Drexel University Historical Collections: Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Records

Version: 6 (current) | Updated: 11/14/2025, 4:18:15 PM

Added description

Description

Drexel University Historical Collections: Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Records

Overview

This digital collection, cataloged in Drexel University’s PINAX system (ID 01KA1HNBK1V4601583XTX7RJM7), preserves faculty meeting minutes, administrative reports, and related documents from the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (FMCP). The materials span the college’s formative years, 1850‑1864, and are available as high‑resolution TIFF and JPEG scans with accompanying OCR text. The collection is housed in the Final‑Drexel‑University repository and is subject to copyright restrictions; reproduction beyond fair use requires written permission.

Background

The FMCP, founded in Philadelphia in 1850, was the first U.S. institution to award medical degrees to women. Its faculty governed the college through regular meetings, adopting by‑laws, managing finances, and overseeing curricula. The collection reflects the college’s efforts to professionalize medical education for women during a period of rapid institutional development and societal change. Key figures include Dean Edwin Russell Dean, Professors Ellwood Harvey, Dr. Fussell, Dr. Kerr, Dr. Preston, Dr. Temple, Dr. Coates, Dr. Russell, Dr. Burr, and Dr. Gleason. Documents were produced in Philadelphia and occasionally in other U.S. locations (e.g., Ohio, New York, Washington, D.C.) as the college expanded its reach.

Contents

  • Faculty Meeting Minutes (1850‑1864): Detailed accounts of meetings held at 229 Arch Street and other venues, covering faculty appointments, committee formations, by‑law revisions, financial resolutions, and student examinations.
  • Administrative Records: By‑laws, fee schedules, degree‑requirement outlines, and financial statements, including tuition, matriculation, and beneficiary fees.
  • Commencement and Graduation Records: Program notes, valedictory addresses, and degree conferral lists for the 1850‑1861 and 1863‑1864 sessions.
  • Correspondence and Resolutions: Letters of resignation, donation records, and special meeting minutes (e.g., a family meeting in 1864).
  • Digital Images and OCR Text: High‑resolution scans (TIFF) and machine‑readable text for each document, facilitating research and preservation.

Scope

The collection covers 1850‑1864, focusing on the FMCP’s internal governance, academic regulations, financial administration, and ceremonial activities. It is geographically centered on Philadelphia but includes references to other U.S. locations where faculty or students were active. The materials exclude student files, clinical case reports, and external correspondence beyond what is recorded in the minutes. The archive is a primary source for scholars of women’s medical education, 19th‑century institutional history, and the professionalization of medicine in the United States.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

**Extraction from @file_pinax (PINAX metadata)**  

```cheimorros
@file_pinax:document -> creator -> @final_drexel_university
@file_pinax:document -> institution -> @final_drexel_university
@file_pinax:document -> type -> "Collection"
@file_pinax:document -> language -> "en-US"
@file_pinax:document -> rights -> "Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by privacy and publicity rights, licensing or trademarks. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user."
@file_pinax:document -> date_range {start: @date_1850, end: @date_1864}
@file_pinax:document -> description -> "A comprehensive collection of faculty meeting minutes, records, and administrative documents from the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, spanning from 1850 to 1864. The collection includes detailed accounts of academic administration, medical education, faculty appointments, student examinations, and institutional governance, providing valuable insights into the early years of medical education for women."
@file_pinax:document -> covers -> [
    @medical_education,
    @faculty_meetings,
    @college_administration,
    @women_in_medicine,
    @academic_degrees,
    @medical_profession,
    @philadelphia_history,
    @nineteenth_century_education,
    @medical_curriculum,
    @academic_minutes,
    @faculty_appointments,
    @examinations,
    @degrees,
    @commencement_ceremonies,
    @graduation_ceremonies,
    @medical_theses,
    @college_governance,
    @digital_images,
    @archival_materials
]
@file_pinax:document -> mentions_place -> [
    @philadelphia,
    @new_york,
    @boston_massachusetts,
    @providence,
    @bristol,
    @marlboro_ohio,
    @salem_ohio,
    @galveston_tx,
    @lincoln_me,
    @utica_ny,
    @allentown_pa,
    @morris_ny,
    @phelps_new_york,
    @attica_new_york,
    @fulton_ny,
    @chester_pa,
    @musical_fund_hall,
    @concert_hall,
    @albany_ny,
    @washington_dc,
    @north_college_avenue,
    @peoria_il,
    @quincy_ma,
    @germantown_pa,
    @baltimore_md,
    @camden_nj,
    @san_francisco_ca,
    @irving_mills_ny,
    @coylean_in,
    @girard_college,
    @pen_medical_university,
    @marshall_street,
    @arch_street_229
]
@file_pinax:document -> aggregates -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection {description: "Digital hub linking all faculty‑meeting minutes, resolutions, by‑law changes, financial reports, thesis examinations, and commencement records of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (1850‑1864)"}
```

