Philadelphia, April 28, 1808. Single vellum sheet, 18 1/2 x 23 /12 in. (470 x 596 mm). Partially-printed document in Latin, signed by Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Pennsylvania, Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), being a diploma from the University of Pennsylvania, naming John Perkin a Doctor of Medical Science; counter-signed by 12 professors, including notable physicians William Shippen, Jr. (1736-1808) ("Guilemus Shippen"); Caspar Wistar (1761-1818) ("Casparus Wistar"); Robert Patterson (1743-1824) ("Robertus Patterson"); paper seal intact at bottom. In mat and in frame, 25 x 30 in. (635 x 762 mm).
From Catalog II
Rush signed thousands of diplomas over his forty-year career. The physicians who received these diplomas practiced from Georgia to Ohio, carrying Rush's therapeutic theories and moral commitments into every corner of the early republic. The diploma is a certificate of transmission: the moment at which Rush's chain of teaching became official, documented, and permanent. The student who received this diploma had passed through Rush's lectures and examinations and was now authorized to practice medicine -- effectively, in Rush's name.
Accession
BR-2023.039
Date
ca. 1800–1813
Author / maker
Rush, Benjamin (signatory)
Inscription
Benjamin Rush, Caspar Wistar, Robert Patterson, William Shippen, Jr., Philip Syng Physick, Benjamin Smith Barton, Jacob Woodhouse, John Dorsey
