Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, February 1861

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 4:29:51 PM

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Description

February 1861 Faculty Meeting Minutes – Student Examinations (Female Medical College of Pennsylvania)

Overview

This collection contains the scanned minutes of two faculty meetings held by the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania in February 1861. The documents are presented as a pair of high‑resolution images (JPEG/TIFF) and comprise 213 pages of the original minute book (a092_001). The material was created on 20 February 1861 and is held by the Drexel Legacy Collections.

Background

The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, founded in 1850 in Philadelphia, was the first institution in the world dedicated to the medical education of women. The faculty minutes record the deliberations of the college’s governing body, including financial oversight, admissions policy, and the examination of student theses. Key faculty members present at the meetings were Edwin Fussell, Ann Preston, James F.X. Birdsell, and Kerr, among others. The minutes are part of the larger minute book of the faculty of the college (accession number a092_001).

The collection includes two pages of meeting minutes: * January 21 1861 (presented in the February 1861 file) – discusses the dean’s account, the treasurer’s financial report (received $100, paid $80, balance $20), and the appointment of Drs. Birdsell and Fussell to audit the treasurer’s account. A letter of thanks to T.H. Powers is noted. * February 20 1861 – addresses student examinations and admissions. The dean reports six thesis submissions, each assigned to a faculty advisor: * Miss Paine – “Woman as Physician” (Dr. Temple) * Miss Rickettner – “Apoplexy” (Dr. Birdsell) * Mrs. Reynolds – “Duties & Responsibilities of the Physician” (Dr. Kerr) * Miss Paul – “Treatment of Infants” (Dr. Russell) * Joan Miss Davis – “Pneumonia” (Dr. Birdsell) * Miss R. Speakman – “Physiology” (Dr. Preston). The meeting also resolves that Mrs. Taylor, who had attended two winters without completing required coursework or paying fees, cannot be admitted to an examination.

Scope

The collection covers faculty deliberations in February 1861, focusing on student examinations, financial reporting, and admissions policy. It includes all minutes from the two meetings, the financial figures, the thesis assignments, and the admission decision regarding Mrs. Taylor. The material is limited to the two pages of minutes and does not contain ancillary documents such as the original thesis manuscripts or correspondence beyond the brief notes recorded in the minutes. The collection is available for research under the copyright restriction that requires written permission for reproduction beyond fair use.

Entities

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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@female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania:organization {full_name: "Female Medical College of Pennsylvania", founded: @date_1850, location: @philadelphia}

@edwin_fussell:person {full_name: "Edwin Fussell", lifespan: "1813-1882"}

@preston:person {full_name: "Ann Preston", lifespan: "1813-1872"}

@birdsell:person {full_name: "James F.X. Birdsell"}

@kerr:person {full_name: "Kerr"}

@sample:person {full_name: "Sample"}

@t_h_powers:person {full_name: "T.H. Powers"}

@dr_temple:person {full_name: "Dr. Temple"}

@dr_russell:person {full_name: "Dr. Russell"}

@dr_preston:person {full_name: "Dr. Preston"}

@mrs_taylor:person {full_name: "Mrs. Taylor"}

@miss_paine:person {full_name: "Miss Paine"}

@miss_rickettner:person {full_name: "Miss Rickettner"}

@mrs_reynolds:person {full_name: "Mrs. Reynolds"}

@miss_paul:person {full_name: "Miss Paul"}

@joan_miss_davis:person {full_name: "Joan Miss Davis"}

@miss_r_speakman:person {full_name: "Miss R. Speakman"}

@dean:person {role: "Dean"}

@treasurer:person {role: "Treasurer"}

@meeting_jan_21_1861:event {date: @date_1861_01_21, location: @philadelphia, organization: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}

@meeting_feb_20_1861:event {date: @date_1861_02_20, location: @philadelphia, organization: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}

@meeting_jan_21_1861 -> present -> [@edwin_fussell, @sample, @birdsell, @preston, @preston]

@meeting_feb_20_1861 -> present -> [@birdsell, @kerr, @edwin_fussell, @preston]

@payment_to_dean:document {amount: 9.42, currency: "USD", recipient: @dean}

@meeting_jan_21_1861 -> resolved -> @payment_to_dean

@treasurer_report_jan_1861:document {received: 100, paid: 80, balance: 20, currency: "USD"}

