The collection consists of materials by or about Jacob M. Da Costa, MD and his family from 1857-1903. The materials include addresses (1857-1900) to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, commencement addresses to Jefferson Medical College (1874, 1883, 1887, and 1891), an 1872 introductory lecture to Jefferson students, and clinical lectures (1887-1900, with gaps) given at Pennsylvania Hospital. Also contained in the collection are medical journal articles (1881-1899); biographical information; publications referencing Da Costa and his work; photographs; and obituaries.
Jacob Mendes Da Costa (1833-1900) was born on the island of St. Thomas to parents of Spanish and Portugese descent. At the age of four, he moved with his family to Europe. Da Costa completed his premedical education in Dresden before entering Jefferson Medical College in 1849. While a student at Jefferson, he studied under well-known figures in the medical community, including Thomas D. Mutter, Franklin Bache, and Robley Dunglison. Da Costa graduated from Jefferson in 1852 and continued his studies in Paris and Vienna. During his nearly five decade-long career, he served on the staff of several hospitals, including as a physician at the Moyamensing Dispensary (1853-1861) and visiting physician at Pennsylvania Hospital (1865-1900). During the Civil War, Da Costa served as Acting Assistant Surgeon for the U.S. Army at Turner’s Lane Hospital in Philadelphia (1861-1900).
In addition to his work as a clinician, Da Costa also had a long teaching career at Jefferson Medical College. He began as a Lecturer on Medicine (1866-1872), later becoming the seventh Chairman of the Department of Medicine (1872-1891). He held the title of Professor Emeritus from 1891 until his death in 1900. Da Costa was involved with various institutions and professional societies throughout his career. He was a founder of the Pathological Society of Philadelphia and the American Association of Physicians (AAP), as well as a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (elected 1858). After his retirement from teaching, Da Costa continued to work on behalf of medical education reform, serving as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania in 1899.
Da Costa’s research and writings influenced the development of internal medicine as a specialty. Some of his notable research focused on “irritable heart” (neurocirculatory asthenia) in soldiers during the Civil War. His monograph, Medical Diagnosis (1864), was among the first works of its kind and went through nine editions during Da Costa’s lifetime.
In 1860, Da Costa married Sarah Frederica Brinton (d.1889), the sister of John Hill Brinton, Da Costa’s classmate and faculty colleague at Jefferson Medical College. Jacob Mendes Da Costa died on 11 September 1900 in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
I. Biography (1902-1995 and n.d.)
II. Addresses (1857-1900)
Arranged in alphabetical order first by name of the sponsoring organization, thereafter in chronological order.
III. Publications (1881-1899)
IV. Publications with Reference to Da Costa (1871-2013 and n.d.)
V. Images and Ephemera (1877-1899 and n.d.)
VI. Necrology (1900)
Jacob M. Da Costa Collection, MS-055. Thomas Jefferson University - Archives and Special Collections.
Jacob M. Da Costa Collection, MS-055. Thomas Jefferson University - Archives and Special Collections. http://aisrmedia1.jefferson.edu:81/repositories/2/resources/12 Accessed May 08, 2024.