It's Our Birthday!

Seriously, I don't think we look a day over 200!

The Medical & Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland

Founded January 20, 1799.

Isaac Trimble's House at 8 W. Madison Street

Isaac Ridgeway Trimble, MD, was an energetic young physician in Baltimore at the turn of the 19th/20th century. He had everything: good looks, talent as a physician, enough money and a gorgeous house. But, sadly, he didn't have a long life, dying in his 40s from blood poisoning from a cut during surgery.

Recently, someone sent me some interior images of the most beautiful flat in Mount Vernon. I fell in love with it, and went to see it, with the slight possibility of buying it. When I did a little research, I found that the house had belonged to Dr. Trimble in the early 1900's. 

Mrs. I. R. Trimble purchased the house in September of 1900. By May of 1901, the Trimbles were making extensive improvements to No. 8 West Madison, as noted in this May 1901 newspaper article.

And what improvements he made! The most interesting feature, and the one we couldn't figure out when we saw the space (before I did some research) was why there were two front doors. If I'd known it was a physician's house, it would have all been clear! The right, and less showy entrance was for the office, and the left and more elaborate, was for the residence. 

As the article says, the front door is modeled on the Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis. See the resemblance?  I would guess that the door at 8 West is a replacement door and would have originally been double like the ones below.

Once you enter the family side, the door frames are really incredible! 

The inspiration for the swan-neck door surround is from the John Carrère House. 

Carrère and Hastings were a major beaux arts-style architecture firm and were responsible for the look of Mount Vernon Place. 

The article says that the drawing room, library and dining room were all on the second floor, which, when you see the space makes sense. Here are some of the pictures of the space. 

The flat is a studio, with about 850 square feet of space. There is one large room, with a kitchen, a bath and some closets. The long hallway has some built in book cases, as well as a lovely Palladian window with a cozy seat. 

It is always so amazing when the different facets of life intersect. You can see more images from the listing here. 

18 Tiny Deaths Book Launch on February 5 at MedChi

18 Tiny Deaths:
The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics

MedChi and the Center for a Healthy Maryland are proud to host the launch for 18 Tiny Deaths on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. in MedChi's historic Osler Hall at 1211 Cathedral Street. Author Bruce Goldfarb of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has lectured at MedChi several times, both about the OCME and the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, which are housed at the OCME's offices in Baltimore.

Bruce is the leading expert on the Nutshells, and worked closely with the Smithsonian Institute which restored these 80-year old dioramas two years ago. In his eight years at the OCME, Bruce has had the opportunity to examine the Nutshells in minute detail, and understand their importance. He's written this book discussing each of the 18 known murder studies to great acclaim:

"A culmination of years of historical research using primary sources, including the papers of Frances Glessner Lee herself. It is the story of how one stubborn, intelligent, creative, and self-taught woman could immerse herself in a passion that had immense repercussions in the fields of both medicine and the law... As this absorbing and evocative book will show you, Frances Glessner Lee should be recognized as the matriarch of the modern practice of forensic pathology." - Judy Melinek, M.D., co-author of Working Stiff

MedChi and the OCME have a long history: In 1939, MedChi petitioned the Maryland General Assembly to abolish the county coroner system and establish a state-wide medical examiners' office, the first in the nation.

Greedy Reads, an independent bookstore in Remington and Fells Point, will be selling copies of "18 Tiny Deaths" and Bruce will be available to sign them at the event.
 

Reservations are required for this event, and space is limited.
Please RSVP to events at medchi dot org before February 2, 2020.
Parking, inclement weather plans, and other information will be shared as we move closer to the date.
For questions, please email events at medchi dot org.