Photographs

Overview Edward Bell Krumbhaar (1882-1966) was a distinguished pathologist and cardiac physician, as well as one of Philadelphia’s leading historians of medicine. A founder of both the Section on Medical History of the College of Physicians and the American Association of the History of Medicine (AAHM), Krumbhaar also served as president of the College and of the AAHM. The E.B. Krumbhaar papers covers Krumbhaar’s accomplishments and contributions to pathology and cardiac physiology from the early to...

Scope and Contents This collection is the larger of two collections of Francis C. Wood's papers, the other being MSS 2/0228-02. This extensive collection (1892-1989) chronicles the life and career of a 20th century physician, scientist, soldier, administrator, and teacher. The collection is divided roughly evenly among the different phases of his life and career. Because Dr. Wood was a leader in both his community and profession, the collection documents the activities and functioning of many institutions and...

Overview The Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine (Wood Institute) was established in 1976 to promote to the scholarly community the rich historical resources of the College's historical library and the Mütter Museum. From its founding, the Wood Institute also took over printing and editorial duties of the College’s journal, Transactions and Studies, which was published in 1793 and from 1844 to 2002. As of 2018, the Wood Institute sponsors conferences, occasional seminars, and...

Overview The Building Committee of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia was appointed on 6 April 1904, shortly after the Fellows elected to construct a new College building on 22nd and Ludlow Streets in Philadelphia. The Building Committee continued to meet through 1914, when the furnishing and construction of the College building on 22nd Street was completed.Several short-term committees were established previously, while the decision was made to construct a new building and purchase...

Overview The Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in charge of administering the business of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The Executive Director oversees the activities of the College of Physicians staff including staff of the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, the Francis Clark Wood Institute, and the Finance Department. The Executive Director also oversees the College functions of institutional advancement, communications, membership, and special events. As a...

Overview The Mütter Museum was founded in 1856 when Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter bequeathed his personal medical museum to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. From Thomas Mütter’s collection, the museum grew as a noted repository for unique collections of medical specimens across the world. The Mütter Museum records document the history of this noted institution from 1887 until 2006. Included in the collection are catalogs of item acquisitions, visitor records, event records, and the papers of several...

Overview The Women’s Committee of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia was organized in 1971 by Mrs. Frank Elliott to promote the welfare of the College through volunteer activities, publicity, and financial support.

The Records of the Women’s Committee span the years 1971 to 2005, and document the activities and membership of the Committee.

Overview Samuel X Radbill (1901-1987) began his medical career as a general practitioner in 1926 and became a pediatrician in 1938, when he was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Radbill was perhaps better known as a medical historian, and collector of bookplates and old and rare medical texts than as a pediatrician. He believed that the study of medicine’s past was useful to its practice, and he encouraged many of his professional colleagues to examine the history of their specialties. The...

Overview The Sturgis Photograph Collection was donated to the College in the early 1980s by Doctors Katharine R. and Samuel B. Sturgis. It contains a large number of the College's pictures and oversize documents (diplomas, certificates, etc.). The subjects of the materials range from portraits of physicians, early hospital buildings, group photographs of medical societies, and class photographs of medical school students, to lecture matriculation cards and medical illustrations. Researchers should...