Harford
County’s Early Influence on Medicine in Maryland
In the 1770’s, there were no
controls over the practice of medicine. Charlatans and phony practitioners
abounded. A group of physicians called for
some control over the practice of medicine and even minimal standards to be set.
Physicians convened, and ideas were set, but nothing happened.
Over the next two decades, more
meetings were held, and physicians in a number of counties came together to
talk about medicine and share their knowledge. Among the counties where
physicians met, was Harford County. In the late 1700’s, Dr. John Archer, his
sons and pupils gathered to form a society known as the “Harford Medical
Society.”
In January of 1799, physicians
from each of Maryland’s counties, plus Baltimore City, assembled at the
beginning of the Maryland General Assembly’s annual session. A proclamation was
read to the legislature and the bill signed into being.
On January 20, 1799, the
Medical & Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland was established to prevent
quackery and pretenders to the medical arts. (As an aside, Chirurgical comes
from the Latin word chirurgery, which was the ancient word for surgery. All
surgeons are physicians, but not all physicians are surgeons.)
Among the Faculty’s 100 founders,
four were from Harford County: Dr. John Archer, and Thomas Archer, as well as Thomas
H. Birckhead, and Elijah Davis. Thomas Archer (1768-1821) was one of John
Archer’s six sons. Today, our focus is
on John Archer, who personified medicine in early Harford County.
John
Archer (1741-1810) was born in Churchville, and was the only one
of five siblings who survived childhood. He was educated at Nottingham Academy
and Princeton College. After graduation, he briefly considered opening a
grammar school in Baltimore, but instead attended Princeton’s School of
Theology, after which he became a Presbyterian minister. Although he mastered
the prayers and the order of service, he did not find theology satisfying, and
his first sermon was a serious bomb, so he began medical school.
Archer, one in a class of ten
students, studied medicine with Professor John Morgan at the College of
Medicine in Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. Archer
graduated in 1768, the first person in the New World to receive a medical
degree. There was some contention as to who would be the first, but by virtue
of his last name, Archer was it.
There was a dispute as to
whether Archer actually received a medical degree, as there was really no such
thing at the time. During the first years of the College of Medicine, there
were two degrees awarded. First was a MB or Medical Bachelor, and three years
later an MD was awarded. However, Archer never applied for the second degree,
and officially, only a very few actually received the MD degree. The rule was
discontinued in 1792.
In those days, physicians still
relied on what we now call “folk medicine.” Among Archer’s papers are notations
prescribing juice of several millipedes, and other physicians at that time were
suggesting a goat’s blood julep, powdered bees and viper’s flesh, all washed
down with frog-spawn water. I guess that proved that what didn’t kill you,
would cure you.
In 1769, Archer returned to
Harford County to begin his medical practice, which continued for 40 years,
with only two interruptions: The American Revolution and his service in the US
Congress.
When the Revolutionary War
broke out, Archer was already a seasoned physician, and he and former
classmates created the “Medical Corps of the American Revolution.” He attained
the rank of Major and was commended by General Washington upon leaving military
service.
Between 1779 and 1800, he
trained more than 50 students at “Medical Hall”, a substantial stone building on
450 acres which Archer had built. There
were between six and twelve students at a time, and while it was not a formal
medical school, students were trained through a “preceptorship.” Medically,
a preceptor is a practicing physician who gives personal instruction, training,
and supervision to a medical student or young physician. This
was the way most medical students learned their craft until the mid-1800’s when
medical schools became more common.
Until they had achieved a
certain level of understanding of medicine, they were assigned the more routine
cases, while Dr. Archer took the complicated ones, which kept him amply busy.
A story has
it, that when a stranger asked Mrs. Archer if the doctor lived at Medical Hall,
she responded, “He has his laundry done here.” So it is rather incredible that over the
years, Archer and his wife had nine or ten children, six of whom, all boys,
survived. Of the six, five chose to enter the field of medicine, the other
became a lawyer.
In addition to Dr. Archer’s lectures,
friends from his Philadelphia days coming through the area, stopped to lecture
the students. These included notables including Dr. John Morgan, who was Dr.
