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San Francisco: Departments

Laboratory Medicine
There is no history currently available for this department.

Legal Medicine
In the Announcement of Lectures for 1874, Dr. Ambrose A. O'Neil, dean of the faculty, published the following description of the course titled Medical Jurisprudence and Mental Diseases: "The lectures in this department will exhibit the principles of legal medicine and the duties of medical men as experts in giