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Records of the Philadelphia General Hospital Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee

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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.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
MSS 6/005-05
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 6/0005-05, Philadelphia General Hospital Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee museum collection records, 1730-1960, College of Physicians Historical Medical Library.
Date:
1730-1960 (inclusive)
Creator:
Philadelphia General Hospital
Form:
Correspondence, Ephemera, and Photograph albums
Abstract:
The Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee was established in December 1940. The committee was responsible for the daily administration of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum of the Philadelphia General Hospital. The committee attended to the maintenance of the museum building, oversaw the care and cataloging of museum pieces, and acknowledged donations to the museum. This committee reported to the Medical Board of the Philadelphia General Hospital. This collection consists of items, dating from 1730 to 1960, from the museum collection of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum of the Philadelphia General Hospital. Present are letters, invitations, programs, reprints, photographs, a diary, and miscellaneous material relating to the history of the Philadelphia General Hospital. Also included are the papers of individuals who were important to the history of the hospital, including Daniel J. McCarthy, Arthur A. Stevens, and Sir William Osler. Most of the material was collected by Robert J. Hunter, Chairman of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee.

The Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee was established in December 1940. The committee was responsible for the daily administration of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum of the Philadelphia General Hospital. The committee attended to the maintenance of the museum building, oversaw the care and cataloging of museum pieces, and acknowledged donations to the museum. This committee reported to the Medical Board of the Philadelphia General Hospital.

The Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee was an outgrowth of the Osler Memorial Committee, which was responsible for the establishment of the museum. After the museum's opening in June 1940, the Osler Memorial Committee was discharged, and the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee was appointed. The new committee consisted of the same members as the Osler Memorial Committee and was chaired by Robert J. Hunter.

In 1955, the committee's name was changed to the Committee on Memorials. This committee remained in existence until 1977, when the Philadelphia General Hospital and the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum were closed.

This collection consists of items, dating from 1730 to 1960, from the museum collection of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum of the Philadelphia General Hospital. Present are letters, invitations, programs, reprints, photographs, a diary, and miscellaneous material relating to the history of the Philadelphia General Hospital. Also included are the papers of individuals who were important to the history of the hospital, including Daniel J. McCarthy, Arthur A. Stevens, and Sir William Osler. Most of the material was collected by Robert J. Hunter, Chairman of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee.

The collection, which is arranged alphabetically, includes Robert J. Hunter's correspondence as chairman of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum Committee; these letters deal with the opening of the museum, the dedication program, the solicitation of museum items, and the general administration of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum.

Also present in the collection are the papers of Daniel J. McCarthy (1874-1958), an intern and visiting neurosurgeon at Philadelphia General Hospital. This material, ranging in date from 1917 to 1919, documents McCarthy's participation in the Red Cross Mission to Russia. Included is McCarthy's correspondence with Lieutenant Colonel Frank Billings (1854-1932), who was chairman of the project. Also present are special orders, McCarthy's diary, and a notebook containing his sketches and notes.

The collection also contains papers of Sir William Osler (1849-1919). Present are photographs of Osler's case notes, some of which were taken when he discovered the parasite which causes malaria. The collection also includes eight Osler letters. Several of these letters were written to David Riesman (1867-1940), including Osler's letter of 13 April 1905 in which he recommends the creation of a new medical society. Another letter in the collection, written to John Welsh Croskey (26 December 1918), includes Osler's reminiscences about his experiences at Philadelphia General Hospital. Included among the Osler material is a photograph, circa 1886, of Osler with several physicians in the autopsy room at Philadelphia General Hospital.

The papers of Arthur A. Stevens (1865-1944) are also present in the collection. Included is his medical degree certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, a program for a dinner held in his honor, letters congratulating him on the publication of his book, The Practice of Medicine, 1922, and a letter appointing him honorary consulting physician at Philadelphia General Hospital.

Other individuals represented in the collection include John L. Bower (1865-1955), W. A. Newman Dorland (1864-1956), William H. H. Githens (1840-1923), and Thomas S. Roberts (1858-1946), all of whom were former residents of the Philadelphia General Hospital.

In addition to the papers of individuals, the collection contains some interesting miscellaneous material, including the program, script, and song lyrics to "Osler Slept Here", a musical comedy performed by the Blockley Medical Society in 1950. Also present is a photograph album, circa 1896 to 1898, containing scenes of the Philadelphia General Hospital.

