive Committee of the Section on Medical History, William Pepper became clerk of the section, and Roland G. Curtin was selected as chairman.

Starting in 1905, the section began holding meetings at which lectures on medical history were presented. The section invited papers from physicians and scholars from a variety of backgrounds; most of these papers were published in Transactions and Studies. Over the years, many notable figures lectured at section meetings, including Sir William Osler, John F. Fulton, and Karl Sudhoff. In the 1940s, the section embarked on a cooperative effort with area medical schools to present medical history lectures to Philadelphia medical students. By the 1970s, the section had become the sponsor of several annual lectures, including the Kate Hurd Mead Lecture (co-sponsored by the [Woman's] Medical College of Pennsylvania, now Drexel College of Medicine) which was started in 1952, the Samuel X. Radbill Lecture (1974), and the W. B. McDaniel Memorial Lecture (1976).

As of 2019, the Section on Medical History remains an active body of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The section continues to hold lectures on the history of medicine, including the Kate Hurd Mead Lecture and the Samuel X. Radbill Lecture.

The Records of the Section on Medical History IV span the years 2005 to 2013, and consist of correspondence, Executive Committee minutes, lecture flyers and programs, and speaker information, including CD-Rs of recorded lectures sponsored by the Section. Unlike earlier collections of Section records, this collection is not organized under the Clerk's or Chair's names, but by the type of material and chronology. As of 2019, Section records are kept in the College's Executive Office records, rather than by individual Section members. This practice seems to have started around 2005 or 2006.

Researchers should note that the Library may not have the required hardware to playback the recorded lectures at this time.

Series I: Correspondence is a small file, dating to 2007, and concerned with administrative topics, such as speakers confirming, dates of Executive Committee meetings, and drafts of meeting minutes.

Series II: Executive Committee spans the years 2006 to 2012, and contains a small amount of correspondence regrading committee meetings. It also holds minutes – in draft and final forms – for nearly all the committee meetings held between 2006 and 2012.

Series III: Programs makes up the majority of this collection, and includes flyers and programs for Section lectures from 2005 to 2013, as well as some speaker correspondence. This series is organized chronologically, with each lecture given its own folder, which is titled by the speaker's name. Of special note are the CD-Rs of lecture recordings, found in many of the folders. Those lectures with recordings have folders marked with "(CD-R)".

Researchers should note that the Library may not have the required hardware to play back the recorded lectures at this time.