TW£9a AN DELIVERED MARCH 8, 1825, HALL OF THE MEDICAL FACULTY $tfftvnon <&olltQtf LOCATED IN PHILADELPHIA, BY B. RUSH RHEES, M. D. •» • PUOFESSOH OF MATEKIA MED1CA OF JEFFEESOlf COL1EOB. K 6 / 7 PHILADELPHIA: iVELT 8 1«25 PRINTED BT STAVELT & BllllfGHUB.ST. V4 PREFACE. In delivering the following address into the hands of the public, the Medical Faculty of Jefferson Cqllege are de- sirous of removing any wrong impressions which may have been entertained by their fellow-citizens, respecting the nature of their design, or the principles by which they propose to be governed in carrying it into execution. They also wish to communicate to those who may feel an interest in their enterprise, the details of the course they are about to pursue, and for this purpose state— 1st. That a spacious building has been procured and fitted up for the purpose of Medical instruction, in all the branches taught in other similar institutions. This building, which is 100 feet in depth, by more than 30 feet in breadth, and which is situated in a highly eligible part of the city, contains apartments for the accommodation of a large num- ber of attendants on the public lectures, a convenient labo- ratory, and rooms as well adapted to the purpose of dissection as any in the country. Preparations have also been made for the reception, within its walls, of poor patients requiring medical or surgical aid, that students may have an oppor- tunity of being present during the hours of operating and prescribing. ^nd. It is intended that the lectures shall commence on the Thursday immediately preceding tlie first Monday in November next, and continue until the last of February; and that the commencement, or time of conferring degrees, shall be as early in the month of March as the examination of candidates will admit. IV 3d. It is determined that those only shall be considered as candidates for a degree, who shall have attended two full courses of lectures, in this school, or who, after giving evidence of having attended one course on all the branches taught in it, shall attend one other in this institution, and be found qualified for a degree on a suitable examination. 4th. The fees for attendance on the lectures, will be $15 to each professor, for the course; and the fee for graduation $15. Ten students, who shall present themselves to the faculty properly recommended, will be admitted to each course of lectures gratuitously. No entrance fee or matriculation ticket will be required. The faculty is composed of the following gentlemen. John Eberle, m. d. Professor of the Theory and Prac- tice of Medicine. George M'Clellan, m. d. Professor of Surgery. Jacob Green, a. m. Professor of Chemistry. B. Rush Rhees, m. d. Professor of Materia Medica. F. S. Beattie, m. d. Professor of the Institutes of Medicine and Midwifery. Nathan R. Smith, m. d. Professor of Anatomy and Physiology. In addition to the foregoing sketch of the regulations adopted by the Faculty, it is only necessary to state, in this place, that on Tuesday, the 8th inst. the hall of the Jeffer- son Medical School was opened; when a few remarks, succeeded by a solemn and impressive prayer, were made by the Rev. Ashbel Green, D. D. late President of Prince- ton College. The substance of these remarks, and of.the petitions, so fervently offered up in behalf of the institution, are here inserted, as an important part of the services of a day interesting to the whole Medical Profession, and to the community at large. K. RUSH RHEES, M. D. Dean of the Faculty. REMARKS AND PRAYER. "This respectable audience will understand, that the gentlemen, at whose expense this house has been prepared for a course of medical lectures, have expressed their desire that it should be opened with prayer; and have requested me to lead the devotional service on the occasion. With this request I am now to comply—believing, as I do, that every lawful and important enterprise ought to be com- menced with imploring the assistance and benediction of God, without which it can neither prosper nor be useful. Let us pray. "Almighty God, our heavenly Father! We adore thee as our Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, and Judge. We look to thee as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through him, as the God of grace and mercy to us thy dependent and sinful creatures. In his name, and for his sake, we implore thy grace, to render us duly sensible of.our great unworthiness, and truly penitent for all our sins. Grant, 0 most merciful God! that being interested by faith in all the benefits of our Redeemer's purchase—being cleansed by his blood, clothed with his righteousness, sanctified by his Spirit, and formed into his likeness—wre may be restored to thy favour; become the children of thy love; be made the partakers of thy grace and guidance, through all the vicissitudes of this mortal life; and candidates for a glorious immortality beyond the grave. "We have been taught, 0 Lord, in thy holy word, "in all our ways to acknowledge God, and that he will direct our paths." Believing this thy sacred declaration, we look up to thee on this occasion, for thy smiles and blessing on VI the institution whose operations are to be commenced and prosecuted in this house. We pray that thy benediclion may ever rest, both on those who shall here impart, and those who shall here receive, instruction in medical science. We pray that whatever relates to the healing art may be so communicated within these walls, as never to contravene, but always to favour and promote, the doctrines and duties taught and inculcated in the volume of thy revealed will. "Blessed Saviour! who, in the days of thy humiliation didst "go about, healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people," prosper, we beseech thee, an institution which looks to an object that claimed thy marked attention, and thus was sanctioned, and honour- ed, and recommended, by thy high example. Thy powers of healing, O divine Saviour ! were indeed miraculous, and we no