David Hosack - Medical Colleges

Medical Colleges

Hosack and another prominent physician. Nicholas Romayne, also of New York City, both sought at various times an academic sponsorship in order to found new medical schools. They were early proponents in the belief that medical education should be easily accessible. One of Hosack's earlier victories was the merger of the College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia University.

In 1826, Hosack, was thej first to suggest an alliance with Rutgers College, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He had a falling out with the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and was looking for a university to host his medical faculty.

An alliance was formed between Rutgers College, Hosack, and several of his colleagues. Instruction began on November 6, 1826, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, however, as quickly as the college came into existence, opposition to Hosack and Rutgers Medical School surfaced. Hosack came under attack by the County Medical Society of New York for "unjustifiable interference in the medical concerns of the state and disregard for the provisions of the laws of the state regarding medical education."

"The flamboyent personalities (involved) and notoriety attracted students and money away from competing schools and drew animousity to them like a magnet. The story of the intrigues and political in-fighting of New York City's physicians, their medical societies and institutions during this time period is a complex one."

Consequently, sponsorship of the New Brunswick school created great controversity in the medical profession in New York and resulted in much political maneuvering "involving county and state medical societies, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Regents of the State University of New York, the New York State Legislature, and ultimately, the New York State Supreme Court."

Rutgers countered with attacks against the College of Physicians and Surgeons and its supporters for "perpetuating monopoly in medical education." Two years of acrimonious debate ended with Hosack's opponents successfully enacting a bill that negated any medical degrees "as licenses to practice medicine in New York State" granted outside of the City of New York, effectively ending the New Brunswick connection.

Undaunted, Hosack traveled to Upstate New York and succeeded in gaining the sponsorship of Geneva College in Geneva, New York. Soon after, the Rutgers Medical College established under the authority of Rutgers College, New Jersey, transferred its allegiance to Geneva College in the State of New York.

The trustees of the college voted on October 30, 1827 to establish the medical faculty.

According to the trustees' minutes, the Geneva College was to consist of two branches, one in Geneva and the other in New York City. Each branch would have six professors. The medical school in Geneva never materialized, due to one delay after another, and the venture was abandoned, however, the branch in New York City was opened in early November, 1827; "amid a barrage of criticism on the part of the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons."

This sponsorship was also short lived. The political forces that opposed Hosack in his Rutgers endeavor, soon caught up with him in Geneva. The affiliation lasted from 1827 to 1830 when Hosack's adversaries filed suit in "The People v. The Trustees of Geneva College" which ruled that the college did not have the power to operate or appoint a faculty at any place but Geneva. This invalidated the branch of Geneva College in New York City.