Hahnemann Medical College of the Pacific was a homeopathic medical school in San Francisco, California. It was established in 1881 as Hahnemann Medical College, with the first graduating class in 1884. During the period of 1888–1902, it was known as Hahnemann Hospital College of San Francisco. Its last name change, 1902–1915, was to Hahnemann Medical College of the Pacific.
In 1884, the college was first located at the corner of Stockton Street and Geary Street, but it moved before the end of the year to No. 115 Haight Street. A new four-story building was erected in 1899, costing , on a lot of about equal value, situated at the corner of Sacramento and Maple streets. In 1915, the college merged with University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
The standard for graduation was kept at 75% for years, and eventually, the tendency was to be more strict in the requirements for graduation. Higher requirements for admission were also implemented. When the subject of women's admission was broached, a motion was passed that women should be admitted on an equal footing with men to all the privileges of the college. Early in the College's career, co-education was strengthened by the appointment of woman clinical assistants, lecturers and professors.
Since the college's foundation in 1881, it was the institution behind the homeopathic branch of medicine in the State of California, graduating 309 men and women. It did so with little support in the way of gifts and endowments as compared to other medical colleges on the Pacific coast. The medical education received there being up-to-date, the State rewarded the college by recognizing its graduates as eligible to become licensed physicians.
Establishment (1881-1883) The Hahnemann Medical College of the Pacific was the outgrowth of urgent needs in the west, understood best by those pioneers of homoeopathy who located here in 1850. The geographical isolation and distance from local centers demanded the establishment of a special school for the teaching of homoeopathy on this Pacific coast.
On January 12, 1881, the first meeting directed toward the creation of this college was held "for the purpose of founding and establishing a homoeopathic college in San Francisco and incorporating under the law as made and provided in the state of California." To forward this object, nine trustees were elected. This institution chose the name of the Hahnemann Medical College of San Francisco and the corporation was to exist for 50 years. The date for beginning the first course of lectures was June 1882.
Monthly meetings were held until July 6, 1881. Because of the discouraging financial and professional interest exhibited, it was not until two years thereafter, March 27, 1883, that five of the directors again assembled. An urgent invitation was called out to every homoeopathic physician interested to meet the directors at the next meeting. Drs. F. É. J. Canney, J. N. Eckel, C. B. Currier and Dr. William Boericke were associated with the cause in the early years.
In July 1883, though not in compliance with the law until January 1884, capital stock was increased to , and the number of the directors was fixed at nine. At this time there appeared in the July, 1883, issue of the California Homoeopath an editorial written by its editor, Dr. William Boericke, clearly reaching out for aid from a united profession. This letter and the consequent subscription to the stock was the beginning of the college.
In March 1884, by resolution, the unsold stock was taken up by the directors of the college, who again filled the breach. On September 25, 1883, the first faculty meeting was called at 209 Powell street. By the unanimous vote of the faculty, Dr. C. B. Currier was elected dean, and with the exception of a couple of years, he served in that capacity for eleven years. By him was conceived the idea for the erection of a new building and by him, plans were formed for the same, but for lack of help from professional friends it was not consummated during his service. The college now chose for its home the building formerly occupied by the university college and built for a Baptist church, on the corner of Stockton and Geary streets. According to a resolution passed at that time, the faculty were to serve without remuneration and that resolution never was repealed.
First lectures (1884-1886) The Hahnemann Medical College of San Francisco began its first course of lectures on June 3, 1884, to continue five months. A class of sixteen students matriculated. The college was soon removed to No. 115 Haight street, to a building formerly used by the medical department of the University of the Pacific. Here, the home of the college passed from hydropathy to allopathy and from allopathy to homoeopathy. For fifteen years, the college made its home on Haight street, in a building ill-adapted for college work. The class was composed of those who were entering college for the first year and by others who by necessity were compelled to go to other medical colleges in San Francisco, there being no homeopathic institutions. Having admitted such, it permitted a senior class to be formed and a graduation to take place at the close of the year. Preliminary to the opening, a dispensary, long in existence and known as the Pacific Homoeopathic Dispensary, was affiliated with the college and thereby afforded clinical opportunity to the students which they could have received in no other way.
On March 17, 1884, a gift of twenty volumes of medical works by Dr. John Nicolas Eckel formed the nucleus of a library, which numbered several thousand volumes by 1905. Afterward, Dr. Eckel supplemented his original gift, and material additions were made through funds furnished by the faculty in 1887 and by gifts from doctors and others who, in these early days, added these gifts year after year and so created a substantial basis for a library.