longer expect their manifestation. But it is still thine efficacious blessing, and that only, which can render successful the ordinary means employed for the restoration of health. Deeply sensible of this truth, may the teachers and the taught in this institution, ever seek thy blessing on all their professional skill and labours: and may they ever strive humbly to imitate thee in all thy imitable perfec- tions ; that in so doing they may prove themselves to be thy disciples, and may, at last, share in the great reward which* thou wilt confer on thy faithful followers. "Thus we commend to thee, our God and Saviour, this infant institution ; praying, that, while it shall be conducted in thy fear, and according to thy holy will, thy countenance and favour, extended towards it, may ensure its prosperity and its usefulness. And in like manner, we beseech thee to confer thy blessing on all similar institutions wherever found ; and on all establishments and undertakings which have for their object the promotion of knowledge, truth, and piety. Make them all, we pray thee, instrumental in Vll meliorating the condition of the human family; till igno- rance, oppression, misery, and vice, shall flee before the dawning of that glorious day, so long the subject of pro- phecy and prayer, when knowledge and truth, peace and happiness, righteousness and holiness, shall extend their benign influence over all the abodes of man, from the rising even to the setting sun. " Our Father who art in heaven ; hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven ; give us this day our daily bread ; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil: for thine is the king- dom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." ADDRESS. Fellow Citizens and Fellow Members of the Medical Profession— When individuals embark in new and important enter- prises, justice to themselves, and respect for the community of which they may be members, demand a public and candid exposition of the motives by which they are actuated, the objects they propose to attain, and the means by which they purpose to attain them. This is, also, more obviously incumbent on them, when the undertaking in which they are about to engage, is one of general interest, and when those who may be affected by its success or failure, are scattered over a wide and extensive range of country. Such is the character of the enterprise to which your atten- tion is this morning called. The interest it is calculated to awaken is not confined to my colleagues and myself. You are all interested in it to a greater or less degree, in pro- portion as you feel more or less concerned in the advance- ment of a liberal and honourable profession, and as you are more or less solicitous to promote the welfare of those who have consecrated their lives to the extension of its useful- ness, and the elevation of its character. And is there one among you who can feel indifferent on either of these points ? To the members of our profession, this question need not be proposed; and I feel confident, that even those who fill other stations in society, require no argument or evidence 10 to convince them, that their own earthly happiness is too deeply involved in the condition of Medical science, to allow them, for a moment, to view with unconcern, any effort however humble, to enlarge its boundaries, or mul- tiply the means proper for its promotion. The effort about to be made by those at whose invitation you have here assembled, has this for its object, as I trust I shall be able to convince you during the progress of the address, which it is now my undeserved honour to deliver. The importance of the designs to be laid before you will,. therefore, I feel assured, command your attention, however imperfectly and feebly they may be developed. Deeply interested also in the common concerns of our profession, you will not consider the time uselessly appropriated, which may be devoted to a few general reflections, previously to the exposition for which we are more particularly met. And to what topic can we more properly direct these re- flections, on the present occasion, than to the several duties and claims of the Physician, as they arise from his various relations to his fellow-citizens ? To this course I am, in- deed, naturally led in addressing you, for it will enable me to conduct you from the general consideration of our pro- fessional obligations, to a full notice of that in particular, in the performance of which we are engaged. In addition to the duties incumbent on the Physician, in common with his countrymen of other callings and professions—bis duty to his God—to his country—and to his family, there are required of him many others of an interesting character. The community, his professional brethren, and those who are just entering on the study of Medical science, severally have claims on his time, and severally exercise a particular influence over his exertions and conduct. On each of these heads, it is my intention to offer a few observations ; and, in doing so, I trust you will not feel their force the less 11 sensibly, on finding the portrait I may draw, rather such as the Physician should be, than such as he is too often found to be:—a portrait too, to which the person who addresses you claims no resemblance, though he is deeply conscious, that by a close acquaintance with all its features, he can alone render himself useful in the sphere in which the Deity has destined him to move. The claims of the public on the Physician are numerous and weighty. As the guardian of the common health, it is required of him that he should watch carefully and constantly over the operation of those causes, by which the sad and serious calamity of general disease is produced. The descending rain, the ardent sun- beam, the calm, and the tempest, should all be the subjects of anxious solicitude to him; for all are known to be the occasional messengers of death to those whose safety is his peculiar care. It is his province also, to