New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-10-19
PRICE THREE CENTS.
MIR. VANDERBILTS GIFT.
HALF A MILLION FOR THE COLLEGE OF
PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS.

NEW BUILDINGS TO BE ERECTED NEAR THE ROOsE-
WELT HOsPITAL-NEEDs OF THE COLLEGE.
The College Of Physicians and Surgeons in tho
City of New-York was the recipient on Friday Of .
prIncey gift. William II. Vanderbilt gave to tho
college the of $780, 600 for the purchase OF real
estate and the erection of a building which shall
enable the institution more successfully to fulfil
the purposes for which it founded. The gift 10
not intended as an endowment or for the establish
ment of professors chairs, but as building fund.-
the editice occupied By the college being In
many respects inadequate. Among many me'iica.
men there exists the desire and hope-which arc
fully shared by Mr. Vanderbilt-that New-York
should become the medical centre of this country,
and that the New York medical school shonld rank
with the schools of Paris and Vienna. AMI it .
with this object in yew that Mr.. Vanderbilt has
made this liberal gift.
An interview with Dr. James W. McLane, the
physician and friend of Mr.. Vanderbilt, as well as
a prominent member of the faculty of the College
of Physicians aud Surgeons, furnished the author
ity for the following statement: At the opening Of
the building now used by the college, il was consd-
ered in every respect adequate i'll size and accom-
modation and perfectly adapted to the needs OF
the institution At that time. however, the
method of instruction was totally different from
that now pursued Formerly lectures were the
from the instructor to the pupil. The scholars
listened and absorbed as much as possible and,
with the exception of dissection, there little or
no practical work required medical cOuree.
The system has, however, been superseded by the
so-called laboratory work. Now anatomical labor
atories ply ysioogica laboratories and chemical lao
oratories largely take the place OF the old lecture
rooms and in them the students receive practical
and experimental instruction, and TO certain
degree instruct themselves. The old building Of
the College of Physicians and Surgeons is not fur
nished with the laboratories which are demanded
by the present system of teaching and this lack
materially diminlshes tho efficiency and usefulness
Of the institution. Also the increase in the number
of students has been 80 large that it is impossible
even to give seats to all those who wish to attend
the lectures
The college has from time to time received gifts
of which a proper use could not be made on account
of the inaleauacy of the building. James L.
Swift gave the institution 10000 for the pur-
chase of philosophical apparatus-a sum which has
never been expended, because there was no proper
place for the use of such delicate Instruments. Tho
Alumni Association gives annually certain sum
for tho maintenance of a pathological laboratory
hut ~ insufficient IL tho accommodation that tho
college has been obliged ,o establish ths lnbora.
tory in QUO Of the stores on the urst Iloof of tho
prcHcnt building,
Nrw ntitpt"ds.
Ia view Of these facts. the GIT of Mr., VandefhhM
IN most opportuno and will certainly be received
with delieht and gratitude by oil tho friends OF
the medical nclenoe in New-iork, Iweny'nlns
lots have already bcon purchased from Amos H.
Emo In Tenlh-ave. between FIFTY ninth and Sii-
tieta sts, opposite the Roosevelt iiosptal for tho
erection OF the new buildngi ana work viii Ia
begun as soon as plans drawn aud approved.
Who Is to be employed ~ architect has not yet
been decided. The purchase of real estate Is 90
extensive that the buildings which are to be erected
will not cover all the property, AMI 1t IS mten led
to leave the college enough space to adapt It's build
ngs to its future growth. The erection of the new
edifce will probably require over year, and when
the institution shall remove thither it will be the
fifth time in the course of its history that its
growth has required It to enlarge its capacities and
seek a building more fitted to the demands upon 1t.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons in tho
city of New York was chartered by the Regents OF
the University on March II, 1907, in accordance
with IN act of the Legislature passed in 1871.
The rs: officers were elected IN May ls07, ana IN
the month of November of the same year the first
course of lectures was delivered in a small two
.torv house In RobnsOn-st. Toward the close or
this first session the college received an endowment
of $40 900 from the Legislature that enabled 1t to
purchase a building in Pearl-st., which was opened
for lectures in November, ls0s. ut the beginning or
the second year of the institutions history Hero
the college remained until 1914, when building
was procured on the north side OF Barclay ST. near
Broadway. In 1887 another move was made to
Crosby-st. whence finally on January %. 1896.
the college removed TO Fourth-aye an | Twenty
thir,l-st. where the college ediice still stands.
The propricty of Mr.. Vanderbilts gift and tho
worth of the institution which is its recipient arc
best shown by mention of the names which are
found in the list of its presidents and professors.
The first president was Nicholas Romayne, who was
succeeded by the following list of eminent physicians
and medical writer's Samuel Bard Wright Post,
John Watts. John Augustine Smith, Alexander Ii.
Stephens. Thomas Cock. Edward Dclafied. AOnzo
Clark and John c. Dalton. Among the professors
are found the names OF Samuel L. Mitchell. BenJa-
min DE Witt. w. }. Macneven John Torrey. David
Uosack John w. Francis. John Il. Beck, Elisha
BARTLETT Chandler X. Gilman. Valentine Mott. John
RhineIander Gustayus A. Sabine John \. Lidell
and Willard Pal ker, to whose efforts and pecnnary
aid the college is largely indebted for the building
which ,t now occupies. This list, however, does not
include the names of any of the present faculty,
which contains some wel-known and eminent
ply sIcians.
Of 4 NTNNIIE