Category: The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Reflections on the Country Doctor: A Slice of History with a Personal Connection

Reflections on the Country Doctor: A Slice of History with a Personal Connection
By Phil Sparling

As kids growing up in the 1950s, my brother, sister and I looked forward to Sunday and holiday visits to our paternal grandparents’ home in London, a small town 25 miles west of our house in Columbus. My father was a surgeon and his father was a country doctor.

The London home at 60 N Main Street was special because it was like a castle: huge and old, three stories with a turret, balconies, long hallways, and secret stairways, most of which were off-limits. Then there were the doting aunts, my grandmother’s oatmeal cookies, the parakeets in the parlor, London cousins, and a side ally to explore.

Even as a boy, I knew Grandpa Doc was revered. I remember him as an old man quietly dozing in his comfortable chair in the family room. It was a big chair to accommodate his large frame; it was his chair, no one sat there but him. My parents and aunts continually cautioned us to not disturb him, as he needed his rest.

After four decades as a general practitioner (GP), he no longer tended patients as age and simple wear and tear from a demanding calling had taken its toll. He died in 1959 at age 76 when I was 10. My father died suddenly a few years later when I was a teenager. After my father’s death, visits and connections to London diminished and life moved on in different directions.

Now, in retirement, and after more than half a century living in the Southeast, I visited my dad’s boyhood home and discovered the house had been beautifully restored to its original grandeur. This led me to delve into its history and uncover a surprisingly long history of medical care dispensed from 60 N Main.

It all began with Henry James Sharp, born in 1845 in Gallipolis (Gallia County). Like his father, he became a physician. After attending Ohio Wesleyan, he enrolled in Starling Medical College in Columbus, graduating in 1871. It’s important to note that Starling’s three-year program was well regarded and one of the forerunners of the Ohio State University College of Medicine.

At the time, physician training was not standardized; it varied widely within and across states. The MD credential could be obtained through short courses or apprenticeships; most of which were designed for maximum profit, not educational soundness. At county fairs, paper-milled doctors still peddled patent medicines. Many were talented charlatans capable of wowing audiences with enthralling oratory. Sustained advocacy by the American Medical Association from 1900 to 1920 established the template for medical education as we know it today.

Following graduation, the new Dr. Sharp moved to London and started his practice as a GP. The following year, he married Katharine Dooris from Zanesville. She became a force in her own right as an author, botanist and suffragist. They raised their five children in London and became prominent and respected leaders in the community. They never left London.

 

Katharine Sharp

Henry Sharp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Sharp was a doctor on horseback, practicing from 1871 till his death in 1916 at age 70. House calls were routine. In the course of a day, he might deliver a baby at one farm, set a broken leg at another and return home to find an office full of patients. In the middle of the night, he was often roused from his bed to treat an emergency. GPs faced epidemics and cancers with inadequate knowledge and resources but with dedication to provide the best care possible for patients, all of whom were neighbors.

By the early 1890s, he was prosperous and decided to build a grand home for his family and to better accommodate patients. In this era, doctors saw patients in their homes, so adequate space for a waiting room, exam room and office was a constant challenge. He remained at 60 N Main, which he initially purchased in 1875, as it was a central location, one block from the center of London at the intersection High and Main.

Directly across the street were the recently completed (1892), classically-designed Madison County Courthouse (added to National Register of Historic Places in 1973) and a modern brick jail and sheriff’s residence. In fine fashion, Dr. and Mrs. Sharp had renowned Columbus architects Yost & Packard design a Queen Anne’s style residence. The new house was completed in 1894.

Katharinre Dooris-Sharp wrote a poem about a modern feature of their new home. A few verses are presented below (from The Doctor’s Speaking Tube and Other Poems, Boston: Gorham Press, 1904).

The Doctor’s Speaking Tube

He had traversed the county from end to end,
And even beyond did his trips extend;
There was not a by-road and hardly a gate
Which he had not entered, early or late;
There was not a tree nor flower that grew,
Nor silent land-mark, but what he knew.

‘Twas a tedious method of gathering pelf;
And the long years made the doctor, himself,
Through the county, a sort of land-mark, too,
As over the smooth roads his fleet horse flew:
For no one knew horse-flesh better than he,
And faster than his was a rarity.

Well, the doctor concluded to build a house
With a speaking-tube attachment, to rouse
From his peaceful slumbers, that, nevermore,
Would he need to descend to his front hall-door,
When half awake and en deshabille
And muttering such words as a doctor will.

So he built a mansion in modern style,
Where, the very first night, came Micky O’Rile
In search of a doctor. He pounded the door,
As many and oft-times he’d pounded of yore.
Then: “What do you want?” came a voice at his back.
Mick turned around quickly: ‘twas midnight and black.

No form could he see, but ‘mid splashes of rain,
“Say, what do you want?” came the murmur again.
“Bedad, thin,” says Micky, “that same is a ghost!
“Its a foine thing for sperrits a poor man to roast!
“Its me lave I’ll be takin’ in a bit of sthrake!”
And the doctor lay, chuckling, a good while awake.

Sometimes in the lonely midnight hour
A soft voice tried on the tube its power:
“O Doctor, we need you so very much!”
In the gentle tone was a magic, such,
For a second bidding there was no need,
And away he went at his greatest speed.

60 N. Main, circa 1900

A son Wilfrid Dooris Sharp, born 1880, followed his father into medicine. Doctoring ran in families, then as now. After graduating from Starling Medical College in 1904 and completing a one-year internship, he returned home and joined his father’s practice at 60 N Main. After a few years, he left for additional medical training and then moved to Cleveland where he practiced for 37 years until his death in 1946.

In 1919, three years after her husband’s death, K. Dooris-Sharp sold “the doctor’s house” to a newer doctor in London, Harry Perkins Sparling. He too was a doctor’s son, born in 1883 in Marietta where he went to Marietta College and then Starling-Ohio Medical College, graduating in 1910.  He married Stella Murphy the same year and they moved to London a year later after his internship at Mount Carmel Hospital.

 

Harry Sparling

By the time he bought the Sharp’s house, Dr. Sparling had established roots in the community as a GP. He and Stella had four children between 1911 and 1916. The large home at 60 N Main was a good fit for a growing family and his expanding practice. For patients, it was still the doctor’s house, only the doctor had changed. As with Dr. and Mrs. Sharp, Dr. and Mrs. Sparling would become part of the fabric of London and live out their lives there.

Sparling children, circa 1920

As you have gathered, Dr. Sparling was Grandpa Doc. I recall stories about midnight house calls and the transition from buggy to automobile. A remnant is the stone stoop on the road in front of the house to step up onto to enter the buggy. And aunts told tales about patients paying the doctor’s bill in kind with eggs, chickens or a part of a butchered hog.

Due to declining health, Grandpa Doc stopped practicing about 1950. He was among the last generation of GPs as medical specialties grew rapidly from mid-century forward. His son (my father) William R. Sparling was an example of the shift to specialization: a 1939 graduate of Ohio State’s College of Medicine, he joined the Army Medical Corp in 1940, then following the war completed a residency in general surgery. He remained in Columbus with a surgical practice at Mount Carmel Hospital.

My grandfather died in 1959 and my grandmother passed in 1972. The house was kept in the Sparling family until 1988. In 2000, another doctor bought it and restored it to its early glory. Of course, today it is a residence only. The original patient waiting area is a spacious entry foyer and the exam room is a cozy den.

60 N. Main, 2020

From the horse-and-buggy doctor a century and a half ago to today’s primary care physician, the special connection between doctor and patient remains the crux of medicine. But the days of the general practitioner with his black bag are gone, as are visits to the doctor’s house.

As a side note, traveling back into the past was eye-opening. I reconnected with the life and times of previous generations. Be your own wayfinder where family lore, written records and memories of home are guideposts.

 

I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Ohio State University Medical Center archivist Kristin Rodgers, officials at the Madison County Recorder’s Office, and current owners of 60 N. Main, Mark and Moira Landes. This essay is dedicated to my brother.

 Phil Sparling is a retired professor who lives in the North Georgia foothills. 

Alpha Kappa Kappa Pi Chapter

AKK on Parade, c. 1906

AKK on Parade, c. 1906

Alpha Kappa Kappa Pi Chapter at the Ohio Medical University was chartered by the National Medical Fraternity on October 2, 1902.

In 1906 Phi Sigma Psi, a local fraternity at Starling Medical College (1848-1907), petitioned for a charter and was approved. Before the charter was granted, the AKK Council was advised that Starling Medical College and Ohio Medical University (1892-1907) were merging to form Starling-Ohio Medical College (1907-1914) which meant that the men of Phi Sigma Psi could join forces with AKK without the necessity of issuing a new charter. They had 113 members.

The first Chapter house was at 688 North High Street which housed 12 men for the year. After this, they lived at various addresses: 68 Buttles Avenue, 797 Dennison Avenue, and 216 Marshall Avenue. In 1923, the Pi Chapter Company was formed to purchase a house at 199 W. Tenth Avenue. This was later enlarged by purchasing the house to the west and joining them together with an addition. The final Chapter house was erected at 466 King Avenue in 1966. The AKK Pi Chapter ceased operations in 1974.

Centennials and Timeline of Medical Education in Central Ohio

2014 marks 100 years of health sciences education on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University. This education includes colleges of nursing, optometry, dentistry, and medicine.

The College of Medicine legacy really began in 1834, however. Below is a Timeline of Medical Education in Central Ohio.

Willoughby University of Lake Erie, 1834-1846

 1834: Dr. George W. Card and Dr. John M. Henderson found Willoughby University of Lake Erie in honor of their friend Dr. Westel Willoughby. Drs. Card and Henderson believed Willoughby’s name would give prestige to the university and would aid in securing teachers and students.

Willoughby University operates in Willoughby, Ohio until 1846. Willoughby Medical University of Lake Erie had approximately 618 graduates.

 

Willoughby Medical College of Columbus, 1847

 1846: Willoughby University moves to Columbus, Ohio and the name changes to Willoughby Medical College of Columbus.

The session of 1847-48 opened in Columbus under the name of the Willoughby Medical College of Columbus located in a building on the northwest corner of Gay and High Streets. The building is not adequate, but before the session was completed Mr. Lyne Starling, an attorney in Columbus and well connected with the older established families, offered to give money to erect a proper building. An entirely new charter was secured for the medical school, which, out of gratitude to the donor, was called Starling Medical College (SMC). Shortly after it has organized all of the trustees of the Willoughby Medical College of Columbus resigned in January 1848 and the class of 1848 was graduated under the charter of Starling Medical College. Willoughby Medical College of Columbus continued less than one complete session and had no graduates.

 

Starling Medical College, 1847-1907

 1847: Starling Medical College (SMC) replaces Willoughby Medical College as the majority of the trustees, faculty, and students connected with Willoughby Medical College moved to SMC. Starling Medical College is located in St. Francis Hospital in downtown Columbus. It operates until 1907.

In the year 1848 the college was rechartered under the name of Starling Medical College in honor of Mr. Lyne Starling, who donated a building site and $35,000 for a new building: about two-thirds of the building assigned to St. Francis Hospital. During the sixty years of its career under this name the college graduated 2,600 students.

 Columbus Medical College, 1876-1892

 1876: Columbus Medical College is established.

In 1875 a sharp dispute arose about making Dr. James Fairchild Baldwin professor of physiology in the Starling Medical College. Dr. Baldwin seemed to some of the faculty well-suited for the job, but Dr. Starling Loving and the administration thought otherwise. Dr. Howard Jones of Circleville was chosen. As a result of this defeat, Drs. John W. Hamilton, D. N. Kinsman, H. C. Pearce and Davis Halderman resigned and organized the Columbus Medical College. During the first seven years the college was conducted in the Sessions Block of High Street. In 1882 Dr. W. B. Hawkes gave four lots on Columbus’ west side and $10,000 toward a hospital to serve the Columbus Medical College. In 1886 the Hawkes Hospital of Mt. Carmel was erected.

About 500 students graduated from this college. In 1892, carrying with it its hospital facilities, Columbus Medical College was merged into Starling Medical College, but some of the faculty could not go along with the merger and joined Dr. J. F. Baldwin and others in the organization of the Ohio Medical University.

 Ohio Medical University, 1892-1907

 1892: Ohio Medical University (OMU) was founded. OMU was located on Park Street across from Goodale Park. It operates until 1907.

