A Collection of College Words and Customs Part 54

_Songs of Yale_, 1853, p. 16.

MEDALIST. In universities, colleges, &c., one who has gained a medal as the reward of merit.--_Ed. Rev. Gradus ad Cantab._

These _Medalists_ then are the best scholars among the men who have taken a certain mathematical standing; but as out of the University these niceties of discrimination are apt to be dropped they usually pa.s.s at home for absolutely the first and second scholars of the year, and sometimes they are so.--_Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ._, Ed. 2d, p. 62.

MEDICAL FACULTY. Usually abbreviated Med. Fac. The Medical Faculty Society was established one evening after commons, in the year 1818, by four students of Harvard College, James F. Deering, Charles b.u.t.terfield, David P. Hall, and Joseph Palmer, members of the cla.s.s of 1820. Like many other societies, it originated in sport, and, as in after history shows, was carried on in the same spirit. The young men above named happening to be a.s.sembled in Hollis Hall, No. 13, a proposition was started that Deering should deliver a mock lecture, which having been done, to the great amus.e.m.e.nt of the rest, he in his turn proposed that they should at some future time initiate members by solemn rites, in order that others might enjoy their edifying exercises. From this small beginning sprang the renowned Med. Fac. Society. Deering, a "fellow of infinite jest," was chosen its first President; he was much esteemed for his talents, but died early, the victim of melancholy madness.

The following entertaining account of the early history of this Society has been kindly furnished, in a letter to the editor, by a distinguished gentleman who was its President in the year 1820, and a graduate of the cla.s.s of 1822.

"With regard to the Medical Faculty," he writes, "I suppose that you are aware that its object was mere fun. That object was pursued with great diligence during the earlier period of its history, and probably through its whole existence. I do not remember that it ever had a const.i.tution, or any stated meetings, except the annual one for the choice of officers. Frequent meetings, however, were called by the President to carry out the object of the inst.i.tution. They were held always in some student's room in the afternoon. The room was made as dark as possible, and brilliantly lighted. The Faculty sat round a long table, in some singular and antique costume, almost all in large wigs, and breeches with knee-buckles. This practice was adopted to make a strong impression on students who were invited in for examination.

Members were always examined for admission. The strangest questions were asked by the venerable board, and often strange answers elicited,--no matter how remote from the purpose, provided there was wit or drollery. Sometimes a singularly slow person would be invited, on purpose to puzzle and tease him with questions that he could make nothing of; and he would stand in helpless imbecility, without being able to cover his retreat with even the faintest suspicion of a joke. He would then be gravely admonished of the necessity of diligent study, reminded of the anxiety of his parents on his account, and his duty to them, and at length a month or two would be allowed him to prepare himself for another examination, or he would be set aside altogether. But if he appeared again for another trial, he was sure to fare no better. He would be set aside at last. I remember an instance in which a member was expelled for a reason purely fict.i.tious,--droll enough to be worth telling, if I could remember it,--and the secretary directed 'to write to his father, and break the matter gently to him, that it might not bring down the gray hairs of the old man with sorrow to the grave.'

"I have a pleasant recollection of the mock gravity, the broad humor, and often exquisite wit of those meetings, but it is impossible to give you any adequate idea of them. Burlesque lectures on all conceivable and inconceivable subjects were frequently read or improvised by members _ad libitum_. I remember something of a remarkable one from Dr. Alden, upon part of a skeleton of a superannuated horse, which he made to do duty for the remains of a great German Professor with an unspeakable name.

"Degrees were conferred upon all the members,--M.D. or D.M.[46]

according to their rank, which is explained in the Catalogue.

Honorary degrees were liberally conferred upon conspicuous persons at home and abroad. It is said that one gentleman, at the South, I believe, considered himself insulted by the honor, and complained of it to the College government, who forthwith broke up the Society. But this was long after my time, and I cannot answer for the truth of the tradition. Diplomas were given to the M.D.'s and D.M.'s in ludicrous Latin, with a great seal appended by a green ribbon. I have one, somewhere. My name is rendered _Filius Steti_."

A graduate of the cla.s.s of 1828 writes: "I well remember that my invitation to attend the meeting of the Med. Fac. Soc. was written in barbarous Latin, commencing 'Domine Crux,' and I think I pa.s.sed so good an examination that I was made _Professor longis extremitatibus_, or Professor with long shanks. It was a society for purposes of mere fun and burlesque, meeting secretly, and always foiling the government in their attempts to break it up."

The members of the Society were accustomed to array themselves in masquerade dresses, and in the evening would enter the houses of the inhabitants of Cambridge, unbidden, though not always unwelcome guests. This practice, however, and that of conferring degrees on public characters, brought the Society, as is above stated, into great disrepute with the College Faculty, by whom it was abolished in the year 1834.

