History of the University of Pennsylvania
This series deals mainly with the history of the University of Pennsylvania. The topics covered in this series cover a range of subjects that would be of interest to anyone interested in the history of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Publication Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania, 1890-1975(1981) Radiology, Department ofShortly after he became Chairman of the Department of Radiology in July, 1975, Stanley Baum expressed interest in a departmental history to Francis James Dallett, Archivist of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Dallett passed that information on to me, and I began my research in December of that year. Dr. Baum's enthusiasm for the project and the willingness of current and former staff members to speak with me made the work possible. Eugene P. Pendergrass, M.D., was especially cooperative in answering my questions and passing along materials from his files. Their encouragement, plus that of Robert M. Stein, Associate Dean of the School of Medicine, then Department Administrator, permitted me to investigate the department's history at length. I presented two lectures to the department's staff on my research: "The Department before World War I" on May 27, 1976, and "The Pendergrass Era" on September 22, 1976. A first draft of the manuscript covering the period through Dr. Pendergrass's chairmanship was completed in the fall of 1976, but it has taken me until now to revise and complete the work. My full-time position as an Assistant Curator at Independence National Historical Park has kept me busy, and I would not have been able to complete the project yet, were it not for the professional support and understanding of my supervisor, John C. Milley, Chief, Division of Museum Operations.Publication Innovation and Traditional at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: An Anecdotal Journey(1990) Cooper, David Y; Ledger, Marshall AThis book was not commissioned, nor was the author assigned the task of writing a history of the School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. The idea to write this history arose after I read the critique of a grant request to the National Institutes of Health, which gave my proposal an unfundable priority score. The reviewers' criticisms of the proposed experiments were so contrary to concepts that I thought lead to great discoveries that I wondered what factors are involved in making scientific advances. Realizing that a number of important advances in medical science had been made from time to time by my colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, I decided to examine systematically how these scientists' ideas originated and their advances were made. What I thought would be a relatively easy task soon became a complex one, for I soon found that, in addition to the many scientific contributions made by the faculty, the School of Medicine had a history that was richer and more distinguished than I or anyone I talked with realized. To my surprise, my investigations uncovered the fact that, even before the end of the eighteenth century, the faculty of the Medical "Department" had begun original experimentation and, within a short time, had made discoveries equaling those of their colleagues in Europe. As the new country developed, the Medical Department made every effort within its often meager means to improve its teaching, rebuild its facilities, and meet the medical challenges of a growing nation.