Coincident with the mergement of the Starling Medical College and the Columbus Medical College, the Ohio Medical University was organized, and from the first maintained a high place among the educational institutions of the State. It had colleges of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, with a charter enabling it to establish a department of midwifery and a school for the training of nurses. From its inception the University adopted the recitation plan of instruction with modifications to suit the subject, and gave clinical work and laboratory exercises prominent places in its courses. Besides erecting large and spacious buildings for the several departments the university donated the ground upon which the Protestant Hospital Association erected a substantial hospital building; the hospital and university cooperating in promoting the welfare of each other. The university sent forth about 1,200 graduates.

 

Starling-Ohio Medical College, 1907-1914

 1907: Starling Medical College and Ohio Medical University merge and become Starling-Ohio Medical College (SOMC). SOMC operates until 1914.

During the winter of 1906 and 1907 the trustees of the Starling Medical College and of the Ohio Medical University, recognizing the great advantages that would accrue to the cause of education and to the entire medical profession by union and co-operation, transferred the property and equities of these two corporations to a Board of their own selection with power to incorporate a new college. This action was taken March 13, 1907, the name agreed upon, Starling-Ohio Medical College, being a happy combination of the names of the only medical colleges in central Ohio at the time of the union. The new corporation included a Medical College, a Dental College and a Pharmacy College, designated as Departments. There were 303 graduates while SOMC was in operation.

 

 The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 1914-Present

 1914: The Ohio State University College of Medicine begins.

Recognizing the great advantage that might accrue to the cause of medical education in Ohio and to the entire medical profession and citizenship through the establishment of a College of Medicine by the Ohio State University, the Trustees of the Starling-Ohio Medical College gave to the State of Ohio all its properties, both real and personal, for this purpose. The College of Medicine, therefore, began its career with an honorable history, with an alumni body of more than three thousand, and an established reputation and position. The buildings on the Ohio State University campus that comprised the medical school in 1914 were Hamilton Hall, Kinsman Hall and Starling-Loving University Hospital.

The College of Medicine, through its predecessors, ranks as the second oldest medical college in the state and incorporates all the best medical college interests in central Ohio. The College stands upon a foundation of six medical schools with a continuity of college life spanning 178 years.

Starling-Loving University Hospital

Bunny Gargoyle

In 1917, the Ohio State University Board of Trustees announced that the abandoned homeopathy building would be incorporated into a new hospital for the medical school. A modified English Tudor addition to the homeopathic building made the hospital operational in 1924. The building was renamed Starling-Loving University Hospital in honor of Mr. Starling, a community leader and benefactor of Starling Medical College and Dr. Loving, dean of the OSU Medical School (1880-1905).

By 1926, with the addition of three wings, the hospital housed 296 beds, an operating amphitheater, laboratories, a maternity department and an outpatient clinic. The main purpose was clinical teaching.

When The Ohio State University Hospital was built in the 1950’s, all hospital practices moved into it. Starling-Loving University Hospital was renamed Starling Loving Hall on July 14, 1961. It no longer serves as a hospital facility but rather houses offices and classrooms. The original building has had 5 additions over the years.

The building also features six gargoyles: bunny, cow, monkey, pelican, cat and horse.

Children’s Hospital

Children's Hospital, 1924

Hospitals for children began to appear in the United States in the late 1800s. Members of the King’s Daughters of St. Paul Episcopal Church initiated the movement to secure a children’s hospital in Columbus in 1891.

The first Children’s Hospital building opened February 1, 1891. The prevailing color scheme was blue and white, carried out in staff uniforms, chinaware, linens, bedding, etc. Originally Children’s Hospital included four beds. Six more were added almost immediately. The hospital was open to patients between the ages of one and sixteen; no patient could stay longer than three months; and no cases of infectious disease were accepted.

Eventually, the hospital outgrew its original building and moved to new facilities in 1924 at 17th and Stone Streets, fronting Livingston Park. The hospital still exists although as a much larger facility and is now Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It is home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Female Graduates of The Ohio State University and its Predecessor Schools

 

Mabel Roe Codding Clovis, First Female OSU College of Medicine Graduate

There is no known record about The Ohio State University and its predecessor schools (Willoughby Medical College, Columbus Medical College, Ohio Medical University, Starling Medical College, and Starling-Ohio Medical College) stand on admitting women as students, but they must have been open to it as these schools did have female graduates. The exception to this is Willoughby Medical College, in operation from 1834-1847, that did not have any female students.