@treasurer -> produced -> @treasurer_report_jan_1861

@meeting_jan_21_1861 -> appointed -> [@birdsell, @edwin_fussell] {role: "audit treasurer account"}

@letter_to_powers:document {recipient: @t_h_powers, purpose: "thanks"}

@birdsell -> wrote -> @letter_to_powers

@statement_paine_application:document {subject: @miss_paine, referenced: @dean}

@edwin_fussell -> made statement -> @statement_paine_application

@admission_denial_taylor:document {applicant: @mrs_taylor, outcome: "denied", reason: "non‑compliance with college rules"}

@meeting_feb_20_1861 -> resolved -> @admission_denial_taylor

@theses_submissions:document {count: 6, students: [@miss_paine, @miss_rickettner, @mrs_reynolds, @miss_paul, @joan_miss_davis, @miss_r_speakman]}

@dean -> reported -> @theses_submissions

@thesis_paine:document {title: "Woman as Physician", advisor: @dr_temple}

@miss_paine -> thesis -> @thesis_paine

@thesis_rickettner:document {title: "Apoplexy", advisor: @birdsell}

@miss_rickettner -> thesis -> @thesis_rickettner

@thesis_reynolds:document {title: "Duties & Responsibilities of the Physician", advisor: @kerr}

@mrs_reynolds -> thesis -> @thesis_reynolds

@thesis_paul:document {title: "Treatment of Infants", advisor: @dr_russell}

@miss_paul -> thesis -> @thesis_paul

@thesis_davis:document {title: "Pneumonia", advisor: @birdsell}

@joan_miss_davis -> thesis -> @thesis_davis

@thesis_speakman:document {title: "Physiology", advisor: @dr_preston}

@miss_r_speakman -> thesis -> @thesis_speakman

@meeting_feb_20_1861 -> discussed -> @theses_submissions

@meeting_feb_20_1861 -> discussed -> @admission_denial_taylor

@file_a092_001_140_jpg:file -> contains -> @meeting_jan_21_1861

@file_a092_001_141_jpg:file -> contains -> @meeting_feb_20_1861

Metadata

Title: Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, February 1861
Type: Collection
Creator: Female Medical College of PennsylvaniaEdwin FussellPrestonBirdsellKerr
Institution: Drexel Legacy Collections
Created: 1861-02-20
Language: en
Subjects: Minutes, Medical education, Medical colleges, Women in medicine, Women physicians, Student examinations, Faculty meetings
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
Source: PINAX

Files (4)

a092_001_140.jpgJPEG

356.21 KB

OCR Text

Jan 21st 1861 Present - Fussell, Sample, Birdsell, Preston & Preston reported that Dean's account correct. On motion resolved that the treasurer be directed to pay the Dean nine dollars and forty-two cents, being the balance due on his report. The treasurer produced his report as follows showing that he had received since his appointment last year one hundred dollars and paid out eighty dollars leaving a balance of twenty dollars in the treasury. Drs. Birdsell & Fussell were appointed to audit the treasurer's account. Dr. Birdsell reported that he had written a letter of thanks to T.H. Powers pursuant to his appointment. A Preston sec. Feb 20th 1861 Present - Birdsell, Kerr, Fussell, Preston. Dr. Fussell made a statement in reference to some peculiarities in Miss Paine's application for admission as a candidate for graduation. The whole matter was referred to the Dean to be arranged as wisely as he

OCR Text

may be able to do it. The subject of admitting Mrs Taylor to an examination was introduced & discussed. She having attended here two winters without having dissected or paid any fees, when an motion it was Resolved that Mrs Taylor, not having complied with the rules of the College cannot be admitted to an examination. The Dean stated that essays for inaugural Theses had been received from six students. They were referred for examination to the professors as follows: from Miss Paine on Woman as Physician referred to Dr Temple Miss Rickettner on Apoplecty referred to Dr Birdsell Mrs Reynolds on Duties & Responsibilities of the Physician referred to Dr Kerr Miss Paul on the Treatment of Infants referred to Dr Russell Joan Miss Davis on Pneumonia referred to Dr Birdsell Miss R. Speakman on Physiology referred to Dr Preston

a092_001_141.tifTIFF