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Nathan L. Hatfield papers

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Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]19 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

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Nathan Lewis Hatfield, Philadelphia physician, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on 2 August 1804. He had several children, including physician Nathan Hatfield. Hatfield died of bronchitis on 29 August 1887.

Nathan L. Hatfield attended the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania during the 1823-1824 and 1824-1825 academic sessions. Although he matriculated for the 1825-1826 session, Hatfield began to attend lectures at Jefferson Medical College when it opened in October 1825 and received an M.D. as a member of the first graduating class of Jefferson in 1826. His thesis was on dysentery.

Hatfield practiced medicine in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, was a consulting physician and manager at the Northern Dispensary, and served, from 1846 to 1848, on the city's Board of Health.

Nathan L. Hatfield was elected to fellowship in the College of Physicians of Philadelphia in 1855. He was also a member of the Northern Medical Association, Philadelphia County Medical Society, and Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania.

This small collection of Nathan L. Hatfield's papers, 1821-1826, documents his medical education and early career and personal interests. The collection contains notes on lectures from both the University of Pennsylvania and the first session of Jefferson Medical College. Also included are a few samples of Hatfield's writings, such as the draft of an application to the Managers of the Philadelphia Alms House for resident student status, essays, a eulogy on Samuel Williston Lebeau, and the draft of a constitution for a society for the distribution of free religious tracts, and the circulation record of a private library.

Lecturers at the University of Pennsylvania include: Nathaniel Chapman on the practice of medicine, John Redman Coxe on materia medica, William Gibson on surgery, and Thomas C. James on midwifery. Lecturers at Jefferson Medical College include: Francis S. Beattie on midwifery, John Eberle on theory and practice, Jacob Green on chemistry, George McClellan on surgery, and B. Rush Rhees on materia medica.

This collection of Nathan L. Hatfield's student lecture notes and other material was purchased by the Historical Collections of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia from Ida W. Schuman, a New York book dealer, on 27 February 1959.

The collection was processed and recatalogued in 1991.

Publisher
Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Collection Inventory

1. Notes on the practice of physic by N. Chapman,, 1823.
Box 1 Volume 1
2. Notes on Nathaniel Chapman on the practice of medicine (1 volume), circa 1823.
Box 1 Folder 2
3. Notes on John Redman Coxe on materia medica, circa 1823.
Box 1 Volume 3
4. Notes on William Gibson on surgery, circa 1823.
Box 1 Volume 4
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Notes on William Gibson on surgery
5. Notes on Thomas C. James on midwifery, circa 1823.
Box 1 Volume 5
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Notes on Thomas C. James on midwifery
6. List of medicines, undated.
Box 1 Volume 6
Materials Viewable Online
  1. List of medicines
1. Notes on Francis S. Beattie on midwifery,, 1825-1826.
Box 1 Folder 7
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Notes on Francis S. Beattie on midwifery
2. Notes on John Eberle on the theory and practice of medicine, 1825-1826.
Box 1 Folder 8
3. Notes on Jacob Green on chemistry, 1825-1826.
Box 1 Folder 9
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Notes on Jacob Green on chemistry
4. Notes on George McClellan on surgery, 1825-1826.
Box 1 Folder 10
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Notes on George McClellan on surgery
5. Notes on B. Rush Rhees on materia medica, 1825-1826.
Box 1 Folder 11
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Notes on B. Rush Rhees on materia medica
6. Original binding of lecture notes, circa 1825.
Box 1 Folder 12
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Original binding of lecture notes
Subseries 1.3: Miscellaneous notes, 1823-1826.
Materials Viewable Online
  1. Miscellaneous notes

1. Constitution [draft] for a society for the gratuitous distribution of religious tracts, circa 1826.
Box 1 Folder 13
2. Autograph letter [draft : Philadelphia, Pa.?], to the Managers of the Alms House of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., circa 1826.
Box 1 Folder 14
3. Essay on the causes of madness, circa 1826.
Box 1 Folder 15
4. Eulogy on Samuel Williston Lebeau, undated.
Box 1 Folder 16
5. Essay on ingratitude, undated.
Box 1 Folder 17
6. Miscellaneous anecdotes, undated.
Box 1 Folder 18
Series 3: LIBRARIAN'S BOOK, 1821-1824.
Box 1 Volume 19

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