Starling Medical College (SMC), in operation from 1846-1907, graduated two women. These female graduates were Sarah R. Hall in 1880 and Elizabeth M. Bull in 1907. SMC had no female professors.

Columbus Medical College (CMC), in operation from 1876 to 1892, graduated three women. These female graduates were Miss M. S. Gilmore in 1883, Harriet L. Henderson in 1884, and Miss Aggie M. Eigholz in 1886. CMC had no female professors.

Ohio Medical University (OMU), in operation from 1892 to 1907, graduated 30 women. The first was Marinda Emolyn Blackburn in 1893. OMU had one female faculty member: Leona Ferguson Barnes, M.D., who served as Demonstrator of Anatomy from 1898-1899 and graduated from the University in 1895.

Starling-Ohio Medical College (SOMC), in operation from 1907-1914, graduated six women. The first two were Mabel S. Richards and Bessie Lucretia Sweet in 1908. SOMC had no female faculty members.

The Ohio State University College of Medicine founded in 1914 had in its first 20 years 55 female graduates. The first was Mabel Roe Codding Clovis in 1915. The first female faculty member was Vera McCoy Masters, B.Sc., M.A., who was an Instructor of Bacteriology from 1917-1921, then an Assistant Professor from 1921-1924.

Robert M. Zollinger, MD

Robert Zollinger

Robert Milton Zollinger, M.D., 1903 – 1992

Robert Milton Zollinger, M.D. was one of the giants of American Surgery. With a career that spanned much of the 20th century, Dr. Zollinger was respected by his peers, feared by his students and loved by his patients. Zollinger had a knack for being successful at whatever he did. He was the president of almost every society he belonged to, including the American Board of Surgery, the American Surgical Association, the American College of Surgeons and even the American Rose Society.

Born September 4, 1903, Zollinger was raised on his family’s farm in Millersport, Ohio.  He attended grade school in a one room schoolhouse a mile from his home. For high school, he had to travel three miles into town, so he rode his pony, Bob, and stabled him at the barbers during classes. Zollinger was industrious, even at an early age. Utilizing his pony and a cart, he developed a thriving business delivering milk and vegetables from the farm to his neighbors.  This was considered his job and he had to tally his receipts each night after supper with his parents. Besides running his business, he also found time to letter in basketball while in high school. Zollinger learned all of the plays during lunch, since his delivery route and farm chores kept him from staying after school to practice.

As a young man, Zollinger wanted to attend West Point. That dream faded when he decided to become a surgeon, even though he hated the sight of blood. When he told his parents his plans, his father gave him one piece of advice, “If you’re going to be a doctor, be a good one.” His parents always expressed an absolute confidence that he and his brother Richard would be successful at anything they attempted and they instilled this belief in their sons. This was a trait that Zollinger carried into his adult life, always expecting the best from everyone and keenly disappointed when he did not get it.

Showing early on that he was not afraid to do things differently, Zollinger was the first person from his high school to attend college. He graduated from the Ohio State University in 1925 with his B.A. and earned his M.D. two years later. After graduation, he was offered an internship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (PBBH) in Boston, under the tutelage of another surgical master, Harvey Cushing. Cushing sent Zollinger to Western Reserve in Cleveland for six months before he began his internship to work with one of Cushing’s favorite pupils, Elliott C. Cutler. Their association would span the next twenty years and Cutler would become one of the great influences in Zollinger’s life. At Western Reserve, Zollinger worked in the dog labs as a voluntary assistant. His main job was to classifying Cutler’s collection of brain tumors. This work led to his first publication, an article in the April 1929 issue of The Ohio State Medical Journal.

Zollinger returned to PBBH in 1928 to begin his internship. There he was regarded as a country boy from that “cow town” Columbus. He was determined to know the answer to every question in order to prove that his education was every bit as good as his Ivy League peers. This endeavor proved time consuming, but provided Zollinger with a strong core knowledge of his subject matter. When his internship was over Zollinger renewed his association with Cutler by returning to Western Reserve in 1929 for his residency. That same year he finally married Louise Kiewet; while he had been at PBBH interns were forbidden to marry. Louise supported the couple in their early days of marriage by teaching, since Zollinger was only making $50.00 dollars a week as a resident.

