14. Committee to Consider the Question of the Prevention of the Communication of Contagious Diseases report, 02 March 1904

File — Box: 1

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The committee reports in this collection are part of the records of the Office of the Secretary of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The reports span the tenures of six secretaries of the College of Physicians: John H. Packard (1862-1877), William G, Porter (1877-1879), Richard A, Cleemann (1879-1885), Isaac Norris, Jr. (1885-1890), Charles W, Dulles (1890-1896), and Thomas R. Neilson (1896- 1914), The reports, spanning 1867 to 1911, were produced by various ad-hoc committees appointed by the Fellows of the College of Physicians to address issues affecting the College and the medical profession during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Many of these committees existed for only one or two months, their purpose being to prepare a public statement containing recommendations about a particular issue;in many cases, the committees prepared only one report before being discharged. The topics addressed in the reports include legislation affecting the medical profession, public health issues, the invasion of communicable diseases, and the selection of suitable memorials for deceased Fellows. Three of the reports (the Report of the Sub-committee of the Committee on Tablets [1885], the Report of the Committee appointed to Collect and Distribute Funds for the Relief of the Members of the Medical Profession who sustained losses by reason of the Floods at Johnstown [1889], and the Report of the Committee to prepare a memorial of the Late Dr. Samuel Lewis [1891]) were originally contained in the same envelope.

Dates

02 March 1904

Extent

From the Collection: .2 Linear feet (1 half document box)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Overview

This committee was appointed on 7 October 1903. James Tyson served as chairman of the committee; other members included James C. Wilson, Alfred Stengel, James M. Anders, and Francis R. Packard. The committee was created to draft a set of resolutions in respect to contagious diseases. One of the committee's recommendations was to enact legislation that would make homeowners responsible for reporting all cases of contagious diseases occurring within their domicile; other recommendations included the placarding of homes where contagious diseases had been reported and mandating strict disinfection procedures for these homes. The committee was probably discharged after presenting its resolutions to the Fellows of the College of Physicians at a meeting held on 2 March 1904.