1865 "THE PHILADELPHIA LYING-IN CHARITY FOR ATTENDING INDIGENT FEMALES AT THEIR OWN HOMES" CERTIFICATE [Signed]

Philadelphia, 1865. Large engraved certificate issued by the Philadelphia Lying-in Charity, dated May 17, 1865, certifying that physician George W. Wood completed instruction in practical obstetrics and the treatment of diseases of females. The document bears several original signatures of prominent Philadelphia physicians including Caspar Wistar and other officers of the institution. Printed on large laid paper with ornate engraved typography and embossed seal. An attractive and historically interesting example of nineteenth-century medical education. Shelved at Rockville Room J (MW Shelf). The Philadelphia Lying-in Charity provided clinical training for physicians attending childbirth cases among indigent women in Philadelphia and represents an important early institution in American obstetrical education.




Caspar Wistar (1761-1818) was a prominent American physician, anatomist, and educator who played a major role in the development of medical education in the early United States. Born in Philadelphia into a well-known Quaker family, he studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and later continued his training in Edinburgh before returning to Philadelphia to practice and teach. Wistar became professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania in 1808 and was widely respected for his clear lectures and influential textbook A System of Anatomy (1811), one of the first major American works on the subject. He was also an active scientific leader, serving as president of the American Philosophical Society and hosting the famous "Wistar Parties," informal scientific gatherings that brought together leading scholars of the early republic. His name is preserved in the well-known Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and in the Wistar rat strain used in biomedical research. 1409909. Special Collections - Upstairs.