 
Jacob
Mendes Da Costa
(1833-1900)
JMC Class of 1852
Jacob Mendes
Da Costa's research, writings, and teaching were influential in the
development of internal medicine as a specialty. However, his greatest
contribution to American medicine lay in his clinical instruction
at various Philadelphia institutions. Born 7 February 1833 on the
Island of St. Thomas in the West Indies, Jacob Mendes Da Costa received
his early education in Dresden, Germany, before coming to Jefferson
Medical College. A graduate of the class of 1852, Da Costa received
postgraduate education in Europe - mainly Paris but also Vienna.
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Admission
ticket for one of J.M. Da Costa's lectures on "The
Practice of Medicine," signed on the left by Da Costa
as an indication of attendance. (John T. Howell Collection,
MM 263)
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Upon his return
from Europe, Da Costa began his practice in Philadelphia and
his private teaching at the Moyamensing Dispensary (1853-1861).
During the Civil War, Da Costa served as assistant surgeon
in the U.S. Army and at Turner's Lane Hospital, Philadelphia. Here,
he undertook research on "irritable heart" (neurocirculatory asthenia)
in soldiers, research that was of landmark importance in clinical
medicine. After the Civil War, Da Costa continued his teaching
at the Pennsylvania Hospital (1865-1900). He began at Jefferson
Medical College as a lecturer on clinical medicine (1866-1872),
then professor of theory and practice of medicine (1872-1891), and
finally professor emeritus (1891-1900). While Da Costa retired
in 1891, he continued his medical efforts as a consultant and supporter
for medical education reform and served as a trustee of the University
of Pennsylvania in 1899.
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J.M.
Da Costa's Valedictory Address delivered on the
occasion of his retirement, 1891. (Jacob M. Da Costa Collection,
MS 16)
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Of Da Costa's
writings, his most well known include his "Clinical lecture
on spurious or "phantom" tumors of the abdomen,"
Philadelphia Medical Times (1871) and his monograph Medical
Diagnosis (1864). Medical Diagnosis went through
nine editions during his lifetime and served as the first complete
guide of its kind.
Jacob Mendes
Da Costa died in Villanova, Pennsylvania on 11 September 1900.
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