Catalogued books--ACC-R747/W82

Date created 1876-1939
Creator Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Alumnae Association
Abstract The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) Alumnae Association published annual transactions on the activity of and scientific papers by women physician graduates of WMCP, 1876-1939.
Additional Description In addition to lists of members, officers, and other organizational data, the WMCP transactions include reports on members who have died, sometimes with lengthy biographies. The richest sections of transactions include papers on, and discussion on, various medical and social topics. There is a special focus on gynecological and other women's topics and missionary work. Additionally, transactions include excerpts from the annual reports of the West Philadelphia Hospital for Women and the Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia, including some data on patient and treatment breakdowns.
Research Interest This collection will be of great interest to historians studying the evolution of medical knowledge. Discussions in particular offer a rare glimpse into the contested nature of various medical theories. However, this collection is perhaps most valuable for what it reveals about WMCP graduates' views on race, class, and gender. In particular, they saw it as their duty as enlightened American women to lift up women in other parts of the world--particularly India, where the phenomenon of child brides was especially concerning. This topic receives extensive coverage. Less prominently featured, but still included, are arguments that attribute racial and class disparities to biological factors. For historians of race and class in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century woman's movement, this collection is a treasure trove.
Size 1.5 linear feet
Local identifier Acc. R747/W82
Contributing institution Drexel University College of Medicine Legacy Center
Digital materials View items from the Catalogued books--ACC-R747/W82