SAMUEL ELIAS COOPER, 1820-1862
Elias Samuel Cooper was born in Ohio in 1820. The year of his birth is sometimes reported as 1822 as it was in Levi Cooper Lane’s writings about his uncle. However, the more contemporaneous records of family history found in the diaries of Jacob Cooper, Elias Cooper’s brother, show that he was born November 25, 1820. He arrived in San Francisco in 1855. Upon his arrival in San Francisco, Cooper established the Cooper Eye, Ear and Orthopedic Infirmary. He soon became a figure of controversy among the members of the established medical community because he advertised his medical practice and because he offered free lectures and demonstrations of his surgical techniques. Cooper was favorably recognized for his contributions to medicine which included the use of chloroform during surgery, the use of alcoholic dressings to avoid infection, and corrective surgical procedures for clubfoot. Cooper was also a pioneer in the use of animals for testing su rgical procedures.
In 1858 Cooper established the first medical college in San Francisco, The Medical Department of the University of the Pacific. (This is the predecessor to Cooper Medical College, which was named for Elias Samuel Cooper, and which eventually became Stanford School of Medicine.) In 1860 Cooper founded one of the first medical journals in San Francisco, The San Francisco Medical Press.
Another first credited to Cooper was that of having performed the first cesarean section in San Francisco in 1857. Cooper was able to save the life of the mother, Mary Hodges, but was unable to save the child. The operation was subsequently the subject of a malpractice suit brought by Mrs. Hodges who alleged that the operation was unnecessary. Mrs. Hodges was encouraged to file the suit by the physician who assisted during the operation, Dr. David Wooster. Although the case ended with a hung jury and was not retried, Wooster continued his attacks upon Cooper in the Pacific Medical and Surgical Journal. Cooper was eventually able to respond to these attacks in print through his journal, The San Francisco Medical Press.
Cooper died in 1862 following a prolonged illness.
For more information
Stanford University School of Medicine and the Predecessor Schools: An Historical Perspective available at http://lane.stanford.edu/med-history/wilson/chap01.html
LUDWIG A. EMGE, 1885-1982
Ludwig Augustus Emge was born November 12, 1885 in Hanover, Germany. He received his medical degree from Rush Medical College. He served on the Stanford School of Medicine faculty in Gynecology and Obstetrics, 1911-1949 (including chair, 1931-1949), Emeritus 1949-1982. He conducted research on Cooper and wrote/presented on San Francisco's first successful cesarean section. He died February 2, 1982.
For more information
Samuel Gordon Berkow, “After Office Hours: A Visit with Dr. Ludwig Augusts Emge,” Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 15, No. 2, February 1960, p.247-256.
Gunther W. Nagel, “Lu Emge still looks toward the sun,” Stanford MD, Vol. 8, No. 3, Summer 1969, p.12-16 or A Stanford Heritage: sketches of ten teacher-physicians whose standards of excellence became the hallmark of a School of Medicine, p.89-99.
JOHN L. WILSON, 1914-2001
John Long Wilson was born February 9, 1914, in Sturgis, Kentucky. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He served on the Stanford School of Medicine faculty as a Clinical Instructor, 1949-1953, Professor of Surgery, 1968-1979, Acting Dean, 1970-1971, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, 1971-1985, Emeritus, 1979-2001. He was also Honorary Curator, Lane Medical Library, 1990-2001 during which time he researched and wrote about the history of Stanford University School of Medicine including extensive research about Cooper. He died on April 5, 2001.
For more information
Memorial Resolution: John L. Wilson, M.D. (1914-2001) http://historicalsociety.stanford.edu/pdfmem/Wilson_John.pdf
Return to the Table of Contents
This collection includes original material created by Elias Samuel Cooper as well as material about Cooper created or collected by Ludwig A. Emge and John L. Wilson with the Lane Library staff. The original Cooper material includes correspondence, lectures, case reports, financial records, and other writings by Cooper. The Emge material includes his notes and correspondence related to his research about Cooper. The Wilson material includes his notes and correspondence related to his research about Cooper as well as genealogical material including photocopies of original material held by the family and photographs. There is additional material related to Cooper that has been included in the collection by Emge, Wilson, or the Lane Library staff over the years including ephemera such as Cooper’s advertisements and printed material written by Cooper.
