The Secret Kappa Lambda Society of Hippocrates (And the Origin of the American Medical Association's Principles of Medical Ethics)

University of Kentucky UKnowledge Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications Genetics 1-2005 The ecrS et Kappa Lambda Society of Hippocrates (and the Origin of the American Medical Association's Principles of Medical Ethics) Charles T. Ambrose University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits oy u. Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/microbio_facpub Part of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, and the Medical Humanities Commons Repository Citation Ambrose, Charles T., "The eS cret Kappa Lambda Society of Hippocrates (and the Origin of the American Medical Association's Principles of Medical Ethics)" (2005). Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications. 29. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/microbio_facpub/29 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Secret Kappa Lambda Society of Hippocrates (and the Origin of the American Medical Association's Principles of Medical Ethics) Notes/Citation Information Published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, v. 78, no. 1, p. 45-56. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine is published with the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial- ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/ 3.0/ legalcode). This article is available at UKnowledge: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/microbio_facpub/29 YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 78 (2005), pp. 45-56. Copyright © 2005. All rights reserved. HISTORY OF MEDICINE The Secret Kappa Lambda Society of Hippocrates (and the Origin of the American Medical Association’s Principles of Medical Ethics) Charles T. Ambrose Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky This paper relates the neglected history of an idealistic, secret medical fraternity that exist - ed briefly in Lexington, Kentucky, during the first half of the 19th century. It was created for students in the Medical Department at Transylvania University, the fifth U.S. medical school, founded in 1799. One goal of the fraternity was to counter the widespread dissension and often violent quarrels among doctors that characterized American medicine of that period. And to that end, it was among the first to promote Thomas Percival’s code of medical ethics in this country. Branches of the fraternity were established in Philadelphia and New York City, where members became influential in local medical politics but in time encountered hostility from rival physicians. The secret character of the fraternity branches was publicized and maligned during an anti-Masonic movement in this country in the 1830s, which soon led to the demise of the Philadelphia group. The New York branch remained active through the 1860s. Members of both branches were among those who, in 1847, established the American Medical Association and devised its Principles of Medical Ethics. INTRODUCTION EARLY SECRET COLLEGE FRATERNITIES Recorded histories about specific top - ics are often deficient in some small detail In the United States, the first student or incomplete due simply to space limita - fraternity was Phi Beta Kappa, established tions. An example is the origin of the at the College of William and Mary in American Medical Association (AMA). Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1776. During its So several versions of a subject need be early years, the fraternity had an oath of perused to gain an accurate interpretation. secrecy and a special handclasp or grip [1]. The following essay relates some little Some histories state that in this country, it known particulars about an early 19th cen - was “the sole society of its kind for 50 tury secret medical fraternity whose years” [2]. Indeed, other secret Greek-letter greater significance lies in its members fraternities followed from 1825 to 1827 at who helped found the AMA. Union College, Schenectady, New York, To whom all correspondence should be addressed: Charles T. Ambrose, M.D., Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536. E-mail: [email protected]. †Abbreviations: AMA, American Medical Association. 