Medical College Graduate Catalogues pre-1880

By Dr. Michael Echols, American Civil War Sugical Antiques

During the 1800's American Medical Colleges (schools, institutes, universities, etc.) published a list of matriculates (new students), faculty, lecturers, rules, and many times previous years graduates.  These annual publications were small simple pamphlets (catalogues, bulletins, etc.), with string tied bindings, soft printed covers, usually measured about 6 x 9 inches, and numbered less than 20 pages.  Some catalogues were more extensive and had many more pages and covered a longer time frame. 

Other information in these yearly publications covered, tuition, local lodging, boarding costs, text-books required for various courses, assistant faculty, hometowns of the students, rules and regulations, and other local information needed buy a medical student.  Various courses were discussed, as well as which hospital would be available for observation and training if in fact a hospital was available as not all medical colleges were associated with a training hospital.

Examples of early 1840's, 1850's, 1870's Medical College Catalogues for Albany Medical College, University of New York, and University of Pennsylvania medical departments:

For most people these catalogues are just a curiosity, but for a reseacher they are a source of information about the medical schools who produced the doctors of their time.  Unlike the medical schools of today, the attendants were able to come and go over a period of two years or more and frankly, not many of them actually graduated.  Some students and graduates returned years later to renew their education or to re-new their education in light of new knowledge, techninques, or the addition of new lecturers.

Prior to the Civil War, the surgeon's on both sides during the Civil War were trained mainly in northern colleges, centering on New York and Pennsylvania.  During and after the War, the number of southerners decreased, but the number of doctors produced remained high in most colleges, while others went out of 'business'. 

The annual catalogues are a way to document where and when various doctors who served as surgeons during the Civil War were educated.  The catalogues are also a way to track the surgeons who taught before and after the War.  It's education oriented research, but an important part of our culture and the American history of medicine.

Another resource for finding Civil War surgeons and especially assistant surgeons is in the compilations put together after the Civil War by alumin of various medical schools which produced many of the surgeons during the War.  An few examples would be lists produced by the alumni of Bellevue Hospital, Jefferson Medical College, University of Pennsylvania, University of the City of New York, or other major medical institutions of the time.  The most important information in these alumni directories is that they give detailed information who served during the War, their regiments, and other details as well as the biography of those who taught or served in other medical profession capacities after the War.

A list of pre-Civil War Medical Colleges

Albany Medical College, established 1839
Atlanta Medical College, established 1855
Auburn Medical School, established 1825-39
Bellevue Hospital Medical College, established 1861 and later merged with N.Y.U. Medical College
Berkshire Medical Institute of Massachusetts, established 1837-69
Brown University Medical School, established 1811
Castleton Medical College, established 1818-61
Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, established 1850
Cleveland Medical College - Western Reserve College, established 1843
College of Medicine of Maryland, established 1807
College of Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, established 1765
College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Iowa University, established 1850
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Western District of New York State established 1812-38
College of Physicians of the Valley at Winchester, established 1825-29
Columbian College, Medical Department (National Medical College), established 1825
Dartmouth College, Department of Medicine, established 1797
Geneva Medical College, established 1834-46
Georgetown College School of Medicine, established 1851
Humboldt Medical College, established 1859
Indiana Central Medical College, established 1849-52
Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, established 1825
Kentucky School of Medicine, established 1849­1908
King’s and Columbia Schools of Medicine, established 1767
LaPorte University Medical Department, established 1843-51
Long Island College Hospital, established 1858­62
Louisville Medical Institute, established 1833
Medical College of Alabama, established 1859-­61
Medical College of Evansville, established 1849­-54
Medical College of Georgia, established 1829
Medical College of Louisiana, established 1834
Medical College of Ohio, established 1821
Medical College of South Carolina, established 1823
Medical College of Virginia, established 1854
Medical Department of Cincinnati College, established 1835
Medical Department of Hampden-Sidney College, established 1837-54
Medical Department of Illinois College, established 1843-48
Medical Department of Lind University, established 1859
Medical Department of Pennsylvania College, established 1840-61
Medical Department of Randolph-Macon College, established 1837-54
Medical Department of St. Louis University, established 1842
Medical Department of the Missouri Institute of Science, established 1856
Medical Department of the University of Nashville, established 1850
Medical Department of Transylvania University, established 1816-59
Medical Department of University of Louisiana, established 1845
Medical Department University of Virginia, established 1825
Medical Institute of Yale College, established 1802
Medical Lectures at William and Mary, established 1848-49
Medical School of Harvard, established 1782
Medical School of Maine, Bowdin College, established 1820-1834
Memphis Medical School, established 1846-61
Miami Medical College established 1853-57
Miami University Medical Department, established 1831-61
Missouri Medical College, established 1847
New Orleans School of Medicine, established 1856-61
New York University Medical College, established 1837
New York Medical College, established 1847
Oglethorpe Medical College, established 1856-­61
Pennsylvania Medical University of Philadelphia, established 1853-61\
Penn Medical University of Philadelphia, established 1853
Philadelphia College of Medicine, established 1838-59
Rock Island Medical College, established 1848­
Rush Medical College, established 1843
Rutgers College (Queens College), established 1812-16
Savannah Medical College, established 1852
Shelby Medical College,  then became Medical Department of Vanderbilt University
St. Louis College of Medical and Natural Sciences, established 1855
St. Louis Medical College, established 1855,  then became Washington University 1899
Starling Medical College, established 1848-73
University of Buffalo Department of Medicine, established 1846
University of Louisville Medical Department, established 1845
University of Michigan Medical School, established 1849
University of Pacific Medical Department, established 1859
University of Pennsylvania, Medical Department
University of Vermont Medical Department, established 1820
Vermont Medical College, established 1827-56
Washington Medical College of Baltimore, established 1826-39
Willoughby Medical College, established 1834­45, 46
Winchester Medical College of Virginia, established 1847-62

Dr. Michael Echols is strictly a collector/researcher and not a dealer.  If you wish to see more extensive information on Civil War medical and surgical topics, or contact Dr. Echols, search via Google for his web site:

American Civil War Surgical Antiques