gather from the four corners of the earth, the records of the desolating epi- demics which have from time to time committed their ravages in other countries—to preserve from oblivion the registers of the varying circumstances under which they have occurred—and to cast freely before his countrymen all the knowledge calculated to shield them from similar disasters. It is his perilous duty too, when the means he has employed to hold back the hand of pestilence, have proved fruitless, when her withering arm is already stretch- ed over his country, not only to sound the alarm, but when terror and dismay are filling the souls of all around him, to remain undaunted at his post, contesting every inch of ground, and battling for every life, from the noblest even to the meanest, with the fell destroyer. Examples of the faithful performance of this duty press upon your recollec- tion, and render it unnecessary for me to enlarge farther on it. Many of you have witnessed the fearlessness with which pestilence has been met in your own streets, by 12 your Physicians. While thousands were flying before it, and the dwellings of the wealthy were deserted, you have seen them, without the expectation of recompense, moving boldly forward to the rescue of the wretched beings whom poverty had chained to her car. But the duties of a Phy- sician are not confined to these hours of general peril. He owes much to his individual fellow-citizen, as well as to the community at large. In the chamber of sickness, his whole soul should be loaned to his patient No mercenary considerations should be admitted between his mind and the welfare of the afflicted; no indifference felt, no chilling rudeness exercised toward those on whom disease has laid its depressing hand. He should be the friend of those who look to him for relief;—the anxious, sympathising, en- couraging friend, and not the stern counsellor, or harsh reprover. His mind should also be employed in devising remedial measures, even after he has left the scene of his patient's sufferings. Nor should he ever cease to feel a deep interest in the issue of his disease, until the glow of health is once more seen upon his countenance, or until the triumph of death over his art is no longer doubtful. In the former case, the smile of the Physician should cheer and fortify the sick man's mind, and his conversation scat- ter flowers on his path to health. In the latter, when hope is extinguished, and when the livid lip and the pallid cheek give sad assurance of approaching dissolution—when he feels, that soon another orphan or another widow will be added to those who are already mourning, it becomes his melancholy duty to smooth the rugged passage to the grave, by all the means he can command. Though he may have exhausted the mineral and vegetable kingdoms, in his search for remedial agents—though nature refuse to yield her accustomed tribute to his art, even then he should not pause. It is his duty to draw from the kingdom of Heaven 13 that balm which takes from the cup of death all its bitter- ness__the balm of religious hope. It is in these hours of extreme need that the soul of man is awake to a lively sense of his future destiny; and who shall then point it to the track that leads up to everlasting happiness, if the Physician fail in his duty? Who shall encourage it to renounce, with humble resignation, the weeping friends who are hanging over the bed of death from which its flight will soon be taken, if he who feels the pulse of life becoming more and more feeble, if he who alone can num- ber the few moments that remain of earthly existence, be silent; if he withhold from him the counsels of the Most High, in the awful hour which will bear him on its swift wings to the bar of heaven. Think not, fellow-citizens, that in thus insisting on this as an imperious and com- manding duty of Physicians, that he who addresses you feels himself adequate to its performance. There have been, however, in his profession, branded as it is with the charge of infidelity, some who have faithfully complied with all its requisitions—some, who, I doubt not, were hailed with joy at the gate of heaven, by the spirits of those who, in the last moments of life, were blessed with their pious exhortations. A single example will serve to illus- trate this truth, and will not, I feel confident, be deemed inappropriate, as it will call to your minds one whose me- mory is enshrined in the hearts of all who venerate the good, and take pleasure in the contemplation of human excellence. " I once knew a Physician," says a writer, (whose name alone would give weight and force to any eulogy, on whom- soever pronounced, and of whom the present subject was therefore well worthy,) " I once knew a Physician ; he honoured me with his confidential friendship: he was a Phvsician of the very first eminence, and was, I do believe, 14 in his profession as active and as occupied as any man that ever filled it. But he did not always think that he had done enough, when he had prescribed the best remedies for the body. He was, whenever it was requested, or when he judged it to be proper, though not requested, the spi- ritual physician, the counsellor, the sympathizing, anxious friend of distressed souls. Sometimes he called the clergy to his aid. Never shall I forget a time when I found him by the side of the bed of death, and when speaking to me apart, but with emotions that were near breaking the whis- per in which he spoke, he said, "My patient must inevita- bly die in a few hours, and you must converse and pray with him, as a dying man." This physician was charac- teristically the friend of the poor, and they regarded him as such. A moderate charge of his gratuitous practice among the poor would have amounted to a very handsome fortune. He was the institutor and promoter of charities of every description; more, I think it probable, than any other man of the time in which he lived. He used his influence and instructions with his medical pupils, who were