The first graduation of the Hahnemann Medical College occurred in October 1884. Effort was made at this time to obtain clinical facilities at the city and county hospital, but notwithstanding the consent of the board of supervisors, the municipal medical authorities denied the privilege.
The graduating class of 1885 consisted of four students. As early as this date, a committee was appointed to select a building site for the college. This, however, never materialized.
In 1886, the first delegates to the international committee of the American Institute of Homoeopathy were chosen, consisting of Drs. Boericke and French. During 1885 and 1886, the institution passed through one of those severe professional trials common to young institutions and in sections where professional strife is possible. It arose upon the granting of a pro honore diploma, which caused a break in the faculty and several resignations.
Hospital development (1887-1890) Early in 1887, the college developed its first hospital enterprise, established in a very modest way a few beds in a small cottage on Sacramento street. It became necessary in order to develop a hospital to change the title of the college and to form a corporation called the "Hahnemann Hospital College of San Francisco". Immediately upon the organization on December 2, 1887, the stock of the Hahnemann Medical College of San Francisco was turned over to the new board and the institution under its new name commenced life, which continued for several years.
The next step in development of better hospital facilities was the moving of the hospital to Paige street, in 1888, within two blocks of the college, thus affording better opportunities for clinical demonstration. The internal strife which had lasted for some time in the college, the lack of support from professional men throughout the state, the assessment upon the college stock and the constant financial depletion of its professors, caused a dissension within the faculty concerning the propriety of maintaining the hospital. This was increased by the antagonism raised in the vicinity of the hospital by declaring it a nuisance and the arrest and imprisonment of its superintendent, Dr. Ward. His arrest was instituted on the ground of an ordinance which the supervisors of the city and county of San Francisco had enacted, prohibiting the establishment or maintenance of hospitals within certain distances of the city hall. Dr. Ward carried the suit to the Supreme court where the ordinance was found defective and the proceedings were dismissed. A difference of opinion as to the policy of suppressing the hospital became so active, maintained to be absolutely essential by Drs. Ward and James Lilienthal, that they resigned rather than to give consent to the doing away with the clinical arm of the college. It was then closed.
Dr. George H. Palmer resigned at this time. The senior class became dissatisfied with the retrenching policy of the new board of trustees, and because of the leaving from the faculty of several of its best teachers, felt it incumbent upon themselves to leave the institution as students and to complete their course in medicine at Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago.
Growth (1891-1898) In 1891, legal questions of incorporation were raised, and in order to fulfill conditions of law regarding the Hahnemann Hospital College of San Francisco, papers were again taken out. The graduating exercises were held on December 10, 1891.
During 1892, the trustees and faculty desired to do something toward obtaining a permanent home and thereby advancing homoeopathy. The former desire caused inquiries to be made toward the purchase of the theological seminary building on Haight street, and also the property occupied by the college. Endeavors were made to raise funds, all of which did not succeed, so that the lease of the former quarters was renewed. Toward the advancement of homoeopathy, a petition was presented to the board of health for a ward in the city and county hospital, while articles were written for the papers, but all to no purpose. Then was first suggested the plan for affiliation with the state university. Commencement exercises took place December 1, with a class of eight.
The year 1893 was marked by many changes in the board and faculty. Financial affairs were not good, and it was necessary to levy an assessment on the stock, which helped to straighten out the condition. Dr. Currier was again placed as dean, and Dr. Boericke became registrar. Numerous faculty changes occurred. The library was increased by 50 volumes. The graduating exercises were held on November 18, and degrees were conferred upon a class of sevén.
The year 1894 showed fewer changes, and matters moved more smoothly than for some time. As delegates to the intercollegiate association of the American Institute of Homeopathy which met at Denver, Drs. Simpson and Boericke were appointed. It was at this time that Dr. Boericke and others from the west endeavored to show that a four years' course would be detrimental to the interest and growth of small colleges, but the institute decided to advise such a course, and this college at once inaugurated such a course, of seven months each, to begin with the next session. This was to its credit, and was in advance of the action of the eastern colleges.
The homoeopathic hospital having closed its doors some time previous, many plans were suggested for raising funds for the erection of a hospital building. Again the subject of the college owning its own building was discussed and some plans were suggested looking to the purchase of the Haight street property, but it was found that it could not be obtained, thus ending the discussion for all time. A class of twelve graduated November 30, 1894. It was then decided that a fall term should be re-established, to be begun in October of the next year.