The Catalogue of the Society was a burlesque on the Triennial of the College. The first was printed in the year 1821, the others followed in the years 1824, 1827, 1830, and 1833. The t.i.tle on the cover of the Catalogue of 1833, the last issued, similar to the t.i.tles borne by the others, was, "Catalogus Senatus Facultatis, et eorum qui munera et officia gesserunt, quique alicujus gradus laurea donati sunt in Facultate Medicinae in Universitate Harvardiana const.i.tuta, Cantabrigiae in Republica Ma.s.sachusettensi.

Cantabrigiae: Sumptibus Societatis. MDCCCx.x.xIII. Sanguinis circulationis post patefactionem Anno CCV."

The Prefaces to the Catalogues were written in Latin, the character of which might well be denominated _piggish_. In the following translations by an esteemed friend, the beauty and force of the originals are well preserved.

_Preface to the Catalogue of 1824_.

"To many, the first edition of the Medical Faculty Catalogue was a wonderful and extraordinary thing. Those who boasted that they could comprehend it, found themselves at length terribly and widely in error. Those who did not deny their inability to get the idea of it, were astonished and struck with amazement. To certain individuals, it seemed to possess somewhat of wit and humor, and these laughed immoderately; to others, the thing seemed so absurd and foolish, that they preserved a grave and serious countenance.

"Now, a new edition is necessary, in which it is proposed to state briefly in order the rise and progress of the Medical Faculty. It is an undoubted matter of history, that the Medical Faculty is the most ancient of all societies in the whole world. In fact, its archives contain doc.u.ments and annals of the Society, written on birch-bark, which are so ancient that they cannot be read at all; and, moreover, other writings belong to the Society, legible it is true, but, by ill-luck, in the words of an unknown and long-buried language, and therefore unintelligible. Nearly all the doc.u.ments of the Society have been reduced to ashes at some time amid the rolling years since the creation of man. On this account the Medical Faculty cannot pride itself on an uninterrupted series of records. But many oral traditions in regard to it have reached us from our ancestors, from which it may be inferred that this society formerly flourished under the name of the 'Society of Wits' (Societas Jocosorum); and you might often gain an idea of it from many shrewd remarks that have found their way to various parts of the world.

"The Society, after various changes, has at length been brought to its present form, and its present name has been given it. It is, by the way, worthy of note, that this name is of peculiar signification, the word 'medical' having the same force as 'sanative' (sanans), as far as relates to the mind, and not to the body, as in the vulgar signification. To be brief, the meaning of 'medical' is 'diverting' (divertens), that is, _turning_ the mind from misery, evil, and grief. Under this interpretation, the Medical Faculty signifies neither more nor less than the 'Faculty of Recreation.' The thing proposed by the Society is, to _divert_ its immediate and honorary members from unbecoming and foolish thoughts, and is twofold, namely, relating both to manners and to letters. Professors in the departments appropriated to letters read lectures; and the alumni, as the case requires, are sometimes publicly examined and questioned. The Library at present contains a single book, but this _one_ is called for more and more every day. A collection of medical apparatus belongs to the Society, beyond doubt the most grand and extensive in the whole world, intended to sharpen the _faculties_ of all the members.

"Honorary degrees have been conferred on ill.u.s.trious and remarkable men of all countries.

"A certain part of the members go into all academies and literary 'gymnasia,' to act as nuclei, around which branches of this Society may be enabled to form."

_Preface to the Catalogue of 1830_.

"As the members of the Medical Faculty have increased, as many members have been distinguished by honorary degrees, and as the former Catalogues have all been sold, the Senate orders a new Catalogue to be printed.

"It seemed good to the editors of the former Catalogue briefly to state the nature and to defend the antiquity of this Faculty.

Nevertheless, some have refused their a.s.sent to the statements, and demand some reasons for what is a.s.serted. We therefore, once for all, declare that, of all societies, this is the most ancient, the most extensive, the most learned, and the most divine. We establish its antiquity by two arguments: firstly, because everywhere in the world there are found many monuments of our ancestors; secondly, because all other societies derive their origin from this. It appears from our annals, that different curators have laid their bones beneath the Pyramids, Naples, Rome, and Paris. These, as described by a faithful secretary, are found at this day.

"The obelisks of Egypt contain in hieroglyphic characters many secrets of our Faculty. The Chinese Wall, and the Colossus at Rhodes, were erected by our ancestors in sport. We could cite many other examples, were it necessary.

"All societies to whom belong either wonderful art, or nothing except secrecy, have been founded on our pattern. It appears that the Society of Free-Masons was founded by eleven disciples of the Med. Fac. expelled A.D. 1425. But these ignorant fellows were never able to raise their brotherhood to our standard of perfection: in this respect alone they agree with us, in admitting only the _masculine_ gender ('masc. gen.').[47]

"Therefore we have always been Antimason. No one who has ever gained admittance to our a.s.sembly has the slightest doubt that we have extended our power to the farthest regions of the earth, for we have emba.s.sies from every part of the world, and Satan himself has learned many particulars from our Senate in regard to the administration of affairs and the means of torture.