very numerous, to form them to benevolence and goodness like his own; and he befriended and patronized many of them, in after life. From the clergy of all deno- minations, and from several other descriptions of persons of small income, he would never receive a fee. He hazarded his life, without faltering, when pestilence in its most ter- rific form multiplied its dead around him. He professed religion; and he did every thing in his power to promote its interests and its influence. He founded the first African church, and he drafted the first constitution of a Bible So- ciety, in the United States. In a word, he threw the whole weight of his character, and often the whole effect of his personal exertions, into schemes and enterprises, for the promotion of humanity, of charity, of learning, and of reli- 15 gion. The blessings of thousands came upon his head, while he lived, and ascended with him to his great reward when he died: while the regrets and lamentations of other thousands, attended his mortal part to the grave. You need not be told the name of this great and good man. It is his best eulogy, that you know him at once, by his cha- racter and his works, and have already named him to your- selves." If any apology be necessary for introducing this well merited eulogy of the great American Hippocrates into this address, we refer for it to the fact, that the value of the services he rendered to our profession, as well as to the community in general, has not always been duly appre- ciated by those who have reaped the richest benefits from them. Let us not cease to honour his memory, but by keeping his bright example ever before us, let us endeavour to approximate towards that usefulness for which he was so eminently distinguished. I pass oh to offer a few observations on some of the du- ties required of Physicians in their intercourse with each other. It would be scarcely necessary to name among these, the duty of cultivating mutual friendship, and of exercising the offices of mutual goodwill and brotherhood, did not the reproach of being under the influence of a con- trary spirit hang round the members of our profession. And are they justly chargeable with this reproach ? That circumstances have occasionally led to hostility between them, cannot be denied ; yet we believe that it can in no way be shown, that this hostility has ever been the natural result of their professional employments. These are cal- culated to produce an effect of a very opposite character. Who should be more courteous, or more affectionate in their communications with each other, than those who meet under circumstances calculated to awaken all the finer feelings of 10 the soul, and to call into operation every noble intellectual energy. Shall those be at variance, who are daily witness- ing the melancholy close of all earthly controversy? Shall those, whose chief business it is to prolong the period of human existence, encourage among each other those emo- tions and passions which lead to its abbreviation ? Shall those who have the best opportunities afforded them, of witnessing the benign influence of that religion which pro- claimed peace on earth and good will to man—a religion which shines no where with brighter lustre, than in the dying smiles of one who leaves the world without a solitary feeling of hostility to a single human being—shall those, who most often witness the triumphs of this religion over the evil passions of man, pass from such scenes, to revile their fellows, or hurl the brand of discord into the ranks of the profession to which they belong ? These things are as revolting to our better feelings, as they are derogatory to the character of our vocation. No petty jealousy of another's gains, no envy of ano- ther's fame, no bitterness of sentiment or .of expression, should be indulged among us. It is our duty to cultivate a contrary spirit, and to repress such disorganizing feelings by every possible means. Without union, we cannot sus- tain the rank to which our profession entitles us, nor can we promote the interests of our science. A mutual inter- change of the experience and observations of each should be regularly made, and with the freedom which should characterize the communications of men who are aiming at the same great end. We should feel that the success of others adds to the common stock of honour, of which we are all partakers, and that their disgrace lessens its amount, and robs us of that which is justly due to us. We should view the discoveries, the achievements and the renown of every professional brother, however young, however re- 1? view the discoveries, the achievements, and the renown of every professional brother, however young, however re- mote he may be from us, or however limited may be the sphere in which he labours, as entrusted to the sacred keeping of the profession—as a deposit of high value to every individual votary of our science. No local jealousies should be tolerated among us. We should feel that whe- ther the springs of knowledge burst forth in the north, or in the south, on our western mountains, or in our eastern plains, the rivulets that flow from them all empty into one common reservoir, for our common use, and that accordingly our resources will be more ample, and our supplies more abundant, in proportion as their number is increased. No sectional prejudice should therefore induce us to wish that even the smallest of them should be dried up,/or we know not how broad a tributary stream may flow from it here- after. The encouragement of local jealousies is not, indeed, less adverse to the interests of our professional republic, than it is repugnant to the principles on which our great national confederacy is founded. As members of both, it is our duty to glory in the prosperity of all our fellow- citizens, no matter in what section of our country they may reside. In both, our motto should be " E pluribus unum." Though we are numerous, though we are widely remote from each other, though time has crowned