Call Number:

MSS 6/005-01

Repository:

Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Extent:

2.0 containers

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], MSS 6/0005-01, Philadelphia General Hospital Committee on the Celebration at the Philadelphia General Hospital of the 200th Anniversary of the building of the Philadelphia Almshouse records, 1929-1939 (bulk: 1931-1932), College of Physicians Historical Medical Library.

Date:

1931-1932 (bulk) and 1929-1939 (inclusive)

Creator:

Philadelphia General Hospital

Form:

Correspondence and Souvenir programs

Abstract:

The Committee on the Celebration at the Philadelphia General Hospital of the 200th Anniversary of the Building of the Philadelphia Almshouse was established in September 1929. The committee, consisting of five members of the Medical Board of the Philadelphia General Hospital, was appointed by the President of the Medical Board. The committee was responsible for fund raising, promotion, planning the program, selecting speakers, and making out the guest list. The bicentennial celebration was initially planned for December 1931. In August 1931, due to lack of funds, the committee decided to postpone the celebration until the following year. The bicentennial was finally celebrated on 6 December 1932. The records of the Committee on the Celebration at the Philadelphia General Hospital of the 200th Anniversary of the Building of the Philadelphia Almshouse span 1929 to 1939; most of the records date from 1931 to 1932. The collection consists of the files of Robert J. Hunter, chairman of the committee. Most of the files are correspondence files containing incoming letters and copies of Hunter's outgoing letters. The correspondence, which is primarily with other committee members, concerns the planning and organization of the bicentennial celebration held at the Philadelphia General Hospital in December 1932. Also included are regret and acceptance letters from people who were invited to the celebration.

The Committee on the Celebration at the Philadelphia General Hospital of the 200th Anniversary of the Building of the Philadelphia Almshouse was established in September 1929. The committee, consisting of five members of the Medical Board of the Philadelphia General Hospital, was appointed by the President of the Medical Board, Herman B. Allyn. Joseph McFarland, E. B. Krumbhaar, David Riesman, and Robert G. Torrey were appointed to serve on the committee, with Robert J. Hunter acting as chairman. The committee was responsible for fund raising, promotion, planning the program, selecting speakers, and making out the guest list. Hunter expanded his group by appointing almost twenty additional members to serve on the committee, including other members of the Medical Board, ex residents of the Philadelphia General Hospital, and representatives from the Nurses' Training School and the Women's Advisory Council.

The bicentennial celebration was initially planned for December 1931. In August 1931, due to lack of funds, the committee decided to postpone the celebration until the following year. The bicentennial was finally celebrated on December 6, 1932. The Committee on the Celebration at the Philadelphia General Hospital of the 200th Anniversary of the Building of the Philadelphia Almshouse presented its final report on December 19, 1932.

The records of the Committee on the Celebration at the Philadelphia General Hospital of the 200th Anniversary of the Building of the Philadelphia Almshouse range in date from 1929 to 1939; most of the records date from 1931 to 1932. The collection consists of the files of Robert J. Hunter, chairman of the committee. Most of the files are correspondence files containing incoming letters and copies of Hunter's outgoing letters. The correspondence, which is primarily with other committee members, concerns the planning and organization of the bicentennial celebration held at the Philadelphia General Hospital in December 1932. Also included are regret and acceptance letters from people who were invited to the celebration.

The "Society Programs" file contains correspondence with representatives of various medical and historical societies in the Philadelphia area. Hunter encouraged these institutions to hold special meetings in conjunction with the bicentennial of the Philadelphia General Hospital. Much of the correspondence is with committee member John A. McGlinn, who was in charge of this aspect of the program. Also present is correspondence concerning the decision to postpone the bicentennial celebration until December 1932. File 2 contains correspondence with companies from the United States and abroad who did business with the Philadelphia General Hospital during the 18th century. Hunter asked these companies to write congratulatory letters to the Philadelphia General Hospital in honor of its bicentennial.

The general correspondence file contains letters pertaining to the organization of the program and the selection of speakers for the bicentennial celebration. Correspondents include committee members David Riesman and George Wilson, as well as the Surgeon General, H. S. Cumming, and the Mayor of Philadelphia, J. Hampton Moore, both of whom presented addresses in association with the Philadelphia General Hospital's bicentennial.

The "Program, Invitations, Etc." file includes posters announcing the bicentennial celebration, as well as drafts and final copies of the program. "Data from the 200th Anniversary" contains lists of people who were invited to the celebration, including former Philadelphia General Hospital residents and interns, officials from state and local government, prominent Philadelphia social figures, the presidents of medical colleges and universities, representatives from hospitals and medical societies, and notable individuals from the medical community.

The files of donations, acceptances, and "Bicentenary Regrets" contain incoming correspondence only. Included are letters from individuals who donated funds to help finance the bicentennial celebration, as well as regret and acceptance letters from the individuals who were invited to the celebration.

The "Miscellaneous" file contains correspondence, most of which pertains to the initial formation of the committee and the selection of committee members. Correspondents include committee members David Riesman, Robert G. Torrey, and E. B. Krumbhaar. Other correspondents include Harry A. Mackey, the Mayor of Philadelphia in 1931, and J. Norman Henry, the Director of Public Health in Philadelphia. Also included in the "Miscellaneous" file are minutes from three committee meetings and the committee's final report, submitted in December 1932.

In processing the collection, Hunter's original filing system was preserved as much as possible. When available, the labels Hunter wrote on his file folders were maintained; they appear in quotation marks on the finding aid. The original order of the files is uncertain, so they are arranged chronologically. The highly acidic typescript carbon copies of Hunter's outgoing correspondence were photocopied onto acid free paper. The carbon copies were discarded unless they contained any holograph markings, in which case the original was preserved in an acid free folder and kept with the photocopy.