"We pride ourselves in being the most learned society on earth, for men versed in all literature and erudition, when hurried into our presence for examination, quail and stand in silent amazement.

'Placid Death' alone is coeval with this Society, and resembles it, for in its own Catalogue it equalizes rich and poor, great and small, white and black, old and young.

"Since these things are so, and you, kind reader, have been instructed on these points, I will not longer detain you from the book and the picture.[48] Farewell."

_Preface to the Catalogue of_ 1833.

"It was much less than three years since the third edition of this Catalogue saw the light, when the most learned Med. Fac. began to be reminded that the time had arrived for preparing to polish up and publish a new one. Accordingly, special curators were selected to bring this work to perfection. These curators would not neglect the opportunity of saying a few words on matters of great moment.

"We have carefully revised the whole text, and, as far as we could, we have taken pains to remove typographical errors. The duty is not light. But the number of medical men in the world has increased, and it is becoming that the whole world should know the true authors of its greatest blessing. Therefore we have inserted their names and t.i.tles in their proper places.

"Among other changes, we would not forget the creation of a new office. Many healing remedies, foreign, rare, and wonderful, have been brought for the use of the Faculty from Egypt and Arabia Felix. It was proper that some worthy, capable man, of quick discernment, should have charge of these most precious remedies.

Accordingly, the Faculty has chosen a curator to be called the 'Apothecarius.' Many quacks and cheats have desired to hold the new office; but the present occupant has thrown all others into the shade. The names, surnames, and t.i.tles of this excellent man will be found in the following pages.[49]

"We have done well, not only towards others, but also towards ourselves. Our library contains quite a number of books; among others, ten thousand obtained through the munificence and liberality of great societies in the almost unknown regions of Kamtschatka and the North Pole, and especially also through the munificence of the Emperor of all the Russias. It has become so immense, that, at the request of the Librarian, the Faculty have prohibited any further donations.

"In the next session of the General Court of Ma.s.sachusetts, the Senate of the Faculty (a.s.sisted by the President of Harvard University) will pet.i.tion for forty thousand sesterces, for the purpose of erecting a large building to contain the immense acc.u.mulation of books. From the well-known liberality of the Legislature, no doubts are felt of obtaining it.

"To say more would make a long story. And this, kind reader, is what we have to communicate to you at the outset. The fruit will show with how much fidelity we have performed the task imposed upon us by the most ill.u.s.trious men. Farewell."

As a specimen of the character of the honorary degrees conferred by the Society, the following are taken from the list given in the Catalogues. They embrace, as will be seen, the names of distinguished personages only, from the King and President to Day and Martin, Sam Patch, and the world-renowned Sea-Serpent.

"Henricus Christophe, Rex Haytiae quondam, M.D. Med. Fac.

honorarius."[50]

"Gulielmus Cobbett, qui ad Angliam ossa Thomae Paine ferebat, M.D.

Med. Fac. honorarius."[51]

"Johannes-Cleaves Symmes, qui in terrae ilia penetravissit, M.D.

Med. Fac. honorarius."[52]

"ALEXANDER I. Russ. Imp. Ill.u.s.t. et Sanct. Foed. et Ma.s.s. Pac.

Soc. Socius, qui per Legat. American. claro Med. Fac., '_curiositatem raram et archaicam_,' regie transmisit, 1825, M.D.

Med. Fac. honorarius."[53]

"ANDREAS JACKSON, Major-General in bello ultimo Americano, et _Nov. Orleans Heros_ fortissimus; et _ergo_ nunc Praesidis Rerumpub. Foed, muneris _candidatus_ et 'Old Hickory,' M.D. et M.U.D. 1827, Med. Fac. honorarius, et 1829 Praeses Rerumpub.

Foed., et LL.D. 1833."

"Gulielmus Emmons, praenominatus Pickleus, qui orator eloquentissimus nostrae aetatis; poma, nuces, _panem-zingiberis_, suas orationes, '_Egg-popque_' vendit, D.M. Med. Fac.

honorarius."[54]

"Day et Martin, Angli, qui per quinquaginta annos toto Christiano Orbi et praecipue _Univ. Harv._ optimum _Real j.a.pan Atramentum_ ab 'XCVII. Alta Holbornia' subministrarunt, M.D. et M.U.D. Med. Fac.

honorarius."

"Samuel Patch, socius multum deploratus, qui multa experimenta, de gravitate et 'faciles descensus' suo corpore fecit; qui gradum, M.D. _per saltum_ consecutus est. Med. Fac. honorarius."