The museum collection of the Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum consists of three different accessions: Acc. 1992-036-05, Acc. 1989-113, and Acc. 1991-055. Acc. 1992-036-05 and Acc. 1991-055 are on permanent loan from the Philadelphia City Archives. Acc. 1992-036-05 was received by the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia on 18 January 1978; Acc. 1992-055 was received on 8 May 1991. Acc. 1989-113, which consists of items with Mutter Museum accession numbers 2044.41, 2045.2, and 2045.6, was transferred from the Mutter Museum to the Historical Collections of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia on 4 December 1989.

The collection was processed and cataloged in 1992.

The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project.

College of Physicians of Philadelphia: There are several collection regarding the Philadelphia General Hospital. Researchers should consult the College of Physicians Historical Medical Library website (http://www.collphyphil.org/Site/manuscripts.html) for a complete list.

People
Organization
Subject
Place

Publisher
Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Sponsor
The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project.
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the College of Physicians Historical Medical Library with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.

Collection Inventory

Association of Ex Resident and Resident Physicians of the Philadelphia General Hospital, meeting announcement, circa 1880s.
1 Item 1
Association of Ex Resident and Resident Physicians of the Philadelphia General Hospital, program for the 13th annual dinner, 1888 December 5.
1 Item 2
Association of Ex Resident and Resident Physicians of the Philadelphia General Hospital, form letter, 1907 October 26.
1 Item 3
Association of Ex Resident and Resident Physicians of the Philadelphia General Hospital, program for the 43rd annual dinner, 1929 December 3.
1 Item 4
Barton, William P.C., inscription on fly leave of "sick reports of the frigate United States (printed), 1810 March 16.
1 Item 5
Bechet, Paul E., "Arthur Van Harlingen: A patriarch in American dermatology," (reprint), 1937 December.
1 Item 6
Bethel, George Emmett, photograph of his memorial tablet, undated.
1 Item 7
Blockley Medical Society of the Philadelphia General Hospital and its production of "Osler Slept Here," program, 1950.
1 Item 8
Blockley Medical Society of the Philadelphia General Hospital and its production of "Osler Slept Here," script and song lyrics, 1950.
1 Item 9
Bower, John L., letter placing him on eligible list for position of resident physician at Philadelphia General Hospital, 1888 May 3.
1 Item 10
Bower, John L., letter asking him to continue as chief resident at Philadelphia General Hospital, 1890 February 16.
1 Item 11
Burr, Charles W., "Thrombosis of the midcerebral artery causing aphasia and hemiplegia" (reprint), 1904 February.
1 Item 12
Dorland, W.A. Norman, miscellaneous invitations to attend annual banquets of the Association of Ex Resident and Resident Physicians of the Philadelphia General Hospital, circa 1887-1897.
1 Item 13-19
Dorland, W.A. Norman, autographed letter signed to Wilson, Chicago, Illinois, 1946 November 22.
1 Item system_indicator_0250fe11e59c207f04b4b4c155d00978
Githens, William H.H., letters of recommendation for Alfred Stille, D. Hayes Agnew, and William Procter, Jr., 1866 March 8-10.
1 Item 21-23
Githens, William H.H., letter electing him a resident of Philadelphia General Hospital, 1866 March 20.
1 Item 24
Githens, William H.H., notice of a meeting of the Hospital Association of Philadelphia, 1868 June 1.
1 Item 25
Grenfell Association, announcement of memorial service for Sir Wilfred T. Grenfell, 1940 October 31.
1 Item 26
Hamill, Robert H., autographed letter signed to E. T. Bruen, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1888 March 4.
1 Item 27
Hughes, Donnel, autographed letter signed to E. T. Bruen, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1888 March 7.
1 Item 28
Hughes, Donnel, autographed letter signed to James(?) Tyson, 1888 March 10.
1 Item 29
Hunter, Robert J. "From Almshouse to Medical Center, Dedication of an Oak Tree, Fiftieth Anniversary of the Training School for Nurses, Philadelphia General Hospital", circa 1935.
1 Item 30
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter to Thomas S. Roberts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1939 December 19.
1 Item 31
Hunter, Robert J., autographed letter signed (draft) from Thomas S. Roberts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1939 December 26.
