a092_001_068.jpg

Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, 1854-1855

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 4:28:24 PM

Added description

Description

Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, 1854‑1855

Overview

This collection comprises three scanned pages from the faculty minutes of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, covering meetings held on December 21 and December 29, 1854, and the memorial resolution adopted for the late Dr. David J. Johnson. The materials are held in the Drexel Legacy Collections and are part of the minute book of the faculty of the college, a key record of the institution’s early governance.

Background

The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, founded in 1850, was the world’s first medical college regularly organized for women. The minutes document deliberations during a transition period in the mid‑1850s, when faculty appointments and institutional policies were being refined. Key participants recorded in the pages include Thomas T. Fussell (Secretary Pro Tem), Ann Preston (Secretary Pro Tem), Ellwood Harvey, Dr. Kerr, and the late Dr. David J. Johnson. The minutes were originally handwritten and later digitized in both JPEG and TIFF formats.

Contents

* Page 1 (Dec 21 1854) – Records the appointment of Thomas T. Fussell as Secretary Pro Tem, the formation of a committee to fill the vacant chair of Obstetrics, and the adjournment to the next meeting. * Page 2 (Dec 29 1854) – Notes the meeting held at Dr. Fussell’s house, the appointment of Ann Preston as Secretary Pro Tem, and the presentation of a memorial resolution for Dr. Johnson. * Page 3 (Dec 29 1854) – The full text of the memorial resolution, signed by Harvey, Fussell, and Preston, and addressed to Mrs. Rebecca Johnson, the widow of Dr. Johnson.

The OCR text confirms the content and provides a readable transcription of the minutes and resolution.

Scope

The collection covers the period from December 21 1854 to January 2 1855 and includes only the three scanned pages of faculty minutes and the memorial resolution. It is in English, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is subject to the copyright restrictions noted in the accession record.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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@drexel_legacy_collections:organization {full_name: "Drexel Legacy Collections"}

@female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania:organization {full_name: "Female Medical College of Pennsylvania", founded: @date_1850_06_25, location: @philadelphia}

@philadelphia:place {city: "Philadelphia", state: "Pennsylvania", country: @united_states}

@ann_preston:person {full_name: "Ann Preston", role: "Faculty member, later Sec Pro Tem"}

@thomas_t_fussell:person {full_name: "Thomas T. Fussell", role: "Faculty member, Secretary Pro Tem"}

@ellwood_harvey:person {full_name: "Ellwood Harvey", role: "Faculty member"}

@david_j_johnson:person {full_name: "David J. Johnson", role: "Faculty member, deceased"}

@dr_kerr:person {full_name: "Dr. Kerr", role: "Faculty member"}

@rebecca_johnson:person {full_name: "Rebecca Johnson", role: "Widow of David J. Johnson"}

@meeting_1854_12_21:event {date: @date_1854_12_21, location: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania, type: "faculty meeting"}

@meeting_1854_12_29:event {date: @date_1854_12_29, location: @dr_fussell_house, type: "faculty meeting"}

@dr_fussell_house:place {description: "House of Dr. Thomas T. Fussell", city: "Philadelphia"}

@resolution_memorial_johnson:document {title: "Resolution in memory of Dr. David J. Johnson", date: @date_1854_12_29, adopted_by: @meeting_1854_12_29}

@female_medical_college_faculty_minutes -> created by -> [@female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania, @thomas_t_fussell, @ann_preston, @ellwood_harvey, @david_j_johnson]

@female_medical_college_faculty_minutes -> contains -> @meeting_1854_12_21

@female_medical_college_faculty_minutes -> contains -> @meeting_1854_12_29

@meeting_1854_12_21 -> present -> [@dr_kerr, @ann_preston, @thomas_t_fussell]

@meeting_1854_12_21 -> appointed -> @thomas_t_fussell {role: "Secretary Pro Tem"}

@meeting_1854_12_21 -> appointed committee -> [@dr_kerr, @thomas_t_fussell, @ellwood_harvey] {purpose: "obtain suitable person to fill chair of Obstetrics"}

@meeting_1854_12_21 -> adjourned to -> @meeting_1854_12_29

@meeting_1854_12_29 -> held at -> @dr_fussell_house

@meeting_1854_12_29 -> appointed -> @ann_preston {role: "Sec Pro Tem"}

@meeting_1854_12_29 -> discussed -> @resolution_memorial_johnson

@resolution_memorial_johnson -> honors -> @david_j_johnson

@resolution_memorial_johnson -> expresses -> {appreciation: "high appreciation of his worth", sense_of_loss: "deep sense of the calamity"}

@resolution_memorial_johnson -> signed by -> [@ellwood_harvey, @thomas_t_fussell, @ann_preston]

@resolution_memorial_johnson -> sent to -> @rebecca_johnson

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @female_medical_college_faculty_minutes

@file_a092_001_068_jpg:file -> depicts -> @meeting_1854_12_21

@file_a092_001_069_jpg:file -> depicts -> @meeting_1854_12_29

@file_a092_001_070_jpg:file -> depicts -> @resolution_memorial_johnson

Metadata

Files (6)

a092_001_068.jpgJPEG
306.68 KB
OCR Text

Thursday Dec. 21st 1854 Present Dr. Kerr, Preston Thomas T. Fussell Dr. Fussell was appointed Secretary Pro Tem for the Dean being absent on account of indisposition. The minutes of last meeting read & adopted. On motion Dr. Kerr Fussell & Harvey were appointed a committee to obtain some suitable person to fill the chair of Obstetrics now vacant. Adjourned to meet on Friday the 29th inst. T. Fussell Sec'y Pro Tem.

a092_001_069.jpgJPEG
391.87 KB
OCR Text

Friday, Dec 29th 1854 A meeting of the Faculty was held at the house of Dr. Fussell. A Preston was appointed Sec Pro Tem. The Secretary offered a preamble & resolutions in reference to the decease of our colleague Dr. David J. Johnson, which after some amendment by Dr. Fussell was adopted as follows: Whereas our valued friend & coadjutor David J. Johnson M.D. Suddenly, in the midst of his activity & usefulness, has been removed from us by death, therefore Resolved, that we deem it incumbent upon us to express our high appreciation of his worth, & our deep sense of the calamity sustained by his family, this Institution, & the community, in his removal. Resolved, that by clearness of intellect, by learning & research, by industry, zeal & perseverance as well as by facility in imparting instruction he was preeminently qualified to be the teacher of a noble science. Resolved, that while we admired his rich & varied intellectual powers & attainments we also loved him as a man & a friend.

a092_001_070.jpgJPEG
354.15 KB
OCR Text

—as one distinguished by his unpretending modesty, his high sense of honor, his love of truth, & the unspotted purity of his character. Resolved that we, his survivors, while sorrowing for his departure, can best do honor to his memory by increased efforts to sustain & ennoble the college he loved, & to which he devoted his life. Resolved, that we offer our heart-felt condolence to his afflicted widow & family, & mourn with them as fellow-sufferers in their irreparable loss. It was voted that the above resolutions be signed by each professor individually & sent to Mrs. Rebecca Johnson, & that they also be published in the public ledger. Present—Srs Harvey, Fussell, Thomas & Preston. A. Preston, Sec. Pro. Tem.

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 4:28:24 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 4:14:08 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 4:07:24 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:16 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: 1854_1855_Transition"

Parent

01KBN1NDR3H5FDANVBZ4D0234Q

No children (leaf entity)