the heads of some with laurels, while others are just now daring to aspire at them—under all our varying circumstances, we should feel that we are emphatically one—one in interest, one in design, one in the principles that govern us, and one in our grand ultimate objects. And where, permit me to ask, would the power end, of a profession whose members felt thus, that they had but one common cause? Where would the career of a science thus supported terminate ? The march of the latter could 3 1« not be measured, nor the power of the former scanned- On the contrary, what can we achieve without this union of sentiment, and community of interest ? What service can we render to the cause to which we have devoted our selves, if, instead of strengthening each other's hands, we strive to paralyze them ? if, when our brethren engage in enterprises for the promotion of the common weal, instead of encouraging, we oppose them—instead of bidding them God speed, we frown on their exertions, and breathe out bitter malisons against them ? What support can we expect, what honour can we claim from others, if, when the tidings reach us, that in a sister city, in a neighbouring state, or in our own immediate vicinity, new institutions dedicated to our science have been founded, we raise the cry of rebel- lion, and sound the alarm of war against those who have dared to unite with us in the promotion of the common cause ? But one answer can be given to these questions. You are all convinced that the spirit which would dictate a course such as has been supposed, can have no alliance to that noble, generous, and manly feeling, which is the natural offspring of a liberal medical education. I am led, by this remark, to the last division of the duties of the Physician, proposed for consideration—the duties which arise from his relation to those who are seeking a knowledge of his art, his obligations to students of Medi- cine. Under this head I shall also lay before you an out- line of the nature and objects of the undertaking, recently engaged in by my colleagues and myself; for it is the off- spring of a sense of the claims which those who are looking forward to medical honours, have upon us, in common with all who have received those honours. It is a duty we owe to them especially, to cultivate with diligence the study of the various departments of our science, that we may be ever ready to satisfy their professional wants. We should 19 not imagine that the term of our studentship has expired, because we have passed the ordeal of an examination. On the contrary, we should feel deeply impressed with the conviction that the labour of our whole lives is due to our profession, since it is one whose fields are as fertile as they are boundless—one whose fruits have yet been but partially gathered in, and but in part dispensed. When we consider too, that each passing day is changing the aspect of our theories—subverting our hypotheses—altering the arrange- ment of known facts, and bringing to light new truths, it must be obvious to us, that in no department of science will retrogression more certainly follow suspended indus- try, than in that in which we are called to labour. No opportunity should therefore be neglected, which promises to yield us aid in the performance of our unceasing task. No incentive should be left unsought for, which can rouse us to increased activity—no support despised, by which we may be sustained under the numerous and multiplying demands that 'are made on our time and our faculties. And where shall we look for motives calculated to lead us to this necessary course of industry and perseverance, in the collection of knowledge ? Surely, none stronger can be found than the expectation that those, who come after us, in the interesting route in which we are travelling, may look to us for assistance, and the conviction that it is our duty to be prepared to aid them. With such an anticipa- tion, and such a sense of our obligations, we cannot fail to press forward with unwearying steps, in the path before us ; gathering all that lies within our reach, and carefully preserving all that can render us useful hereafter. But it is not only to the accumulation of knowledge that these motives will stimulate us. They will not only induce us to possess ourselves of the materials, necessary to supply the wants of those, who may at future periods seek the honours and privileges of our profession, but they will also 20 lead us to adopt other measures, calculated to qualify us for the task of instruction—measures, as necessary and as important to the interests of our science, as the possession of the knowledge to be taught. They will lead us to aim at the acquisition of that dispensing power, without which the lessons we have learned must die with us—of that com- municating faculty, without the exercise of which, the diffusion of truth must be restricted to the narrowest limits. Under their influence we shall enter boldly, and enter early into the service of those, who are moving on behind us— throwing out to them freely all that we have collected, however small its amount may be—removing every barrier that obstructs the path into which they have directed their steps—and encouraging them by every noble incentive, t« march forward as fellow-soldiers enlisted under the same banner with ourselves. Uninfluenced by the motives al- luded to, how different will be our course, and how widely different the result! What tribute can he pay to his pro- fession, who feels no other incentive to exertion, than the profit it yields him in its application to his practice? What honour can he claim who suffers years to roll over his head, without being once conscious of the debt he owes to those who must succeed him ? His experience may be great, and the proofs of his skill as numerous as his years, yet both will go down to the grave, and be forgotten with his name— no disciple being found to repeat his lessons, or perpetuate the memory of his wisdom. Is it therefore not a