Archer’s mentor; Dr. Benjamin Rush, who was a classmate at Princeton; and
Benjamin Franklin who talked about his recollections of the French medical
system.
Older students accompanied him
on his rounds and helped compound the medicines he prescribed. Younger students
stayed behind at Medical Hall, studied their medical books and attended
meetings of the Harford County Medical Society which was in its infancy.
The Medical Hall alumni formed
an association which pre-dated MedChi, but some of whose members became
founders of MedChi. The alumni met to present original papers and share ideas.
Medical Hall also pre-dates the
founding of Maryland’s first medical school, which was established by the
Medical & Chirurgical Faculty in 1807. It eventually became the University
of Maryland, School of Medicine and is partially the reason we were long known
as “The Faculty.”
As if teaching
young students and practicing medicine in the Mid-Atlantic states wasn’t
enough, Archer also served in the US Congress for two terms. Contemporary
accounts talk about him being pulled from a legislative session to care for a
local child or assist at a difficult birth, as obstetrical issues and childhood
croup were his specialties.
It is said
that Archer’s interest in obstetrics began in Philadelphia when he witnessed
what might have been the birth of the first “Siamese” or conjoined twins in
America.
Archer was a
leader in promoting vaccines, which had been around since 1798 and widely used
during the later colonial period. What was unusual was that Dr. Archer was a
leader in promoting vaccines, especially smallpox, for slaves, more as an
economic protection rather than a medical one. Sick slaves could not work.
Archer seemed to be quite a
character and he did not suffer fools gladly. In his biographical sketch in the
Annals of Maryland Medicine, he is described as having:
“A mind
of the combative order, never courting, yet never declining controversy. His
sarcasm, when roused, is said to have been withering. In his portraits, he is
remarkably stern. His heart is exceedingly kind and he was ever prompt to
relieve the distressed…”
We have a portrait of Archer at
MedChi, and we often wonder whether he was as scary as he looked, or if the
painter was just not very talented. His
son mentions commissioning a painting, and we think the portrait we have might
be the one mentioned.
In 1808, Archer had a stroke,
and was also suffering from rheumatism. In preparation for his death, he
granted freedom to his slaves and left a prophecy that abolition of slavery
would be coming, despite his understanding that the economy of the South was
dependent on it.
Archer had a second stroke in
1810, which lead to his death a few weeks later. At 69 years old, he’d lived a
long and full life, and left a lasting legacy.
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As I mentioned, John Archer had
six sons, five of whom were physicians. We already learned a bit about Thomas
Archer.
Robert
Harris Archer was born in 1775. He was a pupil of his father,
and then practiced in Baltimore and as physician at the City Hospital. In 1799,
he was a surgeon in the 27th Regiment of the Maryland Militia. He
moved to Lancaster County for several years, and then to Cecil County until
1819. In addition to his medical practice, Robert served as a member of the
legislature for four years, on the Governor’s Council for the next four years,
and as a Judge in Orphans’ Court for ten years, until his death in 1857.
John
Archer, Jr. was born at Medical Hall in 1777. He also was
taught by his father, but eventually received his MD from the University of
Pennsylvania. He served as a physician in the Maryland Militia during the War
of 1812. He died in Baltimore in 1830.
James
Archer was born in Harford County in 1779, presumably also at
Medical Hall. He studied with his father, and also at Penn. He practiced in
Harford County until 1810, when he moved to Mississippi, where he died in 1815.
The youngest son, George Washington Archer, also studied
at Medical Hall, but sadly, he died while he was a student.
Stevenson
Archer, the son who became a lawyer, didn’t do too badly for
himself, becoming the Chief Justice of Maryland, and a member of Congress. In
1817, he was appointed by President James Madison as the Judge of the
Mississippi Territory, which also gave him gubernatorial powers.
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The other Harford County
founders were Thomas Archer, Thomas Birckhead and Elijah Davis.
Thomas
Archer (1768-1821) was the oldest of Archer’s surviving sons, and
was one his father’s pupils at Medical Hall. In 1802, Thomas Archer
commissioned the portrait which we have of his father, which was reputed to be
a very fine likeness of him, which worries us! Sadly, Thomas was an invalid for
many years. It was said of him, “No human being could lay a wrong at his door.”
Thomas
Birckhead was probably born in Harford County, although no records
remain which give his birthplace or birthdate. He lived in an estate near the
Magnolia Station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. His
son, Samuel Birckhead, son-in-law, James Reardon, and grandson, Lennox
Birckhead, were physicians. In addition to being a physician, he served as a
trustee of Harford County’s first school. The date of his death is unknown, but
it was thought to be sometime in late 1829 or early 1830.
Elijah
Davis (1760-1829) was born in Chester County, PA, and attended
medical lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, as did his brother. He was
taken prisoner at the Battle of Long Island in 1776 and taken to England on a
prison ship where was imprisoned for two years. He went to Paris to study
medicine, came back to the States, but returned to Paris to finish his medical
degree. In 1786, he came back to Harford County for good. Davis was a member of
the Maryland House of Delegates and State Senate for four terms. He was an
honorary member of the Medical Society of Baltimore. His son, Septimus Davis,
was also a physician.
There are several other late 18th
century physicians from Harford County that I thought I’d share.
Richard
Nun Allen was born in Harford County in 1796. He received his MD,
plus a gold medal, from the University of Maryland in 1817. He practiced
medicine in the county until his death at Savage Factory, Harford County in
1833.
Amos
Corbin was born near “The Rocks” in Harford County in 1784. He
attended the College of Medicine in Maryland (later the University of Maryland)
in 1812, and then became a Surgeon’s Mate in the 39th Regiment of
the Maryland Militia during the War of 1812 (which took place in 1814). In
addition to being a physician at the Baltimore City Almshouse, he was a member
of the Baltimore City Council. He died in Baltimore in 1866.
While Thomas Emerson Bond, Jr. is later than others in this group, he is
worth including. He was born in Harford County in 1813 and attended Baltimore
College, and then the University of Maryland. He practiced in Baltimore for
about 15 years and then founded the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in
1839. This was the first dental college in the Western Hemisphere and it endures
today as the UM School of Dentistry. Bond was also a Professor of Special
Pathology and Therapeutics at the Dental School. When Bond retired, he moved back
to Harford County to begin writing. Among his books were several treatises on
Dental Medicine and Science. In addition, he was the editor of the Baltimore
Christian Advocate and the Episcopal Methodist, as well as being a preacher at
the Methodist Episcopal Church. He died in 1872.
Skipworth H. Coale was born at
Deer Creek, Harford County in 1787. He attended the University of Maryland
where he graduated in 1816. He married the daughter of Samuel Chase, a signer
of the Declaration of Independence and Supreme Court Justice. Among his
accomplishments was the invention of an apparatus for fractured clavicles in
1816. His son, also named Skipworth, also attended the University of Maryland.
The father died in 1848.
Jacob
Hall
was born in 1747. Although there is no information about his education, we know
that he became a surgeon in the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment, and was
present at “battles against the Indians.” There is mention of Hall reading a
paper before the College of Physicians in Philadelphia in 1791, entitled “Cases
of Jaundice Cured by Electricity.” He died in Harford County in 1812.
Josias Carvil Hall was born in
Harford County in 1746, and received his MB at the College of Medicine in 1769.
He signed the Harford County Declaration of Independence in 1775 and as a
Colonel he commanded the 2nd Battalion of the Maryland Flying Camp. He was a delegate to Congress in 1785, a
member of the Governor’s Council in 1786, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 9th
Infantry until 1800. He died in 1814.
Richard
Wilmot Hall, who was born in Harford County in 1785. He
also studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and then came to
Baltimore where he was a professor of Obstetrics. He served as a Surgeon to the
51st Regiment of the Maryland Militia during the War of 1812. He was
the author of “Memoirs of Military Surgery” a book in two volumes. He died in
Baltimore in 1847.
• Maryland Medical Journal, December 1990.
William H.M. Finney, MD. “John Archer: First Medical Graduate in the New
World.”
• The Medical Annals of Maryland,
1799-1899. Eugene Cordell, MD
• Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, 1898
• Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin,
September 1899. “Recollections of one of Archer’s descendants.”
• Philadelphia Inquirer, January 8, 1956.
“Archer’s Notebook found after 191 years.”
