History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

404 History of Medical Practice in Illinoisvolved in another project, known at first as the Rock Island Medical College,and later by the pretentious title of The College of Physicians andSurgeons of the Upper Mississippi. It existed only two years and is anexample of the extremely low level on which a group of otherwise reputablephysicians could at that time conduct a medical school. In this instance, acharter granted to a group of physicians in Madison, Wisconsin, providedfor the establishment of a medical school in that city. This instrumentcarried a further provision for a branch school with no statement as to itslocation. Two of its promoters were George W. Richards and Moses L.Knapp. It was apparent later that these men never intended to operatea school in Wisconsin, but were taking advantage of the less stringent lawsin that state to evade the then more stringent requirements in Illinois.Rock Island was selected as a suitable location for the branch, but again theproblem of anatomical materials arose and, after one session, the schoolwas moved to Davenport, Iowa. S. G. Armor, who played a role in themedical history of Cincinnati, was Professor of Physiology, Pathology andMedical Jurisprudence, and Chandler B. Chapman was Professor of Anatomy.In 1850, the school was moved to Keokuk, Iowa. Both of these schoolswere proprietary in the sense that the faculty and Board of Trustees werecomposed of the same individuals.Physiology at Rush Medical CollegeAs early as 1840, Daniel Brainard was giving private instruction inanatomy and physiology. Prior to that date he had secured a charter fora new medical school in Chicago. Nowhere in the records of that time wasthere any provision made for instruction in physiology. During his stayin St. Louis where he had been associated with St. Louis University,Brainard had met James Van Zandt Blaney, then stationed at JeffersonBarracks, and persuaded him to come to Chicago as Professor of Chemistryand Materia Medica. Blaney had received the Baccalaureate at Princetonin 1838, then undertook special work in chemistry with Joseph Henry, andin 1842, received the medical degree from Pennsylvania. Blaney was apopular teacher and a successful practitioner. His attainments in the chemicalfield, in addition to other duties, led to his appointment, in 1857, asProfessor of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy at Northwestern University.In 1844, ne established the Illinois Medical and Surgical Journal.After Brainard's death in 1866, Blaney became President of the Faculty ofRush Medical College. He published a number of texts, among them oneon physiology, which implies that he probably had taught physiology forsome time. His activities in various civic fields were legion.The first session of Rush Medical College opened in 1843 w ^ tn Brainardhimself in charge of anatomy, physiology and surgery. After the first year,