1 Item 32
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter signed from Thomas S. Roberts, Minneapolis, Minnesota (with Roberts' bookplate and drawing of the University of Minnesota's National History Museum) (printed), 1939 December 26.
1 Item 33
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter signed from Thomas J. Fleming, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1940 May 20.
1 Item 34
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter signed from Paul E. Bechet, (with 1934 reprint, "Louis Adolphus Duhring: A Great American Dermatologist"), 1940 May 29.
1 Item 35
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter to J. Heurner Mullin, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 1940 June 14.
1 Item 36
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter signed from Kenneth M. Lynch, Charleston, South Carolina, 1940 July 5.
1 Item 37
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter signed from Edward Randall, Galveston, Texas (with Robert J. Hunter's typed letter signed (draft) to Edward Randall, June 4, 1949), 1942 November 3.
1 Item 38
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter signed from Edward Randall, Jr., Galveston, Texas, 1949 June 7.
1 Item 39
Hunter, Robert J., autograph letter signed from Mrs. Milton J. Rosenau, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1949 August 6.
1 Item 40
Hunter, Robert J., "Thumbnail sketches of eminent physicians: Osler at Blockley" (photocopy), 1949 October.
1 Item 41
Hunter, Robert J., "Benjamin Franklin and the rise of free treatment of the poor by the medical profession of Philadelphia" (reprint), 1957 March-April.
1 Item 42
Hunter, Robert J., typed letter signed from William W. Wilson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1960 September 9.
1 Item 43
Hunter, Robert J., photograph of, undated.
1 Item 44
Hunter, Robert J., miscellaneous, circa 1862-1958.
1 Item 45-52
Ivy, Robert H., "Fifty years of dental service and internship at the Philadelphia General Hospital" (reprint), 1952 April.
1 Item 53
McCarthy, Daniel J., typed letter signed from Frank Billings, Petrograd, 1917 August 24, September 6.
1 Item 54
McCarthy, Daniel J., memorandum, 1917 August 26, September 8.
1 Item 55
McCarthy, Daniel J., orders assigning McCarthy to active duty, 1918 May 3.
1 Item 56
McCarthy, Daniel J., "Cubist Poem" (clipping), circa 1918.
1 Item 57
McCarthy, Daniel J., typed letter signed from Manley O. Hudson, New York, New York, 1918 July 10.
1 Item 58
McCarthy, Daniel J., autographed letter signed from Maud A. Mumms(?), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Henry Bolton, London, England, 1918 August 5.
1 Item 59
McCarthy, Daniel J., receipt, 1918 August 13.
1 Item 60
McCarthy, Daniel J., list of calls on board U.S. Transport No. 518, 1918 August 15.
1 Item 61
McCarthy, Daniel J., Officer's Permanent Pass, 1919 February 17.
1 Item 62
McCarthy, Daniel J., special travel orders, 1919 March 5.
1 Item 63
McCarthy, Daniel J., honorable discharge papers, 1919 March 10.
1 Item 64
McCarthy, Daniel J., autographed letter signed to Major Bogley, undated.
1 Item 65
McCarthy, Daniel J., "Programme for Meeting", undated.
1 Item 66
McCarthy, Daniel J., diary (volume), undated.
1 Item 67
McCarthy, Daniel J., notebook/sketchbook (volume), undated.
1 Item 68
McCarthy, Daniel J., Medico Chirurgical College of Philadelphia lecture announcement from the estate of A.C. Morgan, circa 1888.
1 Item 69
Morgan, A.C., photograph album containing scenes of Philadelphia General Hospital (volume, disbound circa 1896-1898), circa 1896-1898.
1 Item 70
Morgan, A.C., postcard signed from Gloucestershire, England to J. H. Clark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1936 August 8.
1 Item 71
Osler, Sir William, case notes (negative photostat), 1886 July 6.
1 Item 72
Osler, Sir William, malaria notes at Blockley (negative photostat), 1886 November.
1 Item 73-75
Osler, Sir William, malaria notes at Blockley (photograph), 1886 November.
1 Item 76-77
Osler, Sir William, photograph of Osler performing autopsy (includes two printed copies with identifications of students by John Welsh Croskey), circa 1886.
1 Item 78-80
Osler, Sir William, autographed letter signed to Joseph McFarland, 1890 August 31.
1 Item 81
Osler, Sir William, autographed letter signed from Baltimore, Maryland (photographs), 1890 December 27.
1 Item 82-83
Osler, Sir William, typed letter signed, Baltimore, Maryland, to David Riesman, 1905 April 13.
1 Item 84
Osler, Sir William, typed letter signed, Oxford, England, to Levin H. A. Nickerson, 1906 March 23.
1 Item 85
Osler, Sir William, typed letter signed, Oxford, England, to David Riesman, 1907 March 26.
1 Item 86
Osler, Sir William, typed letter signed, Oxford, England, to David Riesman, 1908 July 31.
1 Item 87
Osler, Sir William, autographed letter signed, Oxford, England, to John Welsh Croskey, 1918 December 26.
1 Item 88
Osler, Sir William, autographed letter signed, Oxford, England, to John Welsh Croskey (photograph and negative), 1918 December 26.
1 Item 89-92
Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum, brochure regarding Dean Cornwell painting, "Osler at Blockley", circa 1940 June 8.
2 Item 1
Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum, photographs from the dedication of the Osler Memorial Building, circa 1940 June 8.
2 Item 2
Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum, pamphlets on the museum, circa 1940.
2 Item 3
Osler Memorial and Blockley Historical Museum, program for "Centenary of the birth of Sir William Osler", 1949 November 10.
2 Item 4
Philadelphia General Hospital, minutes of the managers of the Philadelphia Almshouse and House of Employment (photographs and photocopies), 1730-1798.
2 Item 5-12
Philadelphia General Hospital, certificate for practicing medicine (photograph), 1825 November 16.
2 Item 13
Philadelphia General Hospital, drawing of the Philadelphia Almshouse in 1840 (printed), undated.
2 Item 14
Philadelphia General Hospital, auditor's reports (cover only for 1847), 1847, 1860.
2 Item 15-16
Philadelphia General Hospital, patient charts and case histories (folder), 1887 March-1888 December.
2 Item 17
Philadelphia General Hospital, form letter sent to new interns (photocopy), 1898 June 6.
2 Item 18
Philadelphia General Hospital, program for Reunion of the Blockley Nine, 1910.
2 Item 19
Philadelphia General Hospital, registry of stills, 1934 May 17.
2 Item 20
Philadelphia General Hospital, Mrs. H. A. Evans, "The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Blockley", undated.
2 Item 21
Peacock Chemical Company, "The therapeutic applicability of the bromides in various nervous diseases", undated.
2 Item 22
Riesman, David, invitations to his 70th birthday party, 1937 March 25.
2 Item 23-24
Roberts, Thomas S., typed letter signed, Minneapolis, Minnesota, to G.E. Pfahler, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1939 December 12.
2 Item 25
Roberts, Thomas S., typed letter signed from George E. Pfahler, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1939 December 15.
2 Item 26
Seinter, Marion E., autographed letter signed, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Dr. Bower, 1890 January 3.
2 Item 27
Shaw, George H., typed note signed to Director Krusen, 1924 June 13.
2 Item 28
Slocum, Harris A., autograph letter signed, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to James Tyson, 1888 March 9.
2 Item 29
Stevens, Arthur A., M.D. certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, 1886 April 19.
2 Item 30
Stevens, Arthur A., "Medical '86," list of graduates of the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania, 1886.
2 Item 31
Stevens, Arthur A., letter of recommendation from James Tyson, 1888 January 19.
2 Item 32
Stevens, Arthur A., Aufnahmsschein for study in Vienna, Austria, 1889 June 4.
2 Item 33
Stevens, Arthur A., photograph of Stevens and his wife, 1913 July.
2 Item 34
Stevens, Arthur A., program for "Testimonial dinner of the alumni of the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania to Dr. A.A. Stevens", 1916 March 20.
2 Item 35
Stevens, Arthur A., typed letter signed, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from George Morris Piersol, 1922 June 9.
2 Item 36
Stevens, Arthur A., typed letter signed, from Joseph Sailer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1922 June 13.
2 Item 37
Stevens, Arthur A., autographed letter signed from W.A. Newman Dorland, Chicago, Illinois, 1938 November 26.
2 Item 38
Stevens, Arthur A., letter appointing him honorary consulting physician at Philadelphia General Hospital, 1944 January 3.
2 Item 39
Stevens, Arthur A., obituary (clipping), 1944 June 10.
2 Item 40
Stevens, Arthur A., bibliography, 1945 February 8.
2 Item 41
Stevens, Arthur A., card introducing Stevens to Dr. Lauder Brunton, undated.
2 Item 42
Stevens, Arthur A., clipping regarding naming a ward at Philadelphia General Hospital after Stevens, undated.
2 Item 43
Stevens, Gertrude, autographed letter signed, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Marion Hague (?) Rea, 1944 December 9.
2 Item 44
Unidentified portrait (negative), undated.
2 Item 45
Miscellaneous, undated.
2 Item 46-48

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