Records of the Office of the Secretary of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Collection
Identifier: CPP 1/002-01
Scope and Contents
This collection of records, spanning 1854 to 1909, consists
of backup files maintained by the secretaries of the College
of Physicians of Philadelphia to provide additional
documentation of College meetings. The collection includes
rough drafts of minutes, attendance sheets, ballot forms,
election tallies, and correspondence. Also present are
recommendations of physicians for fellowship, amendments of
by-laws, lists of books donated to the Library, and
resolutions; much of this material is written on small
slips of paper which presumably were handed to the secretary
during meetings. In many cases, these records provide a
more accurate and candid description of the tone and
proceedings of College meetings than do the official College
minutes, which were frequently reduced and edited. Included
in the collection are the records maintained by five
secretaries of the College: W. S. W. Ruschenberger (1854),
Alfred Stille (1854-1857), Edward Hartshorne (1858-1861),
Richard A. Cleemann (1879-1884) and Thomas R. Neilson (1896-
1914).
During Alfred Stille's term as secretary, Thoaas Dent Mutter
first approached the College with his desire to establish a
pathological museum. At a special meeting on 19 June 1856,
the College formed a coamittee to consider his proposal, but
little progress was made due to Mutter's sudden departure
from the country. Apparently, some Fellows were disturbed
by Mutter's "disappearance" and felt that he had made an
offer to the College only to withdraw it. At the meeting on
4 March 1857, a letter froa Mutter, then living in Nice, was
read to the College. The letter, which appears in Stille's
records but is not copied into the official College minutes,
explains that Mutter was required by ill health to retire to
a warmer climate, but before leaving had created a trust
which would provide the funds necessary for the
establishment of the museum. In his letter, Mutter makes it
clear that he always intended to keep his promise to the
College, Mutter's lengthy correspondence and a document
from his lawyer explaining the conditions of his trust are
filed with the minutes from the 4 March 1857 meeting.
Also of note in the minutes of 1856 and 1857 are several
letters from Thomas F. Betton. Betton wanted to donate his
library to the College, as well as set up a "Betton prize"
to be administered by the College. In his letters of 3
September 1856 and 1 October 1856, Betton describes the
numerous stipulations that had to be •et before he would
make his donation. The College held a special meeting on 17
September 1856 and formed a committee to consider Betton's
offer. The committee, perhaps disgruntled by Betton's
demands or by his failure to attend a meeting arranged by
them, refused to pursue the issue any further. Betton,
obviously insulted, submitted a letter of resignation to the
College which he later withdrew. Betton reaained a Fellow
until his death in 1875, and his library eventually was
donated to the College under less stringent conditions (see
minutes of 7 October 1857). Much of the controversy
surrounding Betton is not revealed in the official College
minutes; at the meeting of 6 November 1856, it was decided
that "Betton's communications be not published [in the
minutes]".
The minutes of special •eetings provide great insight into
some of the more pressing matters facing the College over
the years. Occasionally these meetings were called in
response to medical emergencies, such as the cholera
epidemics in Pennsylvania (1854) and in Panama (1903);
other meetings were held to discuss legislation affecting
the medical profession, such as a proposed bill which would
establish a national board of medical censors (see minutes
of 24 April 1855).
Special meetings were held frequently during 1903 and 1904
to discuss "the growing demand of the Library for increased
space" (see minutes of 21 January 1903). This was an
especially volatile period in the history of the College;
Fellows were strongly divided on the issue of whether the
College should remain on 13th and Locust Street or build at
another location. The issue of "removal or non-removal of
the College" resulted in nuaerous pass~ate debates, many
of which do not appear in the official College minutes. For
example, the rough minutes of 13 Deceaber 1904 state that
James V. Ingham was "called to order by Dr. LeConte for
being improperly personal in his remarks...[Ingham] had
gone too far...[and] withdrew what he had said". In a
letter to secretary Thomas R. Neilson, dated 21 Deceaber
1904, Ingham requests that this part of the minutes be
omitted. His pleas were successful; the official minutes
contain no record of the incident.
S. Weir Mitchell is well represented in this collection;
included aaong the records are holograph copies of important
resolutions submitted by Mitchell during College aeetings
(1882-1903). Also present are several pieces of
correspondence, as well as his holograph meaoir of Thomas
Dent Mutter (4 May 1859). Of special interest is a report
prepared by Mitchell for a meeting held on 30 March 1904 to
discuss whether or not the College should move to the 22nd
Street location. The typescript report, which contains
numerous corrections and additions, describes the area
surrounding the lot in great detail and urges the Fellows to
consider building there.
Also included in the collection is correspondence from other
notable figures such as George Bacon Wood, John L.
Cadwalader, Joseph Leidy, Samuel Lewis, J.M. Da Costa, S.
w. Gross, and William W, Keen.
Dates
- 1854 - 1909
Creator
Biographical / Historical
The office of the Secretary of the College of Physicians of
Philadelphia was created during the organization of the
College in 1787. The Secretary is the appointed officer of
record. His original duties were to record the minutes and
transactions of the College and preserve its documents and
correspondence. In 1834, the Secretary was also empowered
to keep lists of the fellows and provide them with
certificates of membership.
In 1863, the responsibility for notifying officers and
committee members of election or appointaent devolved upon
the Secretary. An annual report on the fellowship became
part of the Secretary's responsibilities in 1870. At this
time, a related office, the Recorder, was created to keep
the minutes of all scientific sessions. The office of
Recorder was abolished in 1914, and a salaried position,
the Clerk, was created under the Secretary; the Secretary
devoted himself to matters of fellowship while the Clerk
preserved the minutes and papers of the College. The
position of Clerk was abolished in 1925, and his duties
were returned to the Secretary.
In 1990, the Secretary was empowered to perform "all the
duties appropriate to his or her post as the elected
recording officer of the College and assure the duties and
powers of the President in the absence or temporary
incapacity of both the President and President-Elect".
Extent
2.4 Linear feet (6 document boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Overview
The office of the Secretary of the College of Physicians of
Philadelphia was created during the organization of the
College in 1787. The Secretary is the appointed officer of
record. His original duties were to record the minutes and
transactions of the College and preserve its documents and
correspondence.
This collection of records, spanning 1854 to 1909, consists of backup files maintained by the secretaries of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia to provide additional documentation of College meetings.
This collection of records, spanning 1854 to 1909, consists of backup files maintained by the secretaries of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia to provide additional documentation of College meetings.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The source of this collection of records of the secretaries
of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is unknown.
The collection was catalogued and processed in 1991.
Creator
- College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Office of the Secretary (Organization)
- Cleeman, Richard A. (Person)
- Hartshorne, Edward (Person)
- Neilson, Thomas R. (Thomas Rundle) (Person)
- Stillé, Alfred (Person)
- Title
- Records of the Office of the Secretary of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Repository
Contact:
19 S. 22nd Street
Philadelphia PA 19103 United States
215-399-2001
library@collegeofphysicians.org
19 S. 22nd Street
Philadelphia PA 19103 United States
215-399-2001
library@collegeofphysicians.org
