HISTORY
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entrance( a site that included the“ Museum Room” after the 1980’ s renovation). No photograph of this amphitheater has been located, but a similar one is shown in Figure 8A. A smaller anatomical amphitheater was constructed on the fourth floor above the main amphitheater. This remained in use throughout the University of Louisville( U of L) years until 1969, and many senior physicians of today remember exactly their seats. This site is represented by Figure 8B, which shows first use of the“ magic lantern” by LMC in local medical teaching. However, this illustration is from the rented facility LMC used in 1884, just prior to construction of the new building. The fourth floor housed the dissection room of LMC and later, the U of L Anatomy Departments, both of which were legendarily strong. Physiology and Pharmacology( then called Materia Medica and Therapeutics) occupied the second floor. The Dean’ s suite, Chemistry and Library were on the first floor.
THE DISPENSARY AND CLINICAL AMPHITHEATER
A significant clue of the LMC building to increasing clinical exposure in the late 19 th century is the attached Dispensary, which was built with a large clinical amphitheater( Fig. 8C). The LMC faculty escalated their Dispensary from a pharmaceutical clinic for the poor to a major teaching facility by adding this large clinical amphitheater with attached“ etherizing room” and a recovery room. These newly emerging anesthesia and aseptic surgery advances could be demonstrated. These advances, including gowns, gloves and sterile instruments, would have been of enormous interest at the time. This amphitheater was dismantled early in the 20 th century, and no pictures of it have been found. A similar one from 1902 at Philadelphia’ s Jefferson Medical College is shown to illustrate( Fig. 8C). The Dispensary façade has been the Ronald McDonald House entrance since the 1980’ s renovation( Fig. 9).
MICROSCOPY AND BACTERIOLOGY FLOOR
Another clue to great 19 th century medical progress is the major space given to the emerging sciences of Microscopy and Bacteriology, with a well-equipped suite occupying the entire third floor. LMC would be at the“ cutting edge” of this science due to this facility and engagement of a stellar bacteriology faculty. Louis Frank, MD( 1867-1941), a young surgeon freshly trained by bacteriology pioneer Dr. Robert Koch in Berlin, returned to Louisville in 1893 just as
Fig. 6( A and B) Ribbed barrel vaults of old Romanesque churches; and( C) the motif expressed in LMC’ s main hall.
the LMC building opened, and was immediately appointed Bacteriology Demonstrator. He was shortly followed by Carl Weidner, MD, who trained with Koch at the same time and who became an LMC professor. Dr. Koch( 1843-1910) was then at the peak of his groundbreaking bacteriology discoveries( Fig. 10). After creating and publishing his postulates in 1882, Koch discovered specific organisms causing major infectious diseases. In succession, he identified mycobacterium tuberculosis( 1882), vibrio cholerae( 1883), corynebacterium diphtheria( 1884), tetanus bacillus( 1985), anaerobic growth( 1889), and the organisms of malaria, plague, leprosy, surra and Texas fever in the 1890s. Thus, Drs. Frank and Weidner were introduced to landmark achievements in medical history, and they immediately transported these breakthroughs to Louisville at the new LMC building. In 1905, Robert Koch was awarded the Nobel Prize, and this honor would be proudly acclaimed by his followers, such as Dr. Frank, Dr. Weidner and their students.
CONCLUSION: THE RIGHT PLACE AND THE RIGHT TIME IN MEDICAL HISTORY
With these architectural clues, the Old Medical School Building is a“ Rosetta Stone” that gives insight to a heroic era of monumental medical advances. There are few places of such historical significance remaining worldwide, and we are most fortunate for its preservation. As will be told in subsequent chapters, the significance of these features was to last, and threats of destruction to the building were to come, but heroic efforts by our Medical Society preserved this priceless treasure. This monument continues to remind us of the higher purpose and enduring achievements of the medical profession we serve.
Dr. Tobin is a professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He practices with UofL Physicians-Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
10 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE