thirty-four thousand dollars-which is loaned to two of the banks in Nashville at six per cent., payable semi-annually. Thirty thousand dollars are still due from the purchasers of the college land-and about seven thousand acres remain unsold. There are two vacations in the year, consisting of five and a half weeks each. The first begins on the day after commencement; and the second on the first Wednesday in April. There are also two sessions or terms, of twenty weeks each. The winter session commences about the middle of November, and the summer session about the middle of May. The following table exhibits the number of students actually present during each college session since 1825. Total number of students during Winter Session of 1825-26, 69 The numbers graduated in different years are given below. A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY PHYSICIANS AND OF THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF RHODE ISLAND. By USHER PARSONS, M. D., President of the Society.] CONCERNING the medical profession in Rhode Island from its settlement in 1636, to 1700, very little information can now be obtained. The names of such physicians as extensive inquiry has enabled me to collect, will however be mentioned, with the hope that it may lead to the discovery of others. I will commence by observing that the first physician in New England was Dr. Samuel Fuller of Plymouth, a pilgrim in the Mayflower in 1620. He was occasionally called to Salem, Charlestown and Dorchester, to prescribe for the sick. He died of a prevailing fever in 1633. The reason for mentioning him here will appear presently. In 1631 Dr. John Clark arrived in Boston, where he resided till 1638. He then removed to Portsmouth, on the north end of Rhode Island, and in the year following to Newport. He afterwards went to England, where he united with Roger Williams to procure the revocation of Coddington's commission as governor of the Islands in Narragansett bay. Williams returned with the revocation, but Clark remained in London twelve years, in the practice of his profession; in which time he procured the present charter of Rhode Island. After returning to Newport, he officiated as pastor of the First Baptist church, and also practised physic until his death, which occurred April 20, 1676, in the 68th year of his age. The records of the Island show, that in 1641, Robert Jeffreys was "authorized to exercise the functions of chirurgerie." He first settled in Portsmouth, but soon removed to Newport. He returned to England in the time of Charles the Second. In 1646 there was a French doctor in Newport, as appears by a journal kept by one of his patients, Peter Easton. About the year 1687, Dr. Samuel Ayrolt came to Rhode Island from Rochelle, with many other French Protestants, after the revocation of the edict of Nantz, and resided many years in Newport. In 1665, Dr. Gilbert Updike, a German, settled in Narragansett, and married the daughter of Richard Smith, who built the first English house in that district. He had three out of four sons killed in the Swamp battle by Indians. The descendants of the surviving son are numerous and very respectable. These are all the names of physicians found in the south part of the State prior to 1700. There were however some female practitioners here, as elsewhere in the colony, the practice of obstetrics being confined exclusively to them till after 1752. Among these was Mary Mowry, who died in Jamestown 1720, aged 79 years. According to Quaker records she was in high repute; and among the Indians, her medicines were preferred to others in all complaints. In the north part of the State, no names of physicians are mentioned in history, or in the records of Providence, as I can learn, before 1700, and it appears by a letter of Roger Williams to his friend Winthrop, then at New London, dated twelve years after the settlement of Providence, and in which he thanks him for sending him some advice and medicines, that in the sickness of himself or family, he depended on his own skill, and on some medical books in his possession. The number of inhabitants capable of bearing arms at this time (1648) was only one hundred-and a population so small and isolated, could hardly increase to such an extent, for many years, as to make it expedient to invite a physician, had there been one ready, to settle among them; especially as there was an eminent one in Newport, who could be brought by water in a few hours, and who needed all the patronage that both places could give, for his support. It appears too, that in 1663, the inhabitants of Seekonk, only two or three miles from Providence, felt the want of a physician, and voted in town meeting, to send a letter to Dr. Samuel Fuller of Plymouth, inviting him to come and settle among them. It was also voted that his mother, who I take to be the widow of Dr. Fuller, the pilgrim, before mentioned, be sent to, "to see if she be willing to come and dwell amongst us, to attend on the offices of a midwife, to answer the town's necessity, which at present is great." If there had been a physician at the time in Providence, only two miles distant, the people of Seekonk would not have felt the urgent necessity of sending to Plymouth for one; and having obtained