duty to ourselves, as well as to others, to endeavour, as far as oppor- tunities permit, to render that which we give commensu- rate with that which we receive? Is it not our duty also to enter without delay upon operations which so clearly tend to give a new impetus to our energies, by bringing them into action, in the presence, and in the service of our professional brethren? That which must at some period be done, cannot be commenced too early; for though vve 21 may be able now, to do little more than produce a few sparks, by striking the flint and steel together, yet let us reflect, that by means of these, we may hereafter light up lamps enough to illuminate not only the high road, but many of the by-paths to the temple of our science. Let us remember too, that whatever may be our age, our expe- rience or our rank in our profession, there must ever be some younger, and some less experienced than ourselves, as well as some superior to us in both these points. Why then should any period be deemed premature for the com- mencement of a course of instruction to the former, unless it be admitted that we may begin too early to gather know- ledge from the latter ? And what, may I not here with great propriety inquire, what would have been the state of medical science, in our own country, at the present day, if our professional fathers, instead of scattering the seeds of their wisdom abroad, in the vigour and noontide of their lives, had stored them away, under the impression, that the twilight of their existence was the only proper sowing season ? What rich harvests should we have found to reap ? What would have been the employment and con- dition of the thousands, who have for years been diffusing light, and health, and happiness, through every section of our great republic, if the immortal Rush, and the lamented Wistar, had withheld their instructions, until time had furrowed their brows, and scattered its hoary frosts upon their heads; or if the still-living, venerable Physick had held back until the present period the fruits of his superior skill, and the records of his vast experience ? Where should we, who are this day assembled here to dedicate another temple to the service of our science, have sought for its truths? whither should we have wandered to consult its oracles, if none had been found in our own country, willing to deliver and explain them, when our country was itself 22 vet young? Voyage after voyage across the Atlantic, would attest tlie barrenness of our native genius; or perhaps, while we might be boasting of our political independence, some new importation of foreign tutors, even into Philadelphia, might remind us, that we were professionally dependent. We thank our fathers that this is not now the case, and we thank them too, that their example justi£es all among us, however lately the morning of our professional existence may have dawned, in venturing boldly on the performance of the important duty required of us, by those who throng to our city for instruction. Stimulated by a sense of this duty, and emboldened by the example, the beneficial in- fluence of which has just been set forth, those who have this day made me their organ, have united together to aid each other in the collection and in the diffusion of medical knowledge. Whatever opinion may be formed therefore, of their ultimate success or failure, or whatever may be your wishes on these points, impeach not the motives by which they are actuated. Let it not be said or thought, however, that they disclaim the influence of their personal interest in exciting them to the enterprise. They are proud, on the contrary, in making the declaration that they feel too warmly devoted to the interests of their profession, to suffer their own ever to be separated from them. Where both are moreover compatible with each other, and where both inspire the same feelings and lead to the same exer- tions, the one need not be disavowed, nor should the other be denied to be a motive to those exertions. Asking of you, therefore, the meed due, to honesty of purpose, (and we now ask no more,) I proceed to present you with a brief outline of the situation we occupy, in relation to each other, and to the institution under whose authority we have been organized. In the year 1S02, a literary and scientific institution, 23 founded in Canonsburg, in the county of Washington, was chartered by the Legislative Assembly of this State, under the title of Jefferson College. Endowed with all the privi- leges and immunities granted to, and enjoyed by, other similar institutions—favoured also with the occasional pa- tronage of the State, this college advanced gradually to a condition not less flourishing, and to a degree of reputation not less elevated than its sister colleges, most of whom had attained to much riper years. Such was found to be her state, in the month of June last, when a meeting of the Board of Trustees, to whose care her interests were com- mitted, took place; and when it was determined by them to avail themselves of a right which had not hitherto been exercised, viz. the right of conferring medical degrees. That the sphere of usefulness of the institution might be extended, at the same time that this privilege was enjoyed, it was also determined to constitute a Faculty of Medicine, in connexion with the original foundation. To carry the latter purpose into effect, in such manner as to secure the salutary objects for which it was projected, was however, obviously impossible at the seat of the college. It became, therefore, necessary to devise some mode by which its prerogative might be exercised, and the views of the board answered. That which was adopted, is not less character- istic of zeal for the promotion of knowledge, than it is of the liberality of sentiment ever met with among men whose minds are not fettered by local prejudice—of men who dare to venture abroad to do good, and to encourage others to engage in the same delightful employment. Phila- delphia attracted