The Historical Club of The Johns Hopkins Hospital held its first meeting on November 10, 1890 in the hospital library. William Osler called that first meeting to order and the members elected William Welch as their first President. Osler initiated the club’s talks with a series of papers on authors who most influenced the progress of American medicine. The early years of the club, its development and activities from 1890 until 1905 are documented in a paper by W. G. MacCallum titled “The Early Days of the Johns Hopkins Historical Club,” a typed transcript of this paper is located in the Historical Club collection.
The club elected their president and secretary--who recorded the meeting minutes--at the start of each academic year. The first four presidents were: 1) William H. Welch, 1890-1891; 2) Henry M. Hurd, 1891-1892; 3) Howard A. Kelly, 1892-1893; and 4) William Halsted, 1893-1984. During these early years, the club had two secretaries: D. Meredith Reese, 1890-1891 and J. M. T. Finney, 1891-1894. During its early years participation ran from between about 18 to 48 members, with one meeting having 80 attendees. Meetings were held at the hospital library, starting at 8 in the evening and ended at between 9:15 and 10:00 pm. The club is referred to by its members as the Society.
The Historical Club met monthly during the academic year, from October or November through April or May. The meetings consisted of readings and presentations of papers and books on early medical history. The members brought rare editions of early works to share and gave talks and read extracts including from letters and even poems. The minutes record the topics that were discussed and identify the speakers. The topics are wide ranging; many are about classic works. Members delved into the personalities, times, writings, and influence of several key early figures. They cover a wide range of subjects. The club also had visitors, some of whom gave talks. In addition to the aforementioned leaders, John Shaw Billings and Eugene F. Cordell, among others, were among the club’s members. The Historical Club was in existence until the development of the Institute of History of Medicine in 1930.
A record of the meeting minutes for the first four years is contained in the collection, about which there is a summary in the item scope note. The number of members present at each meeting is recorded in the minutes as are absences.
Other records include correspondence, programs, lists of the organizations' presidents, lists of papers presented, announcements, and an audio cassette recording.