10 Notable Jefferson Alumni of the Past
Introduction
Samuel D. Gross
Malcolm Cummings Grow
S. Weir Mitchell
William S. Forbes
Carlos Juan Finlay
Jacob Mendes Da Costa
William Williams Keen
John Chalmers Da Costa
Chevalier Jackson
John H. Gibbon, Jr.
While all schools possess pride in their alumni, Jefferson Medical College can point with satisfaction to the achievements and accomplishments of its former students. Through the years, the over 35,000 graduates of Jefferson have spread their clinical knowledge across the United States and throughout the world.
As the following pages demonstrate, many alumni returned to Jefferson and became part of the faculty. Jefferson graduates have also founded medical schools, attended United States Presidents, established new areas of study and specialization, served in every conflict from the Civil War to Vietnam, and invented new techniques, machines, and practices to further the study of medicine. In addition, alumni have founded the Philadelphia Zoo, served as the last president of the Republic of Texas, and become best-selling authors of fictional works.
It is a close-knit group, held together by the Alumni Association of Jefferson Medical College, the first such medical association of its kind. Founded by Samuel D. Gross in 1870, he also became the first president. Gross's ideals for the organization were related in his 11 March 1871 address to the newly formed group:
"The obligations of an institution and of its alumni are mutual. The tree is judged by its fruit. If the one is decayed or rotten, the other cannot be good or fit for use."