Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1585

GEORGE BACON WOOD (1797-1879) Syllabus of the course of lectures on materia medica and pharmacy. Printed by Lydia R. Bailey 1844 [4] 70 pp. (Interleaved with 4 blank leaves after each leaf of text). 22.4 cm.

A native of Greenwich, New Jersey, Wood graduated in medicine from the University of Pennsylvania in 1818. He taught chemistry and materia medica at the Philadelphia School of Pharmacy until 1835 when he became professor of materia medica and pharmacy at the University of Pennsylvania. When Chapman (see No. 1360) resigned the professorship of the practice of medicine in 1850, Wood was transferred to that position, which he retained until his resignation in 1860. He was president of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia for many years and also served as president of the American Medical Association. Wood was one of the most prolific medical writers of his era, publishing several books and contributing many articles to the current medical literature. Wood, in conjunction with Bache (see No. 1483), edited the Dispensatory of the United States. Wood made every effort to make his teaching as effective as possible and freely invested his own funds in a botanical garden and other teaching aids for his classes on materia medica. He began publishing the syllabus for his course as early as 1838. Wood comments in the Preface that "the following Syllabus was prepared with the exclusive view of facilitating the studies of those who attend the Lectures on Materia Medica and Pharmacy, delivered in the University of Pennsylvania." In addition to the student's lecture notes, Wood intended this book to be used in conjunction with the Dispensatory of the United States. In order to make the text as useful as possible, eight blank lined-pages were bound after each page of the text. Beginning on November 16, 1846, a previous owner of the book has filled many of the pages with notes and prescriptions in a fine, delicate hand.

See Related Record(s): 1360 1483