Records of Committees of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

The College of Physicians was founded in 1787 as a private medical society devoted to the advancement of medical education, research, and guidance of the medical profession itself. In order to help fulfill these goals, the College’s Fellowship have garnered impressive resources including a biomedical library in 1788, a medical museum in 1858, an institute for the history of medicine in 1976, and museum education programs in 2006. These resources are housed in a building constructed in 1909 at 19 South Twenty-Second Street. With its rich resources, adjoining medicinal herb garden, and ample meeting space, the College serves as a repository for the history of Philadelphia medicine and as an arena for the discussion of contemporary health care issues.

Over the years, numerous committees have been formed in order to assist in the daily operations of the College, administer fundraising campaigns, and implement special projects. Many of these committees were short-term (ad hoc), established for a special project, to report on public health issues in the region, or address College issues, and then disbanded.

Currently (as of 2018), the College’s standing committees consist of the Board of Trustees; the Awards Committee; Fellowship Advisory Committee on Lectures and Events; Portraits and Exhibitions Committee; and Committees on Admissions, Audit, Development, Facilities and Real Estate, Finance and Investment, Governance, Nominations, and Wood Institute, Library and Museum (WILM).

The Records of Committees of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia illustrate many of the ad hoc committees of the College and date from 1833 to 1995. Researchers should note that although the date span is large, many years are not represented.

The committees included in this collection dealt with many issues, from public health to College membership. Some files contain only reports, while others may include correspondence and meeting minutes. Researchers interested in public health matters will find the reports of the Committee on the Protective Powers of Vaccination (circa 1842), Committee on Air Hygiene (1937), Committee for Placarding Houses for Contagious Diseases (1898; 1900-1901), and Committee on the Use of Tobacco (1833) especially interesting. Also included in this collection are records of committees discussing College membership (1935-1940; 1970), College collections (1935-1940; 1970-1977), standing committees; and the dedication of the 1909 building.