one, there was no further occasion for Providence people to employ one from Newport, or to settle one of their own. If the population of both Providence and Seekonk increased considerably between 1663 and 1676, it was at the latter period diminished greatly again, by the burning of seventy houses, and putting the occupants to flight, many of whom became permanent residents of Newport. And as a physician was settled in Seekonk as early as 1680,* and as Providence recovered slowly from the fire, it is probable that many years elapsed after 1676, before a physician was settled in the town. Be this as it may, diligent inquiry has found no physician settled in Providence before 1700. After the year 1700, the history of the profession in Rhode Island becomes better known. The town of Newport at that time was more populous, than any other town of the State, or of New England, and its inhabitants were more cultivated and refined; and possessing a salubrious climate, it became an attractive residence to gentlemen of education. Among the names of its eminent physicians we find that of 1. Benjamin Staunton, who died at a very advanced age in 1760. His house is still standing. 2. James Noyes, who died 1718, aged 40. 3. Clarke Rodinan, who died 1752, aged 52—and 4. His son William, who died the following year. 5. John Brett, a German, and pupil of Boerhaave, and graduate of Leyden. He was one of Dean Berkley's associates in Newport, and one of the Literary Society at its establishment in 1735. 6. Dr. Thomas Moffatt, an accomplished scholar and physician, who came from Scotland 1750, and practised till 1772, when his political opinions drove him away. 7. Dr. Thomas Rodman, who came with Moffatt. 8. Dr. William Hunter came froin Scotland 1752, and was a pupil of the elder Monro at Edinburg. He practised in Newport twenty-five years, and was the first male accoucheur in the colony. Dr. Hunter gave lectures on anatomy and physiology in 1754, 5 and 6, which were the first given on medical science in New England, or in America. Advertisements of these lectures may be seen in the Boston papers of that day. He was appointed surgeon of the troops sent to Canada; and his skill, as an operative surgeon, was superior to that of his cotemporaries. He was a learned scholar and physician. 9. Dr. Charles Anthony Vigneron, of German origin. He lived to be over one hundred years of age, and practised extensively till toward the close of life. He was both learned and popular. 10. Dr. Hooper was cotemporary with Dr. Vigneron, and outlived him. 11. John Halliburton practised some years before and during the Revolutionary war. My much esteemed friend, Henry Bull, Esq., who has furnished me with the materials relating to the south part of the State, writes, that "Dr. Halliburton left soon after the British army did, in consequence of some of his correspondence being detected, unfriendly to the American cause, and went to Halifax, where his son, Judge Halliburton, the author of "Sam Slick," now resides." The veterans Dr. Samuel Danforth of Boston and Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse of Cambridge, practised a short time in Newport; the latter studied with Dr. Halliburton. 12. Dr. Bartlett, Dr. Ayers, William Tillinghast, Isaac Senter and Jonathan Easton, practised both before and after the Revolution. *Dr. Richard Bowen. 13. Dr. Easton inoculated three persons for small pox in 1772, the first instances of the kind in Rhode Island. He continued in practice nearly fifty years, and was one of the petitioners for the charter of the Rhode Island Medical Society. 14. Isaac Senter was a native of New Hampshire, but came to Newport in childhood, where he studied with Dr. Moffatt. He practised first in Pawtucket, but soon removed to Newport, and died 1799, aged 44 years. He contributed highly valuable papers to periodicals both in America and Europe, and was honored with fellowship in the medical societies of both countries, and was president of the Cincinnati of Rhode Island. He accompanied General Arnold in his perilous march to Quebec in 1775. 15. Dr. Benjamin Mason flourished during several of the closing years of the last century. He had enjoyed the advantage of European, as well as American instruction. 16. These with a Dr. Jarrett of Middletown are all the names I can collect of physicians on Rhode Island previous to 1800-with the exception of Drs. William Turner, David King, Edmund T. Waring and Enoch Hazard, then young in the profession, but who lived to be eminently useful practitioners. In South Kingston, Drs. Charles Higginbottom, Sylvester, Robert and George Hazard, William Chase, Joseph Torry, Benjamin Waite, Joshua Perry, Joseph Comstock and John Aldrich. In North Kingston, Drs. Benjamin Waite, William G. Shaw. In Westerly, Drs. Parish, Samuel Watson and Glazier, Hubbard Mason, Bartlett, Trip, David Sprague, Solomon Sprague, Solomon Anthony. Blodget, Joshua Babcock, Dorrance, William Moore and Vincent, Daniel Lee and William Robinson. In Richmond, Drs. Paul Harrington, Paul Harrington, Jr., Petise. Ainsworth and In Hopkinton, Drs. John Drake, Thomas Wilbour, William Wilbour. In Greenwich, Drs. Peter Turner, Stephen Allen. In Warwick, Drs. Gorton Jerauld, Stephen Harris, John W. Tibbets. In Cranston, Drs. Samuel