The first series, Elias Samuel Cooper originals, includes documents from his professional practice, correspondence, lectures, and case reports. The professional practice records include an experimental notebook and a commonplace book, records of the Cooper-Hodges malpractice suit including Cooper’s own notes, patient accounts, and financial records. The correspondence includes letters to and from Cooper; they date from 1844 to 1862 and cover family and professional matters. A significant letter to Hugh Keenan declaring Cooper’s intention to establish a medical school in San Francisco is present in both draft form and Cooper’s personal copy (plus a typewritten transcripts by Wilson). The lectures are primarily his notes for lectures about diseases and medical and surgical procedures. The case reports are handwritten notes about cases Cooper saw and treated.
The second series, Ludwig Emge collection on Elias Samuel Cooper, includes the research notes and materials accumulated by Emge during his research on Cooper's life. The material includes typewritten copies of Cooper correspondence, Emge’s own correspondence, and bibliographical materials.
The third series, John L. Wilson and Lane Library collection on Elias Samuel Cooper, includes the research notes and materials accumulated by Wilson during his research on Cooper's life when writing Stanford University School of Medicine and the Predecessor Schools: An Historical Perspective. These records include the original finding aid for the Cooper collection when it was at California Historical Society and the finding aid for MSS 39 John L. Wilson Papers which is a useful guide to information about Dr. Cooper available in the Lane Medical Archives (now known as the Stanford Medical History Center), in the open Lane Medical Library collection, and also photocopies of selected materials at the California Historical Society. This series also includes correspondence with Cooper descendents and copies of family records about the family ancestry, Cooper’s brother Esaias S. Cooper, and the family homestead.
The fourth series, Additional Material, is material of unclear origin that may have belonged to Cooper or was added by Lane staff when assembling the collection. This includes ephemera nad printed material such as Cooper’s medical advertisements and circulars, articles written or collected by Cooper, an 1837 volume of the Journal of Pharmacy, a drawing of David Wooster (Cooper’s rival), and a volume of minutes of the San Francisco County Medico-Chirurgical Association (Cooper was instrumental in the founding of this short-lived society). A photocopy of the first fourteen pages of the SFCMCA record book and extensive notes on its contents, as well as Cooper's role in the society, are in MSS 39 MSS 39 John L. Wilson Papers folders #2.52 - 2.53.
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents
Collection open for research
Return to the Table of Contents
A complete and accurate account of the life and work of Elias Samuel Cooper is found in Dr. John L. Wilson’s online book, Stanford University School of Medicine and the Predecessor Schools - An Historical Perspective. Using sources such as Cooper’s brother Jacob’s diary, made available to researchers for the first time, and the material in this collection, Dr. Wilson was able to reconstruct much of Elias’ life. He carefully tracked down the many inaccuracies and apocryphal stories about Cooper. MSS 39 John L. Wilson Papers, especially Box 3, Folders 3.69 – 3.77 and Box 4, Folders 4.4 – 4.10.
The San Francisco Medical Press (journal which Cooper founded and edited until his last illness,1858-1862), Lane Medical Library Special Collections: Archival Periodicals.
Pamphlets collected by E. S. Cooper, Lane Medical Library Special Collections H111H.P19, vols.1 - 14, vol.11 missing. These pamphlets might lend insight into Cooper’s life and interests.
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents
This collection represents the reunion of material long held by Lane Medical Library and material previously held by the California Historical Society (CHS). Both accumulations included original Cooper material while the CHS material included additional material collected and created by Ludwig A. Emge and the Lane material included additional material collected and created by John L. Wilson and the Lane Library staff. It appears that some of the material that was held at CHS had previously been part of the Lane Library collections; this material was deposited at CHS when Emge’s personal library was given to CHS in the winter of 1981/1982. Emge, an emeritus Stanford faculty member, was working on a biography of Cooper. The CHS collection numbers were MS 548 and MS 3119. The Cooper and Emge material was transferred from CHS to Stanford Medical History Center in 2011.
