The Early History of Medicine in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania Hospital, with which he had been long connected as physician, until 1783, when he resigned, as mentioned in its records, "to the grief of the patients, and much against the will of the Managers, who all bore testimony to his abilities, and great usefulness to the institution."[1] His
- ↑ The immediate cause of his retiring from the Hospital is a little curious. A custom prevailed in the last century of sending syphilitic patients from the Almshouse to the Pennsylvania Hospital for treatment, as it was then deemed necessary to subject them to a mercurial course carried to salivation, and the accommodations for the purpose were better at the latter than at the former institution. In addition to the expenses of board and nursing, a fee was always charged against the Almshouse by the physician under whose care the case was treated. There is a record on their minutes of two guineas having been paid to Dr. John Morgan. Afterwards, the Managers complained to the Hospital of the charges made to them by Dr. Morgan of seventy shillings for curing each venereal patient. The minutes of the Board of Managers of the Hospital inform us that "the doctor admitted the charge, and refused to relinquish it for persons of that description, thinking it sufficient to attend all other cases gratis; but the Board resolved that there should be no such charge made to the Overseers of the Poor, on which the doctor resigned his place." As stated, this took place in 1783, and the records of the institution mention that "The committee appointed to return the thanks of the Board of Managers to Dr. Morgan for his services to the Hospital, report that they have thanked him, and that the doctor very politely answered 'He was always ready on any extraordinary emergencies to render the institution any further services in his power.'"
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