Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty and Administrative Records, 1852-1854

Version: 11 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 4:31:47 PM

Added description

Description

Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, 1853‑1854

Overview

This collection is the complete minute book of the faculty of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, a pioneering women’s medical institution founded in 1850. The bound volume contains 213 pages of handwritten and printed minutes, scanned in high‑resolution TIFF and JPEG formats. The pages record deliberations held from 27 May 1853 through 2 January 1854, covering faculty appointments, curriculum decisions, committee activities, and administrative matters. The book measures 18.5 × 23.2 cm and is held by Drexel Legacy Collections (Accession ACC‑092).

Background

The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania was the world’s first institution regularly organized to educate women for the medical profession. The minutes were taken by the faculty secretary, William S. Peirce, and signed by Dean David J. Johnson. They provide a detailed view of the college’s early governance and the development of its medical curriculum, reflecting the broader context of women’s professional education in the mid‑19th century.

Contents

The minutes document a series of meetings numbered 13–27, covering dates from January 26, 1853 to January 2, 1854, with additional pages from earlier meetings in 1853. Key subjects include:
  • Faculty appointments and resignations – elections of chairs in Obstetrics, Therapeutics, Anatomy, Surgery, and Physiology; appointments of demonstrators and lecturers; resignations of several professors.
  • Curricular developments – changes to course titles, lecture schedules, and the introduction of a medical dispensary.
  • Committee formations – audit, advertising, dispensary, and beneficiaries committees; contracts with the janitor and financial resolutions.
  • Honorary degrees – conferral of M.D. degrees to Harriet H. Hunt, Martha Abowry, and Martha H. Moory.
  • Administrative actions – commencement planning, admission of students, and correspondence with external physicians.

The collection also includes scanned images of selected pages (e.g., pages 10–12, 57–61) that provide visual evidence of the original handwritten minutes.

Scope

The collection covers faculty deliberations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 27 May 1853 and 2 January 1854. It is limited to the minutes of faculty meetings; it does not include student records, lecture notes, or external correspondence beyond what is cited in the minutes. The material is in English and subject to copyright restrictions; reproduction requires written permission from the copyright holders. The collection is valuable for scholars of women’s medical education, institutional history, and 19th‑century professional governance.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@date_1852

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Metadata

Title
Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty and Administrative Records, 1852-1854
Type
Collection
Creator
Female Medical College of PennsylvaniaDavid I. JohnsonDavid J. JohnsonWilliam S. PeirceEllwood HarveyWilliam M. CornellEdwin FussellAnn PrestonEdwin RussellAlmira L. FowlerHilbern DarlingtonMartha H. MooryEmeline H. Cleveland
Institution
Drexel Legacy Collections
Created
1852-1854
Language
en
Subjects
minutes, faculty meetings, medical education, women in medicine, medical colleges, curriculum, student examinations, college administration, graduation ceremonies, medical theses, faculty appointments, medical jurisprudence, anatomy, chemistry, medical clinics, commencement, medical degrees
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.
Place
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, New York, Providence, Rhode Island, Bristol, Pennsylvania, Attica, New York, Phelps, Ontario County, New York, Galveston, Texas, Utica, New York, Lincoln, Maine
Source
PINAX

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v11 (current) · 12/4/2025, 4:31:47 PM
    "Added description"
  • v10 · 12/4/2025, 4:24:55 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 4:10:13 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:32 PM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 6 groups"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:31 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q8DDF6873X1KVW5H5S2G"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:29 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q7145AWC71JSY1S30V7M"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:28 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q528V5M6VAT5AJH6YHD1"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:26 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q35KQE9ZX0VBAJV673JM"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:24 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q1EEJX2Y5HAM8C39G156"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:22 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1PZMD2HVC9Y8R2MH65NHZ"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were organized primarily by chronological periods (1852, 1853, 1854) as the content shows clear annual progression of faculty activities. Additional thematic groups were created for specific recurring topics like graduation records, faculty appointments, and college regulations that span multiple years. Each file was placed in at least one group, with overlapping content appearing in multiple relevant groups where appropriate.

## Groups Created

- **Faculty_Meetings_1852**: Records of faculty meetings and decisions from 1852, including committee appointments and curriculum planning
- **Faculty_Meetings_1853**: Records of faculty meetings and decisions from 1853, including candidate examinations, faculty elections, and curriculum changes
- **Faculty_Meetings_1854**: Records of faculty meetings and decisions from 1854, including commencement planning, candidate examinations, and faculty appointments
- **Graduation_Records**: Documents related to graduation ceremonies, including lists of graduates and their theses
- **Faculty_Appointments**: Records of faculty appointments, resignations, and position changes
- **College_Regulations**: Documents outlining college policies, fees, and administrative procedures

Parent

↑ 01KBN1DYGT4HKHTJ7FNZN9RSZP

Children (6)