Hudson, Robert Weeks, Comfort A. Carpenter, Waterman and Aldrich. In Scituate, Drs. Caleb Fiske, Rowland Greene, John Wilkinson and Benjamin Slack. In Foster, Dr. Solomon Drown. In Coventry, Dr. Cyril Carpenter, Moses Mowry, Enoch Thayer, Augustus Torrey. In Gloucester, Drs. Joseph Bowen, Aaron Waldron. In Cumberland, Drs. Abram Mason, Micah Walcott, Capron. Lamb and In Smithfield, Drs. Ichabod Comstock, William Arnold, J. Smith, Simeon Brown, William Bushee and Eleazer Bellows practised before the Revolutionary war, and before the century closed Drs. Baxter. In Tiverton, Dr. Withridge. In Bristol, Drs. Bourne, William Bradford, Gustavus Baylies, Thomas Nelson and Chillingworth Foster. In Warren, William Thompson, Daniel Barrus. In Portsmouth, Dr. Peter T. Wales. In North Providence, Dr. Hosea Humphrey. In Providence, I do not find the name of any physician previous to that of Jabez Bowen. As the name Bowen has figured conspicuously in the list of Rhode Island physicians, I have been at some pains to collect their genealogy. As early as 1680, Dr. Richard Bowen, son of Thomas and grandson of Richard, was engaged in medical practice in Seekonk, about two miles from Providence, and probably attended the sick of the latter place then and for some time after. He educated two sons to the medical profession, named Thomas and Jabez. Jabez settled in Providence, near St. John's church, and had a son Benjamin, a physician, and a grandson Joseph, already mentioned, who died a few years since at an advanced age in Gloucester. Dr. Thomas Bowen, the other son of Dr. Richard, settled in Seekonk with his father. He had three sons, one of whom, named Ephraim, lived in Providence with his uncle, Dr. Jabez, from the age of nine years, and studied medicine with him and settled in Providence, where he died in 1812, aged 96 years. He had six sons, two of whom, William and Pardon, studied medicine. William practised till the year of his decease, 1832, being 86 years of age. Pardon died in 1827, at an advanced age. These two, with their father, gained great celebrity. Drs. William and Pardon educated more pupils than any other physicians in the State now deceased. Dr. William had a son of rare promise, who enjoyed more advantages for a medical education than any one that has ever settled in the State; but he died soon after commencing practice. No physicians of the name and family are now left in the State. Among other names of physicians in Providence who flourished between the years 1700 and 1800, were Drs. John Walton, Sterling, Randall, Perrago, Joseph Hughs, Jonathan Arnold, Amos Throop, Robert Gibbs, The RHODE ISLAND MEDICAL SOCIETY was incorporated by an act of the Legislature in February, 1812-and consisted of the following physicians:Amos Throop, William Bowen, Pardon Bowen, Levi Wheaton, Rowland Greene, Samuel Hudson, Daniel Barrus, Joseph Comstock, Niles Manchester, John Wilkinson, John M. Eddy, Thomas M. Barrows, Charles Eldridge, Jacob Fuller, Moses Mowry, Peleg Clark, John Mackie, Jeremiah Williams, William C. Bowen, Joseph Pettes, Walter Wheaton, Stephen Harris, Sylvester Knight, Abram Mason, Ezekiel Comstock, Augustus Larey, A. Waldron, Caleb Fiske, Solomon Drown, Comfort A. Carpenter, Thomas Nelson, Thomas Warren, John W. Richmond, William G. Shaw, Cyril Carpenter, Thomas Carpenter, Gorton Jerauld, C. Foster, Lemuel W. Briggs, John Aldrich, Eleazer Bellows, E. Bellows, Jr., Jonathan Easton, Benjamin Waite Case, Enoch Hazzard, David King, William Turner, Edmund T. Waring and Jonathan Easton, Jr. The charter authorizes the members of the Society to elect necessary officers, and to determine their duties-to hold a common seal with power to break or change it-to sue and be sued-to enact rules and by-laws, and annex fines and penalties to determine the number requisite to constitute a quorum; and to establish the time, place and manner of convening the said Society-to elect by a majority of the votes of those present suitable persons as members, and honorary members; the former to subscribe the by-laws within one year, or otherwise declare their assent in writing, the latter to consist of persons residing out of the State or not practising in it-to examine candidates for the practice of physic and surgery, and if found qualified, to give them letters testimonialand to hold real estate yielding an annual income of not exceeding five hundred dollars, and of personal estate not exceeding fifteen hundred dollars. The By-Laws specify I. That annual meetings shall be held alternately at Newport and Providence on the last Wednesday in June, and prescribe 1. the order of business2. the mode of electing fellows and honorary members, the form of diploma given them, establish the admission fee at $3, and annual assessment at $1 3. allow fellows, for satisfactory reasons, to resign-4. or to be expelled5. forbid holding consultations with irregular practitioners. II. They prescribe rules 1. for holding consultations-2. for discountenancing professional interference-3. for adjustment of private disputes-4. forbid using secret medicines, &c. III. They direct a triennial election of officers, the president and two vice presidents to be ineligible for the same offices during the next ensuing term of 33 VOL. XII. |