Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/495

Rh busy population perhaps forbade his continuance in the three years course prescribed for a Doctor's Degree. The troublous times of the Revolution, of which Philadelphia appeared to be the centre, were not propitious to professional research or study among the younger people; but students were not wanting in the Medical Faculty, although the year 1780 had arrived before the latter could bestow any honors upon them. In that year three Bachelors in Physic were created; in 1781, two; in 1782, eight, of whom were James Craik and Caspar Wistar, Jr.; in 1783, three; in 1784, eight; in 1785, nine, of whom Edward Miller received the Degree of Doctor in Physic in 1789; in 1786, four, of whom Moses Bartram received the Degree of Doctor in Physic in 1790 and Nicholas B. Waters in 1788; in 1787, four; in 1788, six, of whom Francis B. Sayre received his Doctorate in 1790; in 1789, three; and in 1790, twelve, of whom John Laws received his Doctorate in 1797. After 1790, no Degrees of Bachelor of Physic were conferred; the whole number up to this time being ninety; of these, but ten continued their studies and became entitled to their Doctor's Degree.

From the absence of any lists of students in the College we can only form an estimate of the relative growth of their number from the Treasurer's receipts of Tuition fees. While in the year 1752 these were 716.19.9 and in 1753 758.19.4, they did not rise to .600 per annum until 1760, when they amounted to 629. 7.6, and in 1761 the figures reached 763.15. While in 1762 they were 609.1.10. they were in 1763, 910.22, but in 1764, only 643.11.7 Some allowance must be made for the irregular returns of the Collectors, who were generally the younger Tutors, and whose compensation was two and a half per cent; but no annual returns equalled those of 1763 the year of Dr. Smith's absence in England. In 1765 they fell below 600; in 1766 and 1767 they did not exceed 612 each year; but in 1768, the Birth year of Medical honors, which drew greater credit to the College, the fees amounted to 751.12.6. The following three years the annual average was but 529.4, but in 1772 they again rose to 646.2.3^. The increase in tuition