New York
Medical Department
New
York Medical College
University
of New York department of medicine July 1841
University of the
City of New York, Department of Medicine
On
April 21, 1831, the new institution received its
charter
and was incorporated as the University of the City of New York by the
New York State Legislature;
older documents often refer to it by that name. The university has been
popularly known as New York University
since its beginning and was officially renamed New York University in
1896.
The year 1814
then saw the merger of Columbia University Medical School into the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, a move that was made in an attempt
to stymie what was then seen as a period of decline for the medical
school. Despite this merger, the College of Physicians and Surgeons
retained its independence from Columbia and it was only in 1860 that the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, after severing its ties to the New
York Board of Regents and through agreement between the trustees of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia, became the official
medical school of Columbia University. However, this new relationship
between the College and Columbia was minimal at best with the College
still retaining independence from Columbia. It was not until 1891 that
the College of Physicians and Surgeons would be fully integrated and
incorporated into Columbia.
University
of New York department of medicine July 1841
University of the City
of New York, Department of Medicine
New York Medical College
New York
Medical College owes its founding in 1860 to the vision of a group of
civic leaders in New York City who believed that medicine should be
practiced with greater sensitivity to the needs of patients. The group,
led by William Cullen Bryant, the noted poet and editor of the Evening
Post, was particularly concerned with the condition of hospitals and
medical education. During those pre-Civil War years, New York City was
plagued with slums, garbage-laden streets and the population lived with
the constant threat of epidemics. Much of the city lacked running water.
Of particular concern to Bryant were some then common medical practices
used to treat disease, such as bleedings, purges, the use of leeches and
the administering of strong and unpalatable drugs in enormous doses.
Bryant was zealously devoted to the branch of medicine known as
homeopathy, which, among its tenets, advocated moderation in medicinal
dosage, exercise, a good diet, fresh air and rest in treating illness.
The school opened its doors on the corner of 20th street and Third
Avenue as the New York Homeopathic Medical College. At the College’s
first session, there were 59 students and a faculty of 8. By its fifth
year of operation the College’s reputation was very good and the student
body had grown to include representatives from 12 states and the
Canadian provinces. Bryant served as the medical school’s first
president and held the office of president of the Board of Trustees for
10 years.
Medical student's notebook
from 1888, Univ. of New York, Medical College
