Thomas Jefferson University was founded in 1824 as Jefferson Medical College. In its two centuries of operation it has provided countless health services to the people of Philadelphia, both its citizens and its newcomers. In 1824 Philadelphia was then the major port of entry to the US and received the most immigrants until later in the century when it was eclipsed by New York City.
Here are some brief vignettes from the 1800s.
Numerous Jeffersonians were responsible for the health of the city and the care of new arrivals to the Port of Philadelphia. The Lazaretto quarantine station, down river in Essington, was established in 1799 and was superseded by the Immigration Station located at Pier 53 when that site opened in 1873 on the Delaware River.
Dr. Henry Leffmann, a Jeff graduate of 1869, was the last Port Physician and chronicled the history of immigration health in his 1896 book, Under the Yellow Flag. Dr. Leffmann taught at Jefferson and at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania but was more famously known as one of the earliest forensic physicians in America. He had a detailed understanding of poisons and their effects and was often called as a prosecution expert witness in murder trials.
The medical college at Thomas Jefferson University was, from its outset, a place where immigrants to Philadelphia could learn a noble profession. Our first roster of matriculates (110 students) in 1825 had recent arrivals from Ireland: Patrick Jordan, Samuel Galey, and Francis King. Another Irish national was John Graham who was 1 of 20 men who received his diploma in the first commencement April 14, 1826. Also in 1825, Frederick Wilhelm Herbst of Germany was a matriculate.
Armenia, suffering under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire, sent nine young men who took refuge in Philadelphia to study at Jefferson Medical College where they earned their medical degrees.
1882 – A. John Melchonian, Armenia
1883 – Z. Melkon Alotounian, Turkey
1884 – A. Mina Giragosian, Armenia
1891 – Mugerditch D. Hachadoorian, Asia Minor
1891 – Hrand Kercor Kebabian, Turkey
1892 – Mugerdich C. Gabrielian, Armenia
1894 – Messiah Mesropian, Asia Minor
1895 – Timotheus Taminosian, Turkey
1901 – Arshag Der Margossian, Armenia
By the end of the 19th century, 5,000 Armenians had settled in the USA.
America’s 2nd Chinese immigrant to receive a medical degree was Jin Fuey Moy (梅振魁) who graduated from Jefferson in 1891. He stayed in America and practiced in the New York City Chinese community.
It is unclear how many of these matriculates and graduates returned to their home countries. It may be assumed that some of these applicants received tuition remission as it was part of the original charter that annually allowed for “12 young men of good character to receive a full beneficence.” These were secret grants so we do not know who the recipients were.
Beginning in 1877 with its new hospital on Sansom and 11th streets, Jefferson was the designated “Marine Hospital” for the port of Philadelphia. This federal appointment provided funds for a number of hospital beds to be reserved for the needs of foreign and domestic merchant mariners who fell ill on arrival and needed treatment.
The Central Maternity Home (224 West Washington Square) was established by the Womens Board of Jefferson Hospital to accommodate expecting mothers who required post-natal care. The majority of births in the 19th century were home deliveries.
Around 1900, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania required medical students to attend six births before they graduated. This meant that 800 deliveries had to be provided for each Jefferson graduating class. This prompted College officials to establish another maternity hospital called the Wharton Street Dispensary. Located at 2545 Wharton Street, south of Grays Ferry, this area hosted a large Irish immigrant population around 1900. Wharton St. was operational from 1910-1946.
Internal “immigration” of American citizens occurred after the Civil War when thousands of formerly enslaved African-Americans made a mass exodus to the cities of the North. These people joined Old World immigrants in many poor neighborhoods in the Center City area, which Jefferson served.
A selection of current programs and recent publications and presentations from Jefferson addressing immigrant and refugee health: