The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-30
A BIG LIST OF STUDENTS
OPENING OF MEDICAL SCHOOL. UNI
vERsITY OF INDIANAPOLIS.
DIR. William n. Wisbard's Address Re-
viewing Growth of Medical Teach
ing in This state.

University of Indianapolis, were held yes
terday afternoon in the amphitheater of
the new college building, on Senate ave-
nue.. Three hundred students and grad
yates were present. The principal address
was by DR.. VIM. n. Wishard. DR. Wishard
said. in part:
when / was requested, at recent meet
ing of the faculty, to extend to you a few
words of welcome on this occasion, It was
suggested by one of the members that it
would be interesting to the students. at
least. to know something of the history of
this institution. 1t is probably unknown
to most of you that prior to the organize
ton of the Medical College of Indiana. in
1863 there had been two attempts. each
1cal college in the State of Indiana. Brief
reference to each of these institutions may
not be embarrassing. In 1914 the city of
LaPorte, Ind, was one of the largest and
most important in the State, and was at
that time commercially and in many other
ways an active rival of Chicago There
was practicing in the city of LaPorte DR..
Meeker. He gathered about him other men
VINO were interested in medical education,
ana tney established the Indiana Medical
college. 1t is difficult to-day TO realize that
the institution was not only a rival but
In attendance than Rush Medical College.
IL am indebted to my father. DR.. w. H.
Wlshard for the facts relative to it. and he
states that the graduating class to which
ne belonged in the winter, of 1S4S-49 had
about twenty-five members. and that there
tendance during that session The school
fiourished for Six years, and in the year
1880 u was moved to ST.. Charles, H., and
keokuk, Ia, where it now exists as the
college of Physicians and Surgeons of
heokqk.n Ny father is a graduate of this
session held at LaPorte after his gradual
tlon L have recently had an opportunity
under, the date of Feb. % 1919 and IT is
signed by the following faculty: e. Dem
Daniel MPp{pr M n oF
anatomy; John B. Niles. professor of chem
lstry; A. 3: Shipman. M. D., professor of
OF obstetrics; John Adams Allen, NJ. D..
materla medica therapeutics and medical
j9eris5pru1d d T. Iigday, NJ. D.; professor
OF OF Physiology and general pathology. John
w. Nanny A: M, president of the board
OF trustees; VIM. c. Haugh, secretary of
the board of trustees. Some of the mem
bers of the faculty were not residents of
LaPorte. Dr. Deming lived at, Lafayette
IND DR.. Shipman lived at Courtlandvlle
N T., and came to LaPorte at the begin
nlng OF the session and remained until it's
close close and practiced medicine there during
ana Dr; Allen was resident of the State
Oh Michigan, and subsequently was con-
nected with the medical department of the
state University of Michigan at Ann Ar
Dor. and later a professor in one of the
colleges Of Chicago, where he died few
years since.
In the summer of 1S49 Asbury Univer-
slty (now De Pauw) decided to establish
medical department and Drs. Livingston
Mears and others became interested in the
Undertaking and partially completed the
organization of the Indiana Central Medi-
cal Coliege as a department of Asbury
University. Dr. John S. Dunlap, now of
TINS tn &c. city and a son of one of the founders
a list or the original members of the fac
ulIy and the chairs occupied by them:
1y fofessor of theory and practice Dr.
lessor of surgery, DR.. A Fl. Baker. of Gin
einnaa; professor of obstetrics DR.. George
nf T,a1;a
anatomy, DR.. John S. Bobbs, of Indian
apolis; professor of materia medica, Dr. j.
physiology, DR.. Richard Curran. of Jeffer-
sonville, Ind; professor of chemistry Prof
9. s. Downey, of Asbury University; dem
onstrator of anatomy, DR. David Funk
houser, of Indianapolis.
THE FIRST SESSION
THE opening session was held in the
winter of 1850. and the lectures were
given in a building on East Washington
street Three sessions only were held and
the institution was disbanded in 1852. am
unable to learn that any effort was made
to organize a medical college in this city
or State for seventeen years following the
disbanding of the Indiana Central Medical
college, From DR.. l.. ID. Waterman and
DR.. John M. Kitchen and others. I have
learned the facts given below in reference
to the original organization of the present
Medical College of Indiana in the summer
of 1869
DIR Theophilus Parvin then of this city.
now or Jefferson Medical College Phila-
delphia, held a conference early in the sum
mer OF 1863 with DR.. John S. Bobbs DR.
X. N. Todd, DR.. It. B. Harvey and others.
ana suggested a scheme for the organiza-
ton of a medical college. Some weeks
iater, during the same summer, DR.. John
Todd, DR.. George W Mears. Dr. John M.
CASTOR and others held 4 conference in DR..
Bobbs's office. AT this meeting a plan of or
xTDG
practically decided who should fill the vari-
Gus chairs; Let me call the roll for it is
an honorable one and the names and life
work of the men who constituted the first
faculty of this institution are inseparably
connected with the medical, social and pub
lie history of this city and State:
Professor of surgery, Dr. John s. Bobbs:
theory and practice. DIR. r. n Todd: dis
eases of women and children. DIR. Thomas
b. Harvey; obstetrics DR.. George w
Mears: surgical pathology and clinical sur
gerry DR.. John A Comingor; anatomy, DR..
Clark of Richmond Ind; chemistry. Or.
r. T. Brown; demonstrator of anatomy.
DR.. Charles E. Wright. DR.. Wright de-
clined the position of demonstration and was
appointed to the chair of diseases of the
eye and ear. DR.. j. S. Dunlap was chosen
in his stead and became the first demon
strator of anatomy.
The name given the new institution was
the Indiana Medical College and its first
session was held in the House of Repre-
sentatives in the old Statehouse. Near the
SioSc VI tliS III 81 SSSSloH Ut DIT the DeSln-
ming of the second, the institution was
removed to the Parker block. at Delaware
and Court streets. This building was occu-
pied until the spring of 1879. In the sum
mer of 1884 DR.. r. N. Todd and DR. r. E.
Haughton, then members of the faculty
resigned and united with DR.. I. C. Walker
DR.. Henry jameson and others in forming
new school, which was called the Col
lege of Physicians and Surgeons. The SEES
sons of the latter were held in a building
located on the northwest corner of Penn
sylvania and Market streets. The Indiana
Medical College and the College of Physi-
clans and Surgeons both continued their
work until the spring of 1879 In the ma
ture of things there was more or less ri
valry, and they did not accomplish sep
arately what is was believed they could
practically unanimous opinion of the pro-
fesson of the city and State a successful
effort was made to unite the two schools.
The union was accomplished in the sum-
mer of 1879 and the present name of the
institution chosen. The building occupied
the following session located the
northeast corner of Pennsylvania and
Maryland streets, and il was used contin-
uously until 1t was destroyed by fire in
the early part of the session of 1894.
You will recall that the Monday fol-
lowing continued our work in the hall
on West Washington street, having missed
but three lectures. The necessity of a per-
manent home. built especially for medical
college purposes, had long been apparent,
and before the session had closed the
plans for the present commodious and
well-arranged building had been adopted
and the contract signed. The cornerstone
was laid and the building completed during
the following summer. and | need not tell
you with what pleasure we began our work