At the start of processing there were two collections: the material from the California Historical Society (CHS) and the material that had long been held by Lane Medical Library. It appears that some of the material that was held at CHS had previously been part of the Lane Library collections; this material was deposited at CHS when Emge’s personal library was given to CHS in the winter of 1981/1982. The CHS collection numbers were MS 548 Elias Samuel Cooper Papers and MS 3119 Record Book of the San Francisco County Medico-Chirurgical Society. They were transferred to the Stanford Medical History Center at Lane Medical Library in 2011. The Lane collection number was MSS 10 Elias Samuel Cooper Papers. The current collection represents a reunion of these materials. The Lane collection number has been retained for this collection.
Both the CHS and Lane accumulations included original Cooper material. In addition, the CHS material included material collected and created by Ludwig A. Emge and the Lane material included material collected and created by John L. Wilson and the Lane Library staff. After being through so many hands there was clearly no original order to be preserved. Instead the collections have been arranged in four series: the original Cooper material, the Emge material, the Wilson and Lane staff material, and additional material of unclear origin that may have belonged to Cooper or was added by Lane staff when assembling the collection. For the most part the material remains in the old folders and so retains evidence of which collection they came from. The one portion of the collection where this is not true is the correspondence which has been merged into chronological folders instituted by CHS; a few significant letters have been left in separate folders as they had been in the original Lane collection while the more general letters were inserted into the appropriate chronological folder from CHS. There was no other re-housing except to replace letter-size folders with legal-size ones more appropriate to the boxes. The oversize material could use more appropriate housing should resources become available.
One item has been added to the collection that was not a part of either the CHS or Lane collections: the finding aid to the original Lane collection has been included in the Wilson series to accompany the original CHS finding aid and the finding aid for MSS 39 John L. Wilson Papers that had been in the Lane collection. Bound volumes of San Francisco Medical Press that had clearly been part of the Lane Library book collection and not specifically Cooper’s copies have been returned (transferred) to the Stanford Medical History Center’s book collection.
Return to the Table of Contents
| Elias Samuel Cooper originals | |||||||||||
| Professional Practice | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Autobiography | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Experimental notebook and commonplace book | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Operation for Ligating the External Iliac Artery | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Operation for bronchocele, ligation of superior and inferior thyroidal artery | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Cooper-Hodges Malpractice Suit, trial testimony | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Cooper-Hodges Malpractice Suit, Cooper's notes | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | List of subscribers and exchanges for the Medical Press | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Financial Records | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Financial records | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Financial records | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | Financial records [dummy folder for oversize material] | |||||||||
| 2 | 3 | Financial records [dummy folder for oversize material] | |||||||||
| 2 | 4 | Patients accounts, 1859-1861 [dummy folder for oversize material] | |||||||||
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 5 | Correspondence, 1844-54 | |||||||||
| 2 | 6 | 1854 E. S. Cooper's letter to Hugh Keenan declaring intention to establish medical school in San Francisco (10/16/1854 draft, 10/18/1854 personal copy, and Dr. Wilson's typed transcripts of each) | |||||||||
| 2 | 7 | Correspondence, 1855 | |||||||||
| 2 | 8 | Correspondence, 1856 | |||||||||
| 2 | 9 | Correspondence, 1857-1862 | |||||||||
| 2 | 10 | Correspondence, no date | |||||||||
| Lectures | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | Surgery, Introductory lecture (holograph) no date, rough drafts | |||||||||