their attention, as offering the best oppor- tunities to those who were seeking knowledge, and pro- mising the most ready co-operating force that could be enlisted with them, in the diffusion of it. Feeling, therefore, convinced that it mattered not where the tree they were 24 about to plant was placed, as its fruits were to be for gene- ral use, and assured that here only there was a prospect of its thriving, they did not hesitate in their determination. A Faculty was instituted to consist of an adequate number of professors, to teach the several branches of medical science in distinct courses, of public lectures, to be deliver- ed in Philadelphia. Immediate appointments were accord- ingly made to some of these stations, while others were left to be subsequently supplied. To the Faculty thus instituted, power was given to enact laws for the government of its members, and to frame such regulations as they might deem necessary to answer the ends of their appointment. They have consequently organized themselves, and having pro- cured the building in which you are now assembled, have made all such arrangements as were calculated to fit it for the purpose of public instruction. Here, should heaven prosper their undertaking, they will commence their la- bours the ensuing fall, seeking out of the stock of know- ledge which they have collected, or may hereafter collect, to dispense that which will be useful, and that only. To those who, after complying with other requisitions, submit themselves to examination, and acquit themselves honour- ably, they have also the power of securing the diploma of Jefferson College, conferring on them the degree of Doctor of Medicine. That the interests of those who may seek this diploma, might not be overlooked, provision was like- wise made by the board, for the appointment of two addi- tional trustees, to be residents in Philadelphia, and we trust, that the fervent prayers put up this morning in our behalf by one of this number, may be answered, and that heaven may indeed be for us. Who then may be against us, we care not Such is an imperfect and hasty sketch of our history as an organized body. If it be asked why we could not indi- 25 vidually as well as conjointly enter on the performance oi that which we considered to be our duty, our reply is brief, for none will ask this question who have consulted either the character of our race, or the history of our profession. What is man in his solitary state? A feeble, useless crea- ture. What is man when united to his fellow-man? A being powerful, well equipped, and armed against every danger. In the one case, he is a forlorn, deserted soldier, capable of doing nothing—in the other, he is one of a well formed phalanx, in which he can do all his duty. In our own profession too, what have individuals effected when they have stepped forth alone ? To our professional bre- thren of our own city, we appeal for an answer to this question; for they have heard of deserted desks, and empty rooms, of lectures begun, and prematurely ended. From a knowledge of these truths, both as respects our profession, and our character as men, we have chosen to combine in the manner just related, rather than to labour separately in a field which yields its harvests only to those who are will- ing to toil together. Guided here again by the " E pluribus unum" of our commonwealth—out of many, we have con- stituted one Faculty. Let us now revert to the observations made in the com- mencement, of our address, and inquire whether our enter- prise be inconsistent with our duty to those who are coming forward as medical students—to our professional brethren, or to the community of which we are members? Let us ask what good or evil is to arise to each of these classes, from the successful execution of our projects? What have you, who are medical students, to expect from our opera- tions? Can you sustain any injury from the multiplication of the means of acquiring knowledge ? Will your embar- rassments be increased, or the difficulties you have to con- tend with be rendered more numerous, by the enlistment 4 26 of an additional corps of labourers in the field of instruction ? Can your zeal as students be repressed, or your devotion to our science be lessened, by this uprearing of another altar to her service ? On the contrary, will you not find in our exertions new incentives to perseverance and industry fresh motives to press forward in the pursuit of honours thus enhanced in value by a noble and generous rivalry ? Will not a spirit of manly and friendly emulation teach you to prize more highly the distinction at which you are aiming, and stimulate you to increased efforts to fit yourselves for it? From every impartial examiner the same answer must be given to these interrogatories. To you, therefore, who are students of medicine, we can do no wrong. All the good we can render to you, we here stand pledged to ren- der. The promotion of all your honourable views—the supply of all your professional wants—the cultivation of your best interests as men, and as our fellow-citizens, will form the objects of our individual and united labours. It is, however, due to ourselves to make here the declaration, that in no case will we encourage those to enter into your ranks, whose moral deportment and previous course of edu- cation are not such as to justify the presumption, that they will do credit to our profession. Nor will we, in any in- stance, confer the honour of a diploma on unworthy objects. You will perceive from our printed circular, and from a comparison of its details with those, regulating some of our sister institutions, that the payment of our fees is not the m.ost important requisition made on candidates for gradua- tion. It will be seen that we have increased your facilities for acquiring knowledge, and lessened the obstacles that are too often thrown across the path of industrious and enter- prising men, by the narrowness of their means. Think not, however, that in doing this, we have