EDITORIAL:
The Spirit of 1821Happy 200th Birthday to the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy*
Founded February 23, 1821
In the early 1800s there were no standards in the United States applicable to the selection, processing, labeling, and dispensing of drugs, and no agency functioned to provide them. Boxes and bottles labeled with outrageous therapeutic claims might contain any animal, vegetable, or mineral matter and could be sold by any enterprising tradesman.
Practicing in the middle of this chaos were a number of apothecaries, trained in continental Europe and Great Britain who recognized their responsibility to regulate their profession and, in so doing, improve the quality of medicinals available to the public. A catalyst for self-determination was an announcement by the faculty of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania of their intent to offer the "honorary degree of Master of Pharmacy" to the apothecaries in the "City and Liberties of Philadelphia" who met such standards as would be established by the medical faculty.
On February 23, 1821, a group of 68 apothecaries convened in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. These practical visionaries sought the betterment of their vocation and the public welfare. Their stated goal was "to advance the character and forward the interest of the profession." The deliberations of February 1821 culminated in the establishment of the Philadelphia College of Apothecaries, which became incorporated the following year as the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, the first college of pharmacy in North America.
*The year noted in parentheses following the name of a PCP/PCPS alumnus the first time it is identified is the year in which he/she received her/his Pharmacy degree.
The original objectives, drafted in 1821, were based on the traditional roles of academic institutions – teaching, research, and service:
"To provide the means of instruction by the establishment of a school of pharmacy in which shall be taught those branches of knowledge essential to the education of an apothecary; to invite a spirit of investigation and research…; to guard the drug market (and the public) from the introduction of spurious, adulterated, deteriorated, or otherwise mischievous articles…"
Prominent among the 68 apothecaries who founded the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy were four members of the Wetherill family (Samuel Price Wetherill [the Chairman of the first Board of Trustees], John P. Wetherill, Geo. D. Wetherill, Charles Wetherill). The legacy of the Wetherill founders has continued in the leadership of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP), with Colonel Samuel Price Wetherill serving as Chairman of the College's 1960 Board of Trustees, and alumni Colonel S. Roger Wetherill III (1968 [year of graduation]) and his son Lieutenant Colonel Samuel R. Wetherill IV (1997) subsequently serving on the Board of Trustees, with the latter presently serving during the observing of the Bicentennial.
Other apothecaries who had prominent roles in the founding of PCP included Stephen North who presided at the February 23rd meeting, Charles Marshall the first President, and Daniel Smith, considered the Patriarch of American Pharmacy, who served as the first Secretary, and later as President for a period of 25 years.
The first hundred years
The vision of the 68 apothecaries resulted in PCP, its faculty, and graduates providing progressive leadership for the growth and recognition of the profession of pharmacy in the United States. The apothecaries established high standards for the practice and subsequent regulation of the profession. Samuel Jackson and Gerard Troost were the first professors of PCP, and the scores of faculty who followed them during the first century of PCP's history included such distinguished academicians and leaders as George Wood, William Procter, Jr. (1837; considered the Father of American Pharmacy), and Joseph Remington (1866). Their accomplishments in teaching and research were further extended with their prolific writing in publications including the American Journal of Pharmacy, the United States Dispensatory, and Remington's Practice of Pharmacy (now Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy). PCP faculty held important leadership roles in the development of drug standards and the publication of the United States Pharmacopeia, the office for which was located at PCP for many years. As the profession of pharmacy grew, graduates of PCP went to other parts of the country to practice and assume faculty positions at newly established colleges of pharmacy.
In 1852, twenty individuals gathered in Philadelphia to establish the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA; now the American Pharmacists Association). This group included PCP founders Daniel Smith and Charles Ellis and PCP graduates William Procter, Jr. (1837), George Coggeshall (1828), Edward Parrish (1842), Alfred Taylor (1844), Charles Bache (1849), and Joseph Laidley (1850). Daniel Smith was the first President of APhA, and Procter, Coggeshall, and Taylor were also among the first group of officers.
The history of PCP and the development of the pharmaceutical industry are also intertwined. PCP graduates who were the founders and leaders of many of the world's major pharmaceutical corporations include John Wyeth (1854), William Warner (1856), Henry Wellcome (1874), Silas Burroughs (1877), Robert McNeil (1876) and Robert McNeil, Jr. (1938), Josiah Lilly (1882) and Eli Lilly (1907), and Gerald Rorer (1931).
More extensive information regarding the first century of PCP, its graduates, and leaders can be found in The First Century of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (1922) and Heroes of Pharmacy, 2nd edition (Dennis B. Worthen; 2012; American Pharmacists Association).
To the Sesquicentennial
In 1921, PCP established additional programs in bacteriology, biology, and chemistry, and the name was changed to the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (PCPS). The length of the Pharmacy curriculum had evolved from a 2-year program, to a 3-year program, to a 4-year Bachelor of Science degree program (1932), and to a 5-year baccalaureate program (1960). Authority was received in 1927 to offer Master of Science degree programs in the College's four academic programs, and in 1933 was extended to include the Doctor of Science degree. In 1958, permission was received to award the Doctor of Philosophy degree and, since that time, the Doctor of Science degree has been awarded only as an honorary degree. A Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology program was added in 1966 and, in 1967, PCPS established an optional 6-year program leading to the advanced professional degree of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), the first such program in the eastern United States and the fifth in the country.
PCPS moved to its current location in West Philadelphia (43rd Street, Kingsessing Mall, and Woodland Avenue) in 1928. However, the practices, leadership, and influence of PCP/PCPS graduates knew no boundaries and extended nationally and, indeed, internationally. The declaration, "The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy – Educating Pharmacists for the Community and the World," had become a reality.
PCP/PCPS Pharmacy alumni continued to provide leadership and service for their alma mater. Ivor Griffith (1912), Alfred D'Angelo (1930), and Arthur Osol (1925) served as President, John Kramer (1925) served as Vice President and Registrar, and Charles LaWall (1893), Ivor Griffith, Linwood Tice (1929), and Arthur Osol served as Dean. Among the Pharmacy alumni who served on the Faculty for extended periods of time during this period were Robert Abrams (1949), Kenneth Avis (1942), Martin Barr (1947), Fullerton Cook (1900), Elsa Ehrenstein (1945), Herbert Flack (1942), Harvey Frank (1913), Louis Gershenfeld (1915), Joseph Harrisson (1917), Charles LaWall, Arthur Moore (1943), Adley Nichols (1917), Arthur Osol, Louis Reber (1930), and Linwood Tice.
The thousands of Pharmacy alumni who graduated from PCPS during the 1921-1971 period assumed increasingly diversified and expanded professional responsibilities in pharmacy practice and beyond, and many held leadership positions in their communities, in national, state, and local pharmacy organizations, on state boards of pharmacy, and in the pharmaceutical industry.
More extensive information regarding the 1921-1971 period of PCPS, its graduates, and leaders can be found in A Sesquicentennial of Service: 1821-1971 (Arthur Osol, Charles Welch, Jr. and John Kramer; 1971) and Heroes of Pharmacy, 2nd edition.
To the Bicentennial
Through the acquisition of contiguous property and buildings and subsequent construction, the venerable, flagship building (rededicated in 1966 as Griffith Hall in honor of Ivor Griffith) that was initially occupied in 1928 is now the central facility of an extended campus. Starting in the 1960s, the construction of Whitecar Hall (in honor of PCPS friend Blanche Gardner Whitecar), the McNeil Research Center (in honor of Robert McNeil and Robert McNeil, Jr.), Alumni Hall/Rosenberger Auditorium (in honor of Mervin Rosenberger [1913]), the Osol Hall dormitory (in honor of Arthur Osol) set the stage for further expansion. The Joseph England Library (funded largely by Board of Trustees member Elizabeth England in honor of her father who had earlier served as Chairman of the Board) opened in 1973, the Pharmacology/Toxicology Center in 1983, the Goodman Hall dormitory (in honor of Jerome Goodman [1958]) in 1986, the Wilson Student Center (in honor of Donald Wilson [1934]) in 1991, Glasser Hall (in honor of Abraham Glasser [1943]), the Athletic/Recreation Center (ARC) including the Bobby Morgan Arena (in honor of the long-time basketball coach and athletic director) in 2003, the McNeil Science and Technology Center (STC) in 2006, the Living and Learning Commons in 2019, and the Marvin Samson Center for the History of Pharmacy (in honor of Board of Trustees chairman Marvin Samson).
PCPS also engaged in an impressive expansion of its programs. In the 1970s, the didactic instruction and experience in the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program initiated in 1967 were significantly increased to provide a 2-year program following the completion of the baccalaureate program in Pharmacy. Graduates of this program, in addition to participating in advanced-level practice experiences, were recruited by many other colleges of pharmacy to participate in starting similar programs. This program continued through 1995 at which time revisions were made in the 5-year B.Sc. (baccalaureate) in Pharmacy curriculum and the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum to provide Pharmacy students with the option of obtaining the B.Sc. in Pharmacy degree in 5 years or the Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 6 years. These changes coincided with the national direction of the profession and colleges of pharmacy to adopt the "6-year" Doctor of Pharmacy degree program (a minimum of 2 years of preprofessional studies and 4 years of professional studies) as the single entry-level degree program that must be completed to be eligible to attain licensure as a pharmacist. The last 5-year B.Sc. in Pharmacy degrees were awarded in 2001.
