The History and Legacy of Geneva Medical College

Introduction

Geneva Medical College, originally a department of Geneva College, played a significant role in the history of medical education in the United States. From its founding in the late 1820s to its eventual relocation and absorption into Syracuse University, the college experienced periods of growth, decline, and ultimately, transformation. This article explores the history of Geneva Medical College, its programs, notable figures, and its lasting impact on medical education.

The Genesis of Geneva Medical College

The story of Geneva Medical College begins with Geneva College, a local school established in 1813 in Geneva, New York. As revealed in the trustees' minutes, Geneva College quietly accepted the decision of the court. The establishment of a medical school was considered by the Geneva College Board of Trustees not long after ties were broken.

Collaboration Attempts

In 1826, David Hosack of New York City suggested an alliance with Rutgers College, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, favored because of its proximity to New York. Hosack and Nicholas Romayne sought academic sponsorship for their medical schools. Hosack was Alexander Hamilton's personal physician and was with him during his duel with Aaron Burr on July 11, 1804. Not long after the alliance with Rutgers began, he found himself the target of the New York State Board of Regents, over complaints of excessive fees charged to students. Hosack and four colleagues resigned. Hosack and his associates requested a "connection" by which the petitioners would become the medical faculty of the college. Instruction began on November 6, 1826, in New Brunswick.

The Rutgers Medical Faculty of Geneva College

The trustees of the college voted on October 30, 1827, to establish the medical faculty. According to the trustees' minutes, the Geneva College was to consist of two branches, one in Geneva and the other in New York City. Each branch would have six professors. The second branch was established in New York City under the direction of Dr. Hosack and was known as the Rutgers Medical Faculty of Geneva College.

Legal Challenges and Separation

This affiliation lasted from 1827 to 1830 when Hosack's adversaries filed suit in "The People v. The Trustees of Geneva College" which ruled that the college did not have the power to operate or appoint a faculty at any place but Geneva. Forced by enactments of the New York State Legislature by the New York Supreme Court, Geneva College severed its relationship with Rutgers on November 1, 1830, although the school continued operations in New York City under the name Rutgers Medical College until 1835.

Early Operations and Curriculum

The Medical faculty of the institution announced that the Lecture Term would commence annually on the second Tuesday of February and continue sixteen weeks. The Medical Commencement would be held on the Tuesday following the closing of the lectures. The aggregate fee for the lecture tickets was $55 and each ticket was required to be paid for at the time it was received. The trustees discussed how students could obtain board in good families in the Geneva area from $1.50 to $2.00 per week. The graduation fee was $20.

Requirements for Graduation

In order to be eligible for the degree Doctor of Medicine; "He shall have attained the age of twenty one years, and be of good moral character; he must have attended two full courses of Lectures, one of which must have been in this Institution and have studied three years under some respectable practitioner of Medicine, and have an adequate knowledge of the Latin language and of Natural Philosophy.

Facilities

By 1836, a building was erected for the use of the medical faculty. In 1841, a new medical building was erected on the east side of Main Street in Geneva. The medical faculty building (middle building) was then devoted to the use of the literary department.

A Pioneer in Medical Education: Elizabeth Blackwell

In 1847, Elizabeth Blackwell was admitted to the Medical Institution of Geneva College. Soon after, Blackwell was celebrated as the first licensed woman physician in the United States.

Challenges and Decline

Geneva Medical College's parent school was known as Geneva College until 1852, when it was renamed in memory of its most forceful advocate and founder, Episcopal bishop John Henry Hobart, to Hobart Free College. That same year, things took a turn for the worse. The recent establishment of medical school at the University of Buffalo in 1846 took a hefty toll on the number of students enrolled at Geneva. The situation was so serious that, Dr. Sumner Rhoades, one time member of the faculty, published an open letter in the Geneva Gazette advocating the dissolution of the medical faculty. In its place, Dr. Bishop DeLancey of the Episcopal Church was against the plan, but when the faculty gathered in the fall of 1853, they discovered that no students had registered in medicine. The faculty resigned, and for a year there was no instruction in medicine offered. In 1854, a new faculty was organized; however; enrollment soon fell to below a hundred per year (from a high of almost 200 in the late 1840s). By the close of the 1850s, the number had dropped to 22.

Read also: Geneva County Education

Relocation to Syracuse University

Finally, in January, 1869, the trustees of Hobart College debated the question of abolishing the Medical Faculty. A local campaign was organized and raised an endowment for Hobart College that managed to yield $10,000 for the school. The amount was by no means sufficient to cover the costs of the college. At that time, the board of trustees recommended that the medical school be transferred to Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. On November 15, 1871, a special meeting of the Onondaga County Medical Society took place in the county courthouse in Syracuse to confer with representatives of Geneva Medical College (of Hobart College) and Syracuse University. Bishop Dr. J. T. Peck and Dr. W. W. Dr. Peck presented the subject at length. He alluded to the intention of its founders to ensure the university was "comprehensive," embracing the post-graduate departments including law, theology, medicine, etc. After considerable discussion, a resolution was adopted by the County Medical Society approving the transfer of the medical school to Syracuse. Dr. Alfred Mercer, a member of the class of 1843, was chairman of the committee representing the County Medical Society in connection with the transfer of the college from Geneva. Temporary quarters were found for the college in the Clinton Block in Syracuse, the site of the current main post office.

Integration and Evolution into SUNY Upstate Medical University

In 1950, State University of New York (SUNY) moved to add a medical center in Syracuse and ultimately acquired the College of Medicine from Syracuse University as a part of Governor Thomas E. Dewey's vision for Upstate New York. For many years the college was known as SUNY Upstate Medical Center, until 1986, when the name was changed to SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse. The State University of New York Upstate Medical University is located in the University Hill section of Syracuse.

Notable Faculty

The medical faculty of the old Geneva Medical College included men "who became famous in the history of our country." The Faculty of Medicine was appointed by the trustees in September 1834, and included; Dr. Edward Cutbush (professor of chemistry), Dr. Willard Parker (professor of anatomy and physiology) after whom the communicable disease center of the City of New York was named, Dr. Thomas Spencer (professor of the Institutes and Practice of Medicine), Dr. John George Morgan (professor of the principles and practice of surgery), Dr. Charles Broadhead Coventry (professor of obstetrics and materia medica) and Dr. In 1840, several members of the faculty at Fairfield Medical College were "removed" to Geneva including Professors Dr. James Hadley (professor of chemistry and pharmacy), Dr. John Delamater and Dr. By 1847, a few more names had been added to the medical faculty; Dr. James Webster (professor of anatomy and physiology), Dr. Charles Alfred Lee (professor of materia medica and general pathology and dean of the faculty), Dr. Austin Flint (lecturer on the institutes and practice of medicine) and Dr. Several prominent doctors from Syracuse who were among early faculty members included; Dr. A. E. Larkin, Dr. Edward S. Van Duyn and Dr. Alfred Mercer and his son, Dr. A.

Notable Alumni

George W. Moses Gunn, MD (1846), original faculty member and holder of the first chair of surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, surgeon of the 5th Michigan Infantry and went through the Peninsular Campaign with Gen. George B.
Robert M.
Col. James M.
George W.
Lewis N.

Legacy

Geneva Medical College, though no longer existing as an independent entity, left an indelible mark on the landscape of medical education. Its pioneering role in admitting women, its contributions to medical knowledge, and its eventual integration into a major university system all contribute to its lasting legacy. The college's history serves as a reminder of the challenges and triumphs of early medical education in the United States, and its impact continues to be felt through the institutions and individuals it helped to shape.

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