| 3 | 2 | Lecture Introductory, Anatomy and Surgery (holograph in polished calligraphy) no date | |||||||||
| 3 | 3 | Lecture Notes - Hernia, Variocele and Circocele, Disloccation of the Forearm, Cotalgic Hip Disease | |||||||||
| 3 | 4 | Lecture Notes-Enlargement of Bone by Osseous Deposits, Study of Medicine, Incisions into Joints on Cases of Synovits | |||||||||
| 3 | 5 | Lecture Notes-Inflammation, Granulations, Inflammation of the Bone, Spina Bifida | |||||||||
| 3 | 6 | Lecture Notes-Treatment of Gangrene, Pruritis Anis, Ulcers, Necrosis, Naevus Maturnus | |||||||||
| 3 | 7 | Lecture Notes-Irritation, Restoring the Secretions, Tissues of the Human Body, Hemorrhoids, Aneurism | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | Lecture Notes-Practicability of Ligating Abdominal Aorta, Anesthesia by Compression of Carotied Arteries, Excision of Joints, Gonorrhea, Ecraseur, Surgical Operations on Young Children, Eye Disease, Chloroform, Uterine Tumors, California State Medical Society | |||||||||
| 4 | 2 | Lecture Notes-Bone Reproduction, Effect of Atmosphere Admitted to Wounds, Removal of Floating Cartilages, Chronic Rheumatic Arthritis of the Hip, Ganglion | |||||||||
| 4 | 3 | Lecture Notes-Obliterating an Aneurysm Tumour, Ligating Arteries, Purulent Infection or Pyemia, Affections of Synovitis Sheath, Division of Tendon Achilles, Injury of Joints, Gypsum Bandages, Exsection of Knee Joints | |||||||||
| 4 | 4 | Lecture Notes-Anatomy and Surgery of Bones and Joints, Synovial Sheaths, Hypertrohpy of Bone, Difficulties of Declaring a Prognosis, Sprains | |||||||||
| 4 | 5 | Lecture Notes-Pseudoarthrosis, Concussion of the Brain, Ulceration of the Bladder, Neuralgia of the Kidneys, Postoperative Treatment for a Clubfoot, Necrosis, Ganglion | |||||||||
| 4 | 6 | Lecture Notes-Hernia, Pruritis Ani, Coxalgia, Aneurism by Anastemosis, Enlargement of Bone by Osseous Deposits, Extraction of an Arrow, Diarrhea and Dysentary, Ligating Arteries with Satellite Veins, Effect of Climate of California on Healing of Wounds | |||||||||
| Case Reports | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 1 | Case Reports | |||||||||
| 5 | 2 | Case Reports | |||||||||
| 5 | 3 | Case Reports | |||||||||
| 5 | 4 | Case Reports | |||||||||
| 5 | 5 | Case Reports | |||||||||
| 5 | 6 | Case Reports | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 6 | 1 | Case Reports | |||||||||
| Ludwig Emge collection on Elias Samuel Cooper | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 6 | 2 | Emge Research Materials - Typewritten copies of Cooper Correspondence | |||||||||
| 6 | 3 | Emge Research Materials - Correspondence, 1930-1978 | |||||||||
| 6 | 4 | Emge Research Materials - Bibliographical Materials | |||||||||
| John L. Wilson and Lane Library collection on Elias Samuel Cooper | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | E.S. Cooper Collection California Historical Society Library Finding Aid [etc.] | |||||||||
| 6 | 6 | E.S. Cooper Collection Lane Library [earlier] finding aid | |||||||||
| 6 | 8 | Stanford University School of Medicine and the Predecessor Schools -Chapter Outlines 1-20 | |||||||||
| 6 | 7 | John L. Wilson Papers Finding Aid | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Bibliography of all his publications including editorial comments | |||||||||
| 7 | 2 | Background Information | |||||||||
| 7 | 3 | Biographical Articles | |||||||||
| 7 | 4 | Transcript and copy of letter to Dr. E. H. Pardee, 1857 | |||||||||
| 7 | 5 | Photo of Cooper | |||||||||
| 7 | 6 | Cooper Family Ancestry, 1649-1850 | |||||||||
| 7 | 7 | Cooper homestead in Ohio, 1884 | |||||||||
| 7 | 8 | Information from Rose Cooper | |||||||||
| 7 | 9 | Esaias S. Cooper, M.D. | |||||||||
| Additional Material | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 10 | Ephemera | |||||||||
| 7 | 11 | Printed Materials | |||||||||
| 7 | 12 | Journal of Pharmacy, 1837 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 713 | 2 | San Francisco County Medico-Chirurgical Association, Volume 1, minutes of early meetings [dummy folder for oversize material] | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 14 | Graphite drawing of or by Wooster, 5/23/1892 [dummy folder for oversize material] | |||||||||
| Oversize | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 8 | Financial records | ||||||||||
| 8 | Financial records | ||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 9 | Patients accounts, 1859-1861 | ||||||||||
| 9 | San Francisco County Medico-Chirurgical Association, Volume 1, minutes of early meetings | ||||||||||
| 9 | Graphite drawing of or by Wooster, 5/23/1892 | ||||||||||