TIP #188 - DISEASES, EPIDEMICS AND MEDICAL FACILITIES IN KENTUCKY Many times I have been asked where their doctor ancestor took his medical training. Many of our early physicians did not have a specific education; they practiced under the tutorage of another doctor. However, Kentucky did have several large medical training schools. I will be listing some of them here. However, we first need to look at how they developed. Kentucky, like all others states, was faced with numerous diseases in the 19th century. These included measles, mumps, whooping cough, scarlet fever, diptheria, smallpox, dysentery (bloody flux), influenza, typhoid fever, yellow fever, cholera and many types of diarrheal diseases. Some of the major epidemics have been listed in my Kentucky Time Line series but as a recap: 1822: Yellow fever hits Louisville 1835: Over 250 deaths attributed to cholera, hardest hit Russellville, KY. 1849: Cholera kills over 715 in Kentucky 1850: 137 reported deaths from cholera 1863: "Brain fever" hits Confederate troops in Kentucky causing intense head and neck pains, comas and rapid death. 1872: Smallpox breaks out in Louisville, over 100 cases reported. 1873: Cholera re-emerges with over 200 dead; yellow fever is brought to KY from Memphis, TN. 1918: The influenza outbreak in the United States was so bad that thousands died and in KY all public meetings were banned, even funerals were not allowed to be held. For many years, local physicians used available plants and remedies. Alcoholism, milk-sickness (trembles), pneumonia, pleurisy, venereal diseases were much tougher for the old country doctor to treat. They tried inducing sweating, purging and bleeding as their treatments for many diseases. This finally resulted in the need to efficiently train our Kentucky physician. Here are some of the medical schools in Kentucky, some of which no information is available at present: HOSPITAL COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Opened in 1874-75, closed 1907. KENTUCKY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: The Kentucky General Assembly, in 1851 incorporated the Kentucky State Medical Society which later became the Kentucky Medical Association. It is located in Louisville and handles medical education through the state. KENTUCKY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. Organized in 1850-51, closed 1907. KENTUCKY STATE BOARD OF HEALTH: This was established in 1878 primarily due to the cholera outbreak and smallpox. Local boards of health were approved in 1882 and city boards in 1886. It regulated the practice of medicine in Kentucky by requiring lists of certified physicians from each county clerk; then took over certifying physicians and nurses. The State Bureau of Vital Statistics was established in 1910 which required the listing of births and deaths. KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT: 1899-1908. LOUISVILLE MEDICAL COLLEGE: 18699-1907. LOUISVILLE MEDICAL INSTITUTE: Opened in 1837 and the city's first school for physicians. This, in 1846, became the Medical Department of the University of Louisville. LOUISVILLE NATIONAL MEDICAL COLLEGE was incorporated on 24 April 1888., some show 1879. This was the only black medical school. It was allowed to give diplomas in the field of medicine and its graduates were allowed to perform surgery. The college operated into the early 20th century and was affiliated with Simmons University which is the only black institution in Kentucky offering a degree in theology, medicine and law. SOUTHWESTERN HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL COLLEGE. Founded 1892. TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY. The oldest medical institution in Kentucky. It opened in 1799 to educate doctors primarily west of the Allegheny Mountains. Some of the most famous medical educators were on staff her: Drs. Benjamin W Dudley, James Overton, William H. Richardson, Samuel Brown, Frederick Ridgely, Daniel Drake, Charles Caldwell, and Lunsford P. Yandell. But, it was sometimes a violent schools with duels breaking forth - one in 1818 between Dudley and Richardson. Yet the school prospered until the Louisville and Cincinnati Medical school merged and opened in Lexington. This was a financial strain on Transylvania and the last graduation held there was in 1859. UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE. The University began in 1837 with the creation of the Louisville Medical Institute and the Louisville College Institute. These two schools were combined in 1846 by the General Assembly and they added a law department. In 1850, opponents of the University of Louisville having a medical school established the Kentucky School of Medicine. These two institutions were constantly in competition and in 1907 the University of Louisville absorbed several rival schools. The medical school mergers coincided with developments near the 20th century . U. S. MARINE HOSPITAL: This is located on Portland Avenue in Louisville and was one of seven hospitals built on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and Lake Erie in the middle 1800's. The Secretary of War was authorized on 3 March 1837 to appoint a board of medical officers of the U S Army and were ordered to select and purchase locations for marine hospitals. Robert Mills designed the plan in 1837; and in 1841 a Louisville site was purchased. The U. S. Army Corp of Engineers which was supervised by Stephen H. Long built the hospital which was designed for civilian use. The Mexican War delayed the construction plans but by 1848, the progress resumed and the hospital opened in 1851. Closed 1898. On the web, there a site entitled Kornhauser Health Sciences Library Grandfather's Database. It has a searchable data base of students from 1838 to 1908 from various Louisville area medical schools. The following schools are included in the data base: · University of Louisville (1838-1908) · Hospital College of Medicine (1875-1907) · Kentucky School of Medicine (1851-1907) · Kentucky University Medical Department (1899-1908) · Louisville Medical College (1869-1907) http://purcell.library.louisville.edu/gfdb/Default.htm © Copyright 6 October 1998, Sandra K. 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