Many new academic programs were initiated by PCPS in the 1971-2021 period. In 1979, a baccalaureate program in Toxicology was started that was subsequently restructured to the Pharmacology and Toxicology program. Among the numerous other programs that were started are the professional degree programs in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physician Assistant Studies, as well as baccalaureate and graduate programs in pharmaceutical and health sciences.
With the marked increase in programs, enrollment, and facilities PCPS submitted an application for status as a University and, on July 1, 1998, PCPS officially unveiled its new identity as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP). The University was comprised of five colleges – Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (the founding College that resumed use of its name prior to 1921), Misher College of Arts and Sciences (in honor of Allen Misher [1959]), Samson College of Health Sciences (in honor of Marvin Samson), Mayes College of Healthcare Business and Policy (in honor of Kathleen Rosenberry Mayes [1976]), and the College of Graduate Studies. The latter two colleges have been more recently consolidated within the former three colleges, and the common designation for the University has been contracted to University of the Sciences (USciences) to facilitate promotion and recognition.
Pharmacy alumni of PCP/PCPS have continued to serve in many leadership roles of their alma mater. Arthur Osol, John Bergen (1956), William Thawley (1938), Allen Misher, Philip Gerbino (1969), and Kathleen Rosenberry Mayes have served as President, and Victor Rossi (1951) has served as Vice President. Linwood Tice, Daniel Hussar (1962), Maven Myers (1961), John Gans (1966), George Downs (1972), Patricia Ryan Audet (1976), and Edward Foote (1987) have served as Dean, with the latter presently serving during the observing of the Bicentennial. Alfred D'Angelo, Jerome Goodman, and James Rivard (1981) are Pharmacy alumni who have served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, with the latter serving in this position during the Bicentennial observance/celebration.
Among the Pharmacy alumni who have served on the Faculty for extended periods during the 1971-2021 period are Patricia Ryan Audet, Michael Cawley (1996), Teresa Pete Dowling (1972), George Downs, Grace Earl (1986), Joseph Fink (1970), John Gans, Janice Gaska (1979), Philip Gerbino, Frederick Goldstein (1963), Daniel Hussar, Barbara Korberly (1972), Maven Myers, Raymond Orzechowski (1959), Elias Packman (1951), Irwin Reich (1954), Victor Rossi, William Smith (1952), Thomas Snader (1966). Karen Tietze (1982), Elena Wildasin Umland (1993), Peter Vlasses (1972), and Robert Warwick (1970).
PCP/PCPS Pharmacy alumni have also continued the legacy of their predecessors in the development of progressive and expanded professional practice opportunities, and providing dedicated and capable leadership for their communities and pharmacy organizations during the 1971-2021 period. The examples provided below are primarily limited to those in which alumni have served, unless otherwise designated, as President (and/or Chief Executive Officer or Founder) of national pharmacy organizations, as well as the alumni who have served as President of the PCPS/USciences Alumni Association.
American Pharmacists Association – Herbert Carlin (1959), John Gans (CEO), Philip Gerbino;
American Society of Health-system Pharmacists – Herbert Carlin, Fred Eckel (1961), John Gans, Clifford Hynniman (1961), Steven Sheaffer (1975), Gerald Meyer (1973);
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists – Karl DeSante (1966), Alice Till (1966);
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education – Peter Vlasses (CEO);
American College of Apothecaries – William Bergen, Jr. (1953), Murray Lightman (1969), Albert Rosica, Jr. (1947);
American College of Clinical Pharmacy – Arthur Burke (1955; Founder), Joel Covinsky (1968; Founder and President), Robert Powell (1973), Peter Vlasses (Founder and President); Gary Yee (1979)
American Society of Consultant Pharmacists – Mark Abrams (1956), Allen Kratz (1962; Founder and President), Thomas Snader (1966);
American Society for Pharmacy Law – Joseph Fink, III (Founder and First President), Peter Previte (1965);
Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties – William Ellis (1985);
Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International – Fred Eckel;
Drug Information Association – Teresa Pete Dowling (1972); Daniel Hussar;
Gerontological Society of America – James Appleby (1987);
Remington Honor Medalists – Mary Louise Tigue Andersen (1952), John Gans, Daniel Hussar, David Krigstein (1949), Peter Lamy (1956), Linwood Tice;
Presidents of the PCPS/USciences Alumni Association (in chronological order starting in 1970-1971):
- Mary Louise Tigue Anderson (1952)
- William Bergen, Jr. (1953)
- Morris Blatman (1941)
- Armond Angelucci (1951)
- Albert Rosica, Jr. (1947)
- Richard Sample (1963)
- Frederick Schiller (1938)
- Rose Ellen Freeman Holl (1957)
- Robert Paul (1949)
