Penn Medical College was founded by Dr. Joseph S. Longshore in 1853,
[Gardner, Martha N. (2002)]
''Midwife, Doctor, or Doctress? The New England Female Medical College and Women's Place in Nineteenth-century Medicine and Society.''
Doctoral dissertation, Brandeis University. but the name was changed to Penn Medical University in 1854.
[Abrahams, Harold J. (1966). ''Extinct Medical Schools of Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia'', University of Pennsylvania Press. Print.] It was among the first
medical colleges to admit both men and women but they attended separate sessions (fall term for women, spring term for men).
The school held classes in several locations in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
over the years, including Franklin Hall (on Sixth Street below Arch Street), the Thirteenth and Arch Streets, then 419 Market Street. In 1857, it moved to Twelfth and Chestnut Streets, then three years later to 910 Arch Street. At the Arch Street home a
dispensary
A dispensary is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization that dispenses medications, medical supplies, and in some cases even medical and dental treatment. In a traditional dispensary set-up, a pharmacist dispen ...
was opened in 1860, and in 1862 a
dental department was established. In 1874, the school moved to its final location at 1131 Brown Street. The school closed in 1881.
In 1853 the school awarded the Honorary Doctor of Medicine degree to
Samuel Gregory
Dr. Samuel Gregory (April 19, 1813 – March 23, 1872) was the founder of the New England Female Medical College.
Gregory was born in Guilford, Vermont, Guilford, Vt, Apr 19, 1813. He graduated from Yale College in 1840, and in 1853 received the h ...
who had founded Boston's
New England Female Medical College
New England Female Medical College (NEFMC), originally Boston Female Medical College, was founded in 1848 by Samuel Gregory and was the first school to train women in the field of medicine. It merged with Boston University to become the Boston Uni ...
five years earlier.
The Penn Medical University catalog for the year 1860 lists 27 female graduates including Dr.
Elizabeth D. A. Cohen
Elizabeth D. A. Magnus Cohen (February 22, 1820 – May 28, 1921) was the first woman licensed to practice medicine in the state of Louisiana in the United States.
Early life and education
She was born on February 22, 1820, at 205 Hudson Str ...
.
[U.S., School Catalogs, 1765-1935. Penn Medical University of Philadelphia.]
Confusion about the name of the school
The chartered name of the institution was Penn Medical College but it was changed on January 14, 1854, by decree of the Court of Quarter Sessions to Penn Medical University, before its first year had drawn to a close.
The school is very frequently confused with two other Philadelphia medical schools that existed at the same time. Because of "Penn" being in the name, the
Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, with its longtime nickname "Penn," is one. The other is the
Female Medical College of Pennsylvania
The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) was founded in 1850, and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree. The New England Female Medical College had been established ...
, often confused because, like Penn Medical University, it also admitted women.
References
External links
''Announcement and Catalogue of the Penn Medical University of Philadelphia, Male and Female Departments, for 1857-58: With the Valedictory Address to the Graduating Classes, Delivered at the Public Commencement, held in the Musical Fund Hall, May 30th, 1857'' Philadelphia, 1857. Retrieved 2016 May 11.
*Longshore, Joseph S.
''The Practical Importance of Female Medical Education: An Introductory Lecture, delivered September, 6th, 1853 in the Penn Medical College, of Philadelphia'' Philadelphia, 1853. Retrieved 2016 May 11.
{{Authority control
Medical schools in Pennsylvania
Defunct private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania
Educational institutions established in 1853
Educational institutions disestablished in 1881
1853 establishments in Pennsylvania