Resignation Letter from Edwin Farnell, 1864
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 11/13/2025, 10:55:21 PM
Added description
Description
ResignationandControversy_1864
Overview
This archival item comprises a resignation letter written by Edwin Farnell on March 27, 1864, accompanied by two photographic reproductions (JPEG and TIFF) of the original document. The letter is a primary source text in English that addresses concerns about the integrity of a medical college, specifically the alleged lowering of its medical standards. The material is catalogued under the ID 01K9ZNW79MSZXE00YGJY9T5RWZ and is hosted by the “Pinax” repository, with provenance linked to the “drexel‑production” institution.Background
Edwin Farnell was a faculty member at a medical college that, according to the letter, had recently adopted policies that reduced the length and rigor of its curriculum. Farnell’s resignation reflects a broader controversy over the college’s adherence to its own published standards and the impact on its reputation among alumni and the medical profession. The letter references faculty resolutions adopted in the same session, indicating that the concerns were shared by colleagues. The document was created in the United States during the Civil War era, a period of significant debate over medical education reform.Contents
- Textual record: The letter itself, dated March 27, 1864, written in a formal, reflective tone.
- Photographic reproductions: Two JPEG images (a092001202.jpg, a092001203.jpg) and their corresponding TIFF files, each containing OCR‑extracted text that reproduces the letter’s content.
- Metadata: Descriptive fields include creator (Edwin Farnell), subjects (Resignation, Controversy, Medical Education, College Integrity), language (English), and rights status (unknown).
- Supporting documents: References to faculty resolutions and the college’s policy changes are noted within the letter’s body.
Scope
The material covers a single event—the resignation of a faculty member—within the broader context of medical education standards in the mid‑19th century. It is limited to the letter’s content and its immediate institutional setting; it does not include external correspondence, official college responses, or subsequent developments. The geographic focus is the United States, and the temporal scope is confined to the year 1864. The collection is valuable for scholars studying the history of medical education, institutional integrity, and professional ethics during the Civil War era.Entities
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@file_pinax -> documents -> @resignation_letter_1864:document {author: @edwin_farnell, created: @date_1864_03_27, subjects: ["Resignation","Controversy","Medical Education","College Integrity"]}
@edwin_farnell:person {full_name: "Edwin Farnell"}
@college:organization {type: "medical college", description: "the institution from which Edwin Farnell resigns"}
@edwin_farnell -> resigned from -> @college
@medical_standards:concept {description: "standards governing medical education"}
@lowering_medical_standards:concept {description: "the practice of reducing required medical education standards"}
@college_integrity:concept {description: "the integrity of the college's standards and reputation"}
@resignation_letter_1864 -> expresses concern about -> @college_integrity
@resignation_letter_1864 -> criticizes -> @lowering_medical_standards
@faculty:organization {role: "faculty of the college"}
@faculty_resolutions:document {description: "Resolutions adopted by the faculty as referenced in the resignation letter"}
@faculty -> adopted -> @faculty_resolutions
@file_a092_001_202_jpg -> contains OCR -> @resignation_letter_1864
@file_a092_001_203_jpg -> contains OCR -> @resignation_letter_1864Metadata
Files (4)
OCR Text
in a matter which, to my mind affects our integrity. I say it in sorrow, not in anger. I think the College is disgraced & I should feel myself degraded did I remain longer in connection with it. After years of holding up the standard (proclaiming to the world) that we seek & shew, not lower medical requirements while his family has been charging us with debasing the profession (falsely charging hitherto)—after publishing for years the necessity of a lengthened course of lectures & requiring two full courses on all the branches—on his very first occasion of being asked to do it; we violate our own rules, depart from the spirit & letter of our published well-known & wise requirements—tread on Homer in the dust & present ourselves a melancholy spectacle of amiable weakness, a work for the jeering, mocking of the enemies of his cause & the object of bitter tears for our dear-sickening & firm-principled alumni & friends. It seems to me—and must be true to myself & the cause—and therefore with well-wishing for you all collecting
OCR Text
& individually, & prayers that you may have light & see his right way & strength to bear the load of responsibility which rests upon you. & asking you to bear with me now for his sake as the fact if in my plain of such I have said anything which sounds harshly, lovingly & sorrowfully I bid you goodbye. Yours truly, Edwin Farnell. March 27th I have withheld any resignation until now for two reasons: 1st. That the unfinished work of the session might be completed without unpleasant interruption & 2nd. That I should not in haste do an act which I might afterward regret. A month has being passed by. The work of the session is nearly closed and after mature reflection on the matter, in all its bearings & with the light & shades of subsequent events resting upon it, I am more than confident in the correctness of my course. The following resolutions were adopted by the faculty.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 11/13/2025, 10:55:21 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 11/13/2025, 10:46:15 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 11/13/2025, 10:37:46 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 11/13/2025, 10:34:07 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Resignation_and_Controversy_1864"
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