---

**Synthesis across sub‑directories**

```cheimorros
# 1. Core administrative network – faculty members appearing in minute‑books are the same people listed as creators/signatories in the PINAX metadata.
@ellwood_harvey:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_fussell:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_kerr:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_preston:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_temple:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_coates:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_russell:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_burr:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@dr_gleason:person -> participated in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection

# 2. Temporal continuity – the date range of the PINAX collection (1850‑1864) exactly matches the combined spans of the individual meeting‑minute collections.
@faculty_meeting_collection:collection {date_range: {start: @date_1850, end: @date_1855}}
@faculty_meeting_minutes_collection_1850_1857:collection {date_range: {start: @date_1850, end: @date_1857}}
@faculty_meeting_collection_1856_1859:collection {date_range: {start: @date_1856, end: @date_1859}}
@faculty_meetings_1863_1864:collection {date_range: {start: @date_1863, end: @date_1864}}
@faculty_meetings_1864:collection {date_range: {start: @date_1864, end: @date_1864}}
@faculty_meetings_collection:collection {date_range: {start: @date_1850, end: @date_1864}}

# 3. Conceptual integration – each subject listed in the PINAX metadata is a concept that recurs in the minute‑books, resolutions, and by‑law documents across the sub‑directories.
@medical_education:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_minutes_collection_1850_1857:collection
@faculty_meetings:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@college_administration:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_collection:collection
@women_in_medicine:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@academic_degrees:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_collection_1856_1859:collection
@medical_profession:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@philadelphia_history:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@nineteenth_century_education:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_minutes_collection_1850_1857:collection
@medical_curriculum:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_collection:collection
@academic_minutes:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_minutes_collection_1850_1857:collection
@faculty_appointments:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_collection_1856_1859:collection
@examinations:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@degrees:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_collection:collection
@commencement_ceremonies:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@graduation_ceremonies:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@medical_theses:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_minutes_collection_1850_1857:collection
@college_governance:concept -> appears in -> @faculty_meeting_collection:collection
@digital_images:concept -> linked to -> @file_a092_001_001_tif:file
@archival_materials:concept -> linked to -> @file_a092_001_001_tif:file

# 4. Geographic footprint – every place enumerated in the PINAX “place” array is also referenced in the minute‑books and other archival items, mapping the spatial reach of the college’s activities.
@philadelphia -> mentioned in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@new_york -> mentioned in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@boston_massachusetts -> mentioned in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@marshall_street -> mentioned in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
@musical_fund_hall -> mentioned in -> @faculty_meetings_collection:collection
... (and similarly for each place listed)

# 5. Digital‑image linkage – the subjects “Digital Images” and “Archival Materials” connect the PINAX metadata to the scanned TIFF assets stored in the repository.
@digital_images:concept -> associated with -> @file_a092_001_001_tif:file
@digital_images:concept -> associated with -> @file_a092_001_081_tif:file
@digital_images:concept -> associated with -> @file_a092_001_121_tif:file
@digital_images:concept -> associated with -> @file_a092_001_161_tif:file
@archival_materials:concept -> associated with -> @file_a092_001_001_tif:file
```

These triples capture the **core metadata** of the PINAX record, **link it to the subject‑concept network**, **map the geographic and temporal scope**, and **synthesize connections** to faculty members, other collections, and digital assets across the entire archival corpus.

Metadata

Version History (6 versions)

  • ✓ v6 (current) · 11/14/2025, 4:18:15 PM
    "Added description"
  • v5 · 11/14/2025, 4:13:51 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v4 · 11/14/2025, 4:02:36 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v3 · 11/14/2025, 3:52:03 PM · View this version
    "Set parent to 00000000000000000000000000"
  • v2 · 11/14/2025, 3:52:00 PM · View this version
    "Added children"
  • v1 · 11/14/2025, 3:49:54 PM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Parent

00000000000000000000000000

Children (1)