been influenced 27 by a wish to increase the facilities of attaining to the ho- nours of a medical degree. You must be fitted in all points to receive them, or our hands will never reach them out to you; though you may have listened to course after course of our public lectures, and complied with our pecuniary demands even to the last item. Let no fears be therefore entertained on this point, by our professional brethren. To them we owe the solamn pledge, that we will not be instrumental in associating with them, individuals, who will bring reproach on their calling. And what evil can arise from our enterprise, to those who are already fellow- practitioners with us, if such be our caution, and such the principles by which we purpose to be governed in its exe- cution? What objection can be urged against it? The novelty of a connexion between a Faculty of Medicine and an institution remote from it, will be found, on an im- partial examination, to heighten its interest. What can be more gratifying to those who feel that they are fellow-citi- zens of the same great state, enjoying the same privileges, and participating in the same honours, than the formation of a union, by which its eastern and western sections may be more deeply interested in each other's welfare ? What to the liberal minded can be more pleasing than to witness a free interchange of kind offices between all who are united under the same laws, however remote they may be from each other ? We can indeed discover in the institution of an eastern department of a western college, the commence- ment of a new and important era in our professional annals. No longer will our western brethren be separated from us. They will feel that they have the rights of citizens, in com- mon with ourselves, and they will feel, therefore, that it is their interest as well as ours, to send down to our plains the fruits they may gather among their mountains. We shall thus travel on hand in hand, in the great work of 28 professional improvement,-until finally one spirit will guide us all—one code of ethics govern us—one grand profes- sional confederacy be formed, of which we shall all feel that we are deeply interested members. Can it be objected against our undertaking, that the exist- ence of two similar institutions in the same city will awaken discord in the ranks of our profession? Let those who imagine that this will be the case, consider whether they are not doing injustice to the character of their profession, by the bare supposition that its members cannot perform their duty without strife—that when their hands are stretch- ed forth, they must, of necessity, strike at the peace of each other. We repel from ourselves the charge conveyed in the thought.—We are not hostile to the interests of our fellows. On the contrary, we feel that our interests are identified with theirs, whether they dwell among us, or elsewhere. We will not invade the harmony of our profession, nor assail our neighbours; for we know that in no condition is dishonour more surely the result of an attempt to establish reputation and fortune on the ruins of another's fame, than in that in which our profession has placed us. To all our brethren we therefore most cheerfully extend the hand of fellowship, trusting that as we feel towards them, they will also ever feel towards us,, and that no ungenerous hostility on their part will ever compel us to assume a similar atti- tude, and to stand forth, as we shall with manly boldness, in our own defence. Such are our views as they respect. our professional brethren, and students of medicine. What shall the community, of which we are members, reap from the undertaking? The employment of an addi- tional organized body in the advancement of a science, on which its health and happiness so materially depend, can- not be deemed uninteresting to any of its members. Who can say to what new discoveries it may not give rise ? Who 29 can say what mysteries it may not develop—what new truths it may not advance—what new energy it may not impart to the arm of our profession ? Who can say that the medical school here established, may not at some future period send forth him who is destined to discover the means by which pestilence may be prevented; or him for whom it is reserved to guard future generations, against that consuming fire, which is now wasting away the ener- gies of the strong, and preying on the beauty of the fair? Who can say that at some future period, in this very hall, that student may not be armed with knowledge, to whom the salvation of a nation's idol may be committed, or on whom the rescue of a nation's host may depend. Frown not therefore on the enterprise in its infancy. Rather en- courage those who are embarked in it, to go on fearlessly and actively, that others may be induced by their success to engage in similar undertakings. That the good wishes and the prayers of thousands of pious and enlightened men are with us, is not the smallest ground of our confidence that we shall eventually prosper. Desirous also of receiving the blessing of the poor man, he shall be made the object of our special regard. Apart- ments are in preparation in the building, in which you are assembled, for the gratuitous distribution of medicine and counsel to such as are still capable of seeking them beyond their own homes. In the prosecution of this part of our design, we shall also be able to afford opportunities to those who attend our lectures, of witnessing many cases of medi- cal and surgical disease. Here, my friends and fellow-citizens, I close the address to which your patient attention has been so long given, and here again allow me to repeat the pledge, that in the per- formance of our duty to each respective class into which / 30 you are divided, we shall never forget that we are members of a liberal profession—that we are your brethren. As such we shall ever feel bound to your interests by the strongest ties, and ever pray for )'0ur happiness with the most fer- vent sinceritv.