Dr. Cutler returned to PBBH to take over for Cushing as the Moseley Professor of Surgery in 1932. Zollinger went with him as his chief resident and by 1939 he was an Assistant Professor of Surgery. During their time together at Harvard and PBBH, Zollinger and Cutler would publish the first of nine editions of the now famous Atlas of Surgical Operations (the Medical Heritgage Center has 27 volumes in 7 languages of various editions of the Atlas). Zollinger did much of the work on the text; yet, Cutler’s name appeared first on the cover. When Zollinger asked him whose name should be first Cutler had responded that they should be listed alphabetically.

Zollinger joined the army in 1941, when war seemed imminent for the United States. In so doing, he gave up a thriving practice and four years with his family. He felt that if he joined the Harvard Unit so would many of his younger colleagues. Zollinger hoped to be commissioned as a colonel and the commanding officer of the unit. Instead, he was made a major and the Assistant Chief of the Surgical Service. Immediately upon reaching camp in Ireland he called upon his early farm experience and began planting a garden. He had gathered money from everyone in the unit and purchased seeds before they had left the U.S. Because of this foresight he was soon appointed the Post Beautification Officer, a job which allowed him to nurture another of his passions, roses. Over the next four years, Zollinger would rise to the rank of colonel and the command of the 5th General Hospital. He would also earn the Legion of Merit Award, for the development of mobile surgical teams, and Battle Stars for Normandy, Northern France and Rhineland.

Zollinger returned to Harvard in 1946 and was soon offered a position as a professor of surgery at The Ohio State University. Within a year he became the chairman of the Department of Surgery at his alma mater, beginning a nearly thirty year reign. In 1955, working with Edwin Ellison, he discovered the Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, which dealt with the relationship between non-beta islet cell tumors of the pancreas and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. He also started the medical illustration division as a part of the Department of Surgery. This was surely influenced by the need for new illustrations for each subsequent edition of the Atlas of Surgical Operations.

Despite his busy schedule Zollinger was the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Surgery from 1958 to 1986. He traveled the country lecturing on Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome and received numerous awards for his efforts. He was the recipient of honorary degrees from the University of Lyon, France (1965) and held honorary fellowships in the Royal College of Surgeons of England (1965) and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1966). The American Medical Association bestowed their highest honor, the Sheen Award, upon him, recognizing him as the Outstanding Doctor of Medical Science in the United States for 1977. Zollinger was even offered the presidency of The Ohio State University, but turned it down. He felt that he would not have any time left for surgery. Besides, he reasoned, “There are a lot more out of work college presidents than surgeons.”

Zollinger was a difficult taskmaster who expected nothing less than perfection from himself and his colleagues. On rounds he was known to fire a resident on the elevator for some misdemeanor, only to rehire them by the time they had reached the 7th floor. As hard as he was on his students, he was equally kind to his patients. He believed that they should always be the top priority of a surgeon. When he felt that his staff was moving away from that principle, he often felt the need to remind them. He once had a large chart made showing the golf handicaps of each surgery department member, clearly showing where he felt that their priorities lie.

Outside of surgery, Zollinger was a man of many interests. He raised prize-winning gourds. He loved roses and was an accredited rose judge. He constantly grumbled that his frequent lecturing and travel kept his roses from winning first prize. He also developed a passion for photography, which he indulged every winter on Sanibel Island.

Despite his numerous honors and international recognition, Dr. Zollinger never rested on his laurels. Even after his retirement in 1974, Zollinger continued to lecture around the world. He remained involved in the Department of Surgery as Professor and Chairman Emeritus. His quest for excellence continued up until his death in 1992 from pancreatic cancer. Perhaps he is best described in his own words. Once, when asked how he would like to be remembered he replied, “They should write on my tombstone: ‘teacher, surgeon, soldier and farmer.’ And my wife may remember that she says I’m an amusing fellow to live with.”

2011 Warren Lecture

2011 Annual James V. Warren Memorial Lecture

FEATURING Dr. George W. Paulson, MD

“The Pursuit of Excellence at the OSUMC: How Problems Became Progress”

Join us for a lecture and book signing by George W. Paulson, MD, in celebration of his recently-published book, In Pursuit of Excellence: The Ohio State University Medical Center– From 1834 to 2010. Dr. Paulson will briefly review the historical progress of the OSUMC from its inception in 1834 until the recent days. There will be emphasis on issues and problems which, after they were addressed, served both to enrich the academic quality and to enhance the delivery of patient care. Such problems included the location off campus, homeopathy, the practice plan battle, town gown concerns, and issues of competition. Problems for the future may include isolation from the local medical community, and optimal allocation of resources for research, teaching, and service. By any or all criteria OSUMC has done well, and the journey, the Pursuit, merits celebration and remembrance. Books will be available for sale and signing at the end of the lecture.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Reception at 4pm; Lecture at 4:30pm

Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute Auditorium (Room 170)

473 West 12th AvenueThe Ohio State University Medical Center Campus

FREE and open to the publicParking: We suggest parking in the 12th Avenue Garage.

Please visit http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/maps/Pages/index.aspx for maps and updated direction and parking information.

Visit http://mhc.med.ohio-state.edu/ or call (614) 292-9273 for event information.

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

 

Hamilton, Starling Loving, and Kinsman Halls

Ohio State University College of Medicine, 1914-Present
1914: The Ohio State University College of Medicine begins.

Recognizing the great advantage that might accrue to the cause of medical education in Ohio and to the entire medical profession and citizenship through the establishment of a College of Medicine by the Ohio State University, the Trustees of the Starling-Ohio Medical College gave to the State of Ohio all its properties, both real and personal, for this purpose. The College of Medicine, therefore, began its career with an honorable history, with an alumni body of more than three thousand, and an established reputation and position. The buildings on the Ohio State University campus that comprised the medical school in 1914 were Hamilton Hall, Kinsman Hall and Starling-Loving University Hospital.

The College of Medicine, through its predecessors, ranks as the second oldest medical college in the state and incorporates all the best medical college interests in central Ohio. The College stands upon a foundation of six medical schools with a continuity of college life spanning over 175 years.

Homeopathic Medical Schools and Women

OSU Homeopathic Hospital, 1914-1917

Homeopathy is a form of what is now called alternative medicine that attempts to treat patients with heavily diluted preparations. Dr. John Franklin Gray was the first practitioner of homeopathy in the United States in 1828. The first homeopathic schools in the United States opened in 1830.

Some believe that homeopathic medical schools were more open to accepting women, but that was not the case. The two largest homeopathic medical colleges, Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia and New York Homeopathic Medical College, refused to accept women throughout the nineteenth century. By 1900, there were 22 homeopathic colleges and 15,000 practitioners in the United States. From its inception, however, homeopathy was criticized by mainstream science and the last school in the U.S. exclusively teaching homeopathy closed in 1920.

The Ohio State University had a College of Homeopathic Medicine. It was in operation from 1914 to 1922. The Homeopathic Hospital, stood on the corner of 10th and Neil Avenues (the present location of Newton Hall), originally served as a dormitory and was converted to clinical use as the Hospital in 1914. This was the first hospital on campus which after the addition of a double-story porch on its south side in 1915 had a capacity of 35 beds. By 1921, there had been a total of 20,000 bed days and over 3,800 outpatients and 1,800 inpatients served by this facility. The Hospital was staffed by nurses with Jessie Harrod as chief nurse and a staff consisting of an assistant at night, a teacher of surgical nursing, a house physician, and eight student nurses. Ohio State rented a house on Neil Avenue across the street from the Hospital to provide a home for 14 graduate and student nurses.

Starling-Loving University Hospital (now known as Starling Loving Hall) was built in 1917 to replace the Homeopathic Hospital on 10th and Neil. In 1922, after the University Board of Trustees voted to stop operating two colleges of medicine and the college of homeopathic medicine was discontinued, Starling-Loving University Hospital served as the main hospital on campus. The Homeopathic Hospital on the corner of 10th and Neil served as Children’s Hospital.

During the College of Homeopathic Medicine’s operation, there were three female graduates: Carrie Inez Hyatt and May Schimkola in 1915 and Margaret J. Rupert in 1919. The only female faculty member was Margaret J. Rupert who in 1920 served as an assistant of Materia Medica and Clinical Therapeutics.