- Terry Benney (1959)
- William Deptula (1956)
- Anthony Mortelliti (1951)
- Ronald Kaufmann (1968)
- Louis Pescatore (1932)
- Teresa Pete Dowling (1972)
- David Bergman (1951)
- Margaret Varzaly Warwick (1971)
- Dan Halberstadt (1983)
- Elizabeth Fusco (1963)
- Arthur Blatman (1969)
- Michael DeLucia (1981)
- Ruth Brown (1971)
- Janice Gaska (1979)
- Louis Lupo (1976)
- Tiziana Palatucci Fox (1984)
- Robin Soifer Keyack (1981)
- Stephanie Bean (1989)
- Roger Wetherill III (1968)
- Siobhan Duffy (1984)
- Hong Jin Na (1992)
- Rosemarie O'Malley Halt (1989)
- Timothy Bowers (2002; starting in April 2021)
In addition to the alumni identified above, the innovation, accomplishments, leadership, and philanthropy of the following individuals have been of extraordinary value for PCP/PCPS and society. Leonard Abramson (1960) developed one of the first health maintenance organizations (HMO of Pennsylvania; renamed U.S. Healthcare Inc.) that was a model for many that followed. George Malmberg (1972) and Ludmilla (Lucy) Bartkow Malmberg (1972) were strong advocates for pharmacy compounding and pioneers in veterinary pharmacy practice as their Wedgewood Pharmacy grew to be the largest compounding pharmacy in the world. Kathleen Rosenberry Mayes was one of the first pharmacists to establish a medical communications company (Applied Clinical Communications) and provided endowment support to establish the Mayes College of Healthcare Business and Policy. Edgardo (Ed) Mercadante (1979) was the entrepreneur/owner of a regional chain pharmacy (FamilyMeds), and is a pioneer in the development of telemedicine/health services as the Founder/CEO of MediTelecare.
It is recognized that there are many other alumni with distinguished/important responsibilities and accomplishments that bring great credit to their alma mater as well as themselves who are not specifically identified in this commentary. This writer plans to develop a second commentary that will identify many more PCP/PCPS Pharmacy alumni whose accomplishments are particularly noteworthy. Please identify other alumni (including yourself as applicable) and your reason(s) for recommending them for inclusion in the subsequent commentary by sending an email message to Dan Hussar at danandsue3@verizon.net. Every PCP/PCPS alumnus is deserving of personal recognition, and we urge you to confirm your inclusion in the listing of all PCP/PCPS graduates (www.usciences.edu) that has been established by the Alumni Relations office.
Additional information regarding the 1971-2021 period of PCPS, its graduates, and leaders can be found in Courageous Beginnings: Bold New Initiatives (Victor Rossi; 2006), from which excerpts have been included with permission of its author in this commentary.
"Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it." On February 23, 2021, a group of PCP/PCPS alumni (with the number limited because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and distancing) convened in Carpenters' Hall to honor the PCP founders and to pledge to continue their great legacy.
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy 3.0 –
Beyond the Bicentennial
Although this commentary has included considerable information regarding the programs, buildings, and history of PCP/PCPS, the greatest strengths of our alma mater are our people – alumni, faculty, students. Our history is characterized by accomplishment and leadership, and I am confident that current and future alumni, faculty, and students will continue this legacy well into the future. You will be establishing and writing the next chapter in this distinguished history.
With respect, affection, and appreciation-
Daniel A. Hussar (1962)
Joseph Remington Professor Emeritus of Pharmacy and Dean Emeritus
February 23, 2021
danandsue3@verizon.net
Personal acknowledgements:
I value the privilege of receiving my college/professional education at PCPS and to have had the opportunity to serve on the faculty for 52 years (1966-2018), plus 4 years of service as a graduate teaching assistant. I greatly appreciate what I have learned from my students and colleagues, and value the enduring friendships that have been established. The greatest blessing of this experience was meeting and marrying Suzanne Fix Hussar (1967), and we have had the joy of having one of our three sons, Eric Hussar (1998), also graduate from our alma mater.
Of the many from whom I have learned, I am particularly grateful for the example, mentoring, and friendship of the following individuals: my pharmacy practice preceptors - Jonas Maust (1917) and Edwin Thomas (1954) at the Maust Apothecary, and Ella Moyer (1921) at the Germantown Hospital; and my teachers – Linwood Tice (a wise advocate for all; "a giant oak of PCPS and the profession"), Victor Rossi (the master teacher – expertise, eloquence, and wit), Arthur Moore (a man who knew everything), Elsa Ehrenstein (a role model for women pharmacists and faculty), Peter Lamy (a motivator toward excellence), and James Doluisio, my role model, mentor, and wonderful friend who encouraged me to go to graduate school and was my major professor. Thank you!
|
|