45 46 Ambrose: The Kappa Lamda Society (ΚΑ , ΣΦ , ∆Φ ) and in 1832 at Hamilton est”) was promoted in eastern cities. College, New York ( Α∆Φ ). Also, in 1832, George Washington and John Adams each the first of two secret societies was formed contributed $100 and Aaron Burr, $40. at Yale: Skull and Bones; the other, Scroll Pledges totaling $10,000 were obtained and Key, appeared in 1842. [3]. An editorial in the Journal of the However, the distinction of being the American Medical Association in 1905 second secret college society in the United noted that “the little school at Lexington States (after ΦβΚ ) must go to the Kappa grew with phenomenal rapidity to a posi - Lambda Society of Hippocrates, estab - tion second to none in the United States” lished at the Department of Medicine at [4]. For a decade during the 1820s, Transylvania University in Lexington, Transylvania University was “ranked Kentucky, in 1819. This fact is little appre - among the leading institutions of higher ciated today for several reasons: the ΚΛ learning” in the Union. Indeed, Jefferson Society in Lexington survived for less than favored sending students there rather than a decade, although branches established in to Harvard. At Transylvania, they would several eastern cities continued for several be imbued with “more of the flavor of the more. But its members greatly influenced old cast,” meaning a more democratic out - the early character of a later important insti - look, while at Harvard they would return tution, the American Medical Association. from Cambridge as “fanatics and Tories” The story of the ΚΛ Society and the AMA [5] (see note [6]). begins with Transylvania University and its The Civil War impoverished the small Department of Medicine, founded in 1799. colleges in the South, causing many to fold. In order to survive, Transylvania merged with the small church-funded Kentucky TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY University in 1865. In the same year, a new “Transylvania” means “the country land grant college, the Agriculture and across the woods” and was the name given Mechanical College, was added to to the lands bordered by the Ohio, Transylvania’s campus. Also the College of Cumberland, and Kentucky rivers — that the Bible was included in the mix, all of part of present day Kentucky that original - which came to be known as Kentucky ly was the western extension of Virginia. University for the next four decades. In 1780, the General Assembly of Virginia In 1878, the A&M College moved deeded 8,000 acres of escheated land “in from the Transylvania campus to a nearby the County of Kentuckee” for “a Public site in Lexington and later was renamed the School.” The adjective “escheated” University of Kentucky. The Bible College referred to lands previously owned by also separated and became the Lexington British subjects who were no longer legal - Theological Seminary. Now divested of ly allowed to own them. Another 12,000 these two academic partners, the acres were added later to help fund “the Transylvania campus resumed its old name maintenance and education of youth.” The of Transylvania University and over the public school was named Transylvania next century attained its present reputation Seminary and became the first institution as a highly regarded, small liberal arts uni - of higher learning west of the Alleghenies. versity (see note [7]). Instruction began in 1785. In 1792, Kentucky became the 15th state. In 1798, the seminary’s name was changed to TRANSYLVANIA’S DEPARTMENT Transylvania University [3]. OF MEDICINE A fundraising campaign for the new In 1799 the trustees of Transylvania seminary/university (“a lamp in the for - University inaugurated a Medical Ambrose: The Kappa Lamda Society 47 Figure 1. Left: Medical Department Building, Transylvania University, circa 1840. Right: Matriculation and library ticket, 1824 to 1825. Figures used courtesy of Transylvania University. Department [3]. This became the fifth (or el to Europe to purchase entire private seventh, see note [8]) medical school orga - libraries of medical works, anatomical nized in the United States but indisputably preparations, and the newest scientific the first west of the Alleghenies. Early instruments. In 1828, the Transylvania United States medical schools were com - Medical Library held over 3,000 volumes. monly called “Departments” or (Figure 1). At the time, Transylvania was “Institutes” of Medicine. The first had the “best endowed medical school in been established by the University of America” and had “one of the best Pennsylvania in 1765 followed by King’s [libraries] in the country” [13]. The library College in New York City in 1767 (or and museum of anatomical and scientific 1764), Harvard University in Cambridge items are still intact and on display today in 1783, and Dartmouth College in New at the university (see note [14]). Hampshire in 1797 [9]. (The Medical Transylvania’s Department of Institution of Yale College was created Medicine remained preeminent in trans- around 1810 [10].) Appalachia for two decades, from the Students were admitted to Tran- 1820s through the 1830s. However, in the sylvania’s Department of Medicine begin - mid-19th century, steam navigation caused ning in 1800 and taught initially in precep - inland Lexington to be eclipsed economi - torships with the four or so faculty at hand. cally by two nearby cities on the Ohio During the first decade or so, lectures were River — Cincinnati and Louisville. In given irregularly to small classes of stu - 1837, the Louisville Medical Institute was dents, numbering 20 or so.

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