ALBANY MEDICAL College ARCHIVES Giving the Past a Future

Albany Medical College, 1914 Support for the Archives is provided by the Albany Medical College Alumni Association. Collection holdings highlights

The Albany Medical Center If you are interested in learning more about the history of Albany Archives enables access to unique Medical College or want to peruse your individual student alumni file, and historical materials related to containing anything from photos to old news articles contact: the history of the Albany Medical College, Hospital, and Center by Jessica Watson, MSIS, AMC Archivist • Albany Hospital Records [email protected] 1844-1990 procuring, preserving, and caring p 518.262.5810 • Albany Medical Annals 1880-1939 for its collection. The Archives f 518.262.6824 • Albany Medical College 1811-2005 Collection dates back to 1811 and • Alumni Assoc. Student features not only documents such Hours: Informational Files 1839-2008 as the original draft of the Act to Monday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, • Alumni Association Records Incorporate the Albany Medical Tuesday/Wednesday 1874-2005 College, but also fascinating and 8:30 am - 2:30 pm • Assorted Faculty and Alumni Per- unusual objects, such as the sonal Papers Lithopedion or “stone baby.” location: • Hospital Registrar Books Albany Medical College • Albany Medical College Catalogues Schaffer Library 1838-2005 3rd Floor, Room L301 • Photographs 47 New Scotland Ave. • School of Nursing Albany, NY 12208 • Theses 1839-1891 • Yearbooks “The Skull” 1906-2009

1839 1839 1873 February 16, the Senate When Albany Medical The Board of Trustees of the and the Assembly of College was housed in the Albany Medical College met the State of New York Lancaster School Building on June 12 and adopted passed, “An Act to from 1839-1926, the college resolutions to become the Incorporate the Albany also contained an Anatomi- Medical Department of 1874 The Alumni Association was Medical College.” cal Museum. This museum Union University. 1830 contained anatomical and 1849 founded. Dr. Alden March The Albany Hospital was morbid specimens donated incorporated and is the first proposed the creation by members of the com- of a medical school in private hospital in the state 1839 munity as well as collected outside of New York City. Albany. Dr. Alden March was by AMC founder, Dr. Alden recorded as president of March. the College and Profes- sor of Surgery. Henry Darwin Didama, M.D. was elected president. Historical Timeline Collection holdings highlights facts from the past

Dr. Alden March become apparent that the growth cians. He felt that a hospital would The Skull Dr. Alden March, a graduate of of Albany Medical College required benefit them as well as benefit the The publication of the Albany Brown University, formally a larger building. Construction on a College, as a teaching hospital. Dr. Medical College Yearbook, the proposed the creation of a medical new college building at its current March along with Dr. James Armsby Skull, began in 1910 and has con- school in Albany in 1830. Besides location on New Scotland Ave. be- (3rd Dean of Albany Medical Col- tinued till the present year with the having practiced surgery and gan in 1926 and was first occupied lege), and several other Albany citi- exception of a long break from 1917 lecturing on anatomy in Albany, by the College in 1928. zens continued to push for the idea through 1946. It is unclear why Dr. March also lectured in Castleton, of a hospital in Albany and were there was a break in publication. Vermont where he was a member Albany Hospital rewarded for their effort in 1849, Many speculated the break was con- of the faculty of medicine. In 1830, Albany Medical College when the Legislature of New York nected with the newly appointed founder, Dr. Alden March voiced the State incorporated Albany Hospital. Dean Ordway, and his strict run- Albany Medical College need for a medical school and hos- After the appropriate meetings were ning of the College, including tight In 1838 a group of men from the pital in the city of Albany. At the held to determine hospital funding censorship of the yearbook content. City of Albany agreed to petition time, Albany was critically lacking and materials needed, the Hospital In any case, the Skull did not start the Common Council of the City in medical care. The state of New finally opened in 1851, in a former publication again until 1947. In 1976 of Albany for the gratuitious lease York only had one general hospital private residence located at the the editorial staff decided to change of the Lancaster School building. (located in New York City). As a southwest corner of Dove and Ly- the name of the Yearbook from The city granted free use of the result, the citizens of Albany had to dius Street (now Madison Avenue). Skull to Iatrogenia. The editors felt school building for five years. The rely on private physicians for their the Yearbook needed a “less morbid school building was three stories in medical care. Dr. March advocated name” and made the new name up. height and contained an anatomical the need for a hospital by emphasiz- However, the new name only lasted theater, chemistry laboratory, and a ing the city’s poor and their inability one year, the following year showed museum. By the early 1920’s it had to get treatment via private physi- the return of the Skull on the cover of the yearbook.

1926 1951/1952 1972 1982 2004 2005 By the early 1920’s it had The Graduate Studies Program The Medical Education The Albany Medical College The Sosa Academy of Medi- The Alden March Bioethics Institute become apparent that the was initiated at Albany Medical Building and the Schaffer and the Albany Medical Cen- cal Sciences was established was founded. The institute is a growth of Albany Medical College, with three graduate Library of Health Sciences ter Hospital united to form the to promote advocacy and successor to the Center for Medical College required a larger 1935 students enrolled in the pro- opened. Albany Medical Center. support for faculty educators, Ethics, Education, and Research and building. Construction on The Almshouse Hospital, the gram. The following year the stimulate curriculum develop- the Albany Medical College/Gradu- a new college building at oldest building on campus number of graduate students Albany ment and reform across ate College of Union University its current location on New and dating prior to 1850, was doubled to six. Medical the continuum of medical Masters Program in bioethics. Scotland Ave. began in renovated to provide space for Center education and offer a variety 1926 and was first occupied the Department of Physiology 1963 of faculty development 2009 by the College in 1928. and Pharmacology. It was The college opened a new 5-sto- activities. Henry Pohl, M.D As recipients of numerous research named the Theobald Smith ry 122,000 square-foot Medical named the inaugural Julio M. grants and awards in 2009, Albany Building after Theobald Smith, Science Building. In 1975 the 1993 The Center for Medical Ethics, Sosa, M.D., Chair of Medical Medical College and Albany Medi- an 1883 graduate of Albany building was refurbished and Education, and Research of Education. cal Center Hospital will continue to Medical College who later named the Neil Hellman Building. lead the way in top research and became a notable American Albany Medical College was established by Dr. John Balint. scientific discoveries as we make Historical Timeline microbiologist. our way into 2010. Giving the Past a Future

Albany Medical College Alumni Association 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-5 Albany, New York 12208 (518) 262-5033 www.amc.edu/alumni