Scope and Contents
The collection consists of materials by or about Samuel D. Gross, MD or his family members from 1856-1934. Types of materials within the collection include addresses (1856-1882) to Jefferson Medical College and the American Surgical Association, correspondence (1861, 1876-1883, 1934 - with gaps), medical journal articles (1857-1884), lecture notes (some believed to be the work of Samuel W. Gross); and one scrapbook containing obituaries and sympathy letters
Biographical / Historical
Samuel D. Gross (1805-1884) was an American surgeon and author. He was born on July 8, 1805, near Easton, PA, the son of Philip and Johanna (Brown) Gross. Gross graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1828. He then opened a medical office in Philadelphia. However, the practice was unsuccessful. Gross relocated to Easton, OH in 1830 and opened a practice there. While practicing medicine in Easton, he wrote his first original text, Anatomy, Physiology, and Diseases of the Bones and Joints (1830).
Gross held several teaching positions throughout his career. First, In 1833, he obtained a position as Demonstrator of Anatomy at the Medical College of Ohio (later the Medical Department of the University of Cincinnati), where he taught until 1840. In 1840, Gross was appointed Chair of Surgery at the Louisville Medical Institute (later the University of Louisville). Gross remained at University of Louisville until 1856, when he returned to Philadelphia and became Professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College. Gross was the first Jefferson alumnus to be appointed to a professorship at the college. He taught there until his resignation in March 1882, after which he retained the title of Emeritus Professor of Surgery.
In addition to teaching, Gross wrote 14 books and more than 1,200 articles on medicine and surgery. Notable works include: System of Surgery (1859), which was translated into several different languages and had six American editions between 1859 and 1882; and Manual of Military Surgery (1861), which became a standard field text for Civil War surgeons. In addition to his teaching and writing, Gross was a member of several professional societies. He served as a founder of the American Medical Association, Pathological Society of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery. He was also the founder and first president of the American Surgical Association, and the first president of the Alumni Association of Jefferson Medical College.
Gross married Louisa Weissell in 1828. They had four surviving children, including Samuel Weissell Gross, who also graduated from Jefferson Medical College. Samuel D. Gross died on May 6, 1884 in Philadelphia, at the age of 78. He was cremated, and his ashes were interred at the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.