5. College of Physicians of Philadelphia Committee to Devise a Plan for Publication of Summary of Transactions report, 04 March 1851

Item — Folder: 1

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: These reports, letters, and proposals concerning the publication of the College's transactions, spanning 1841 to 1879, are part of the records of the Office of the Secretary of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The bulk of these records date from 1851 to 1858, when D. Francis 9ondie (1843-1854), Alfred Stille (1854-1857), and Edward Hartshorne (1858-1861) served as secretaries of the College of Physicians. The records concern the publication of the journal of the College of Physicians, Summary of the Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which in 1875 was renamed Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Included in the collection is a report of 5 October 1841, which first addresses the idea of publishing a quarterly summary of the transactions of the College. The report, signed by D. Francis Condie, William Pepper, Isaac Parrish, and Henry Bond, recommends that the College publish a journal containing abstracts of papers presented at College meetings. The report also suggests that a Committee of Publication be formed. Lippincott, Grambo & Co., was selected to publish the journal. Another important report in the collection dates from 4 March 1851. The Committee of Publication, consisting of Isaac Hays, George Bacon Wood, D. Francis Condie, and George N. Norris, reported that Summary of the Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia was not bringing in enough revenue to offset the high cost of its publication. The committee, in an attempt to cut expenses and extend circulation, recommended that the journal be published as a supplement to the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. Through this method of publication, circulation would increase and the College would receive free copies of the supplements, which could later be bound into volumes. Also included in the collection is a letter, written by Isaac Parrish, which was presented before the College on 4 March 1851. Parrish, who disagreed with the recommendation to make Summary of Transactions a supplement to another journal, felt that the College should publish its journal independently. The Fellows agreed with Parrish, and no changes were made in the journal's publication. Three years later, the Committee of Publication again considered changing the method of publication of Summary of the Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia; as before, they wished to decrease expenses and increase circulation. Included in the collection is a report of 1 November 1854, written and signed by Samuel Jackson, which recommends that Summary of Transactions be published as a supplement to an established journal with a wider circulation. The committee invited ideas from publishing companies and received several proposals, including one from Lindsay & Blakiston (1 November 1854) and one from Blanchard & Lea (15 November 1854). Also present in the collection is the Committee of Publication's report of 6 December 1854, written and signed by Francis Gurney Smith, which recommends the acceptance of Lindsay & Blakiston's proposal to publish the College journal as'a part of the Medical Examiner. Once again, the Fellows failed to accept the committee's recommendation. In 1858, the Committee of Publication again attempted to change the mode of publication of 'the journal of the College. Included in the collection is a committee report of 3 February 1858, in which Samuel L. Hollingsworth, Edward Hartshorne, and R. P. Thomas recommend that the College journal become a supplement to the American Journal of Medical Sciences, published by Blanchard & Lea. The Fellows of the College finally accepted this recommendation (see letter of 6 February 1858). Summary of Transactions was published as a supplement until 1875. At a College meeting held on 4 November 1874, the Fellows elected to terminate their contract with the American Journal of the Medical Sciences; at the December meeting, it was decided that Summary of Transactions would again be published independently, and its title changed to Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. In addition to reports and proposals, the collection includes correspondence from the Library of Congress (6 July 1875 to 2 August 1879) acknowledging the receipt of Transactions of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia at the Library of Congress, The letters are signed by Ainsworth Rand Spofford, Librarian of Congress.