Society of Clinical Surgery photograph album
Scope and Contents
This photograph album documents the 1925 European tour of the
Society of Clinical Surgery. The Society visited clinics and
surgeons in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, and England. Included are photographs of scenic
views, tourist attractions, and members of the Society. Of
special interest, however, are the numerous photographs of clinics,
hospitals, and famous European surgeons. Many of these photographs
where taken while the surgeons were performing in the operating
room.
The tour began on 20 June 1925, when sixteen Society members
and twenty three family members departed from New York on the
Italian ship, "Duillio". The ship landed in Naples; the group
then travelled to Rome where they visited the clinics of Roberto
Alessandri and Raffaele Bastianelli. The tour then moved to
Florence, and then Bologna, where the Society visited the clinic
of Vittorio Putti, the famous orthopedic surgeon. Many other
clinics and surgeons were visited during the tour, including
Davide Giordano in Venice, Paul Clairmont in Innsbruck, Fritz
de Quervain in Lucerne, Emile Roux in Lausanne, Rene Leriche
in Strassbourg, Jean Louis Faure and Pierre Duval in Paris, and
Jan Schoemaker in the Hague. Present are numerous photographs
of these surgeons at work in the operating room (see pages 28,
29, 75, 82-84, 92, 95, and 96). Also included are photographs
of heliotherapy in Davide Giordano's clinic in Venice (see pages
52 and 53).
The collection also contains numerous photographs of members
of the Society and their families, including Charles H. Peck
(then President of the Society), John H. Gibbon, William D.
Haggard, David B. Cheever, Daniel F. Jones, Edward S. Judd,
James F. Mitchell, Allen O. Whipple, and George W. Crile.
The page captions are listed in the inventory list.
Dates
- Creation: 1925
Creator
- Society of Clinical Surgery (Organization)
Biographical / Historical
The Society of Clinical Surgery was founded in 1903, but
the idea for the Society began three years earlier, in August 1900,
at the 13th International Medical Congress in Paris. At this
time, Harvey Cushing, considered the Father of the Society of
Clinical Surgery, began to formulate the idea for a "surgical
travel club" that would provide physicians with the opportunity
to travel to different clinics to observe other surgeons at
work. The object of such a society would be active participation
and direct observation of surgical procedures, rather than the
presentation of scientific papers.
Cushing shared his ideas with his colleagues, George Brewer, George
W. Crile, Charles H. Frazier, James G. Mumford, and John Munro.
These physicians were enthusiastic about Cushing's ideas, yet
nothing was done to foster the establishment of the Society
until 11 July 1903, when James G. Mumford held a meeting in
New York. The end result of this informal meeting was to plan
an official meeting for 12 November 1903 in Baltimore, Maryland.
On this date, the Society of Clinical Surgery was established;
a provisional constitution was adopted, and officers were selected.
According to its constitution, the Society of Clinical Surgery
was "directed toward the general advancement of surgery", and
its object was to "encourage the presentation of subjects by
objective methods rather than by the formal reading of papers".
The Society met twice each year to take short trips to different
clinics in the United States. The Society took its first trip
abroad in 1910, when its members travelled to Great Britain.
The next trip abroad was to Germany in 1912, and in the summer
of 1925, the Society participated in a European tour.
As of 1978, the Society of Clinical Surgery remained an active
organization.
Full Extent
0.4 linear feet (1 document box) : 1 disbound photograph album, 123 pages
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
The photograph album of the 1925 European tour of the Society
of Clinical Surgery was donated to the Historical Collections
of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia
on 20 January 1981 by Mrs. Winthrop H. Battles.
The album was catalogued in 1992; during the course of cataloguing,
it was disbound.
- Title
- Society of Clinical Surgery photograph album
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Repository
19 S. 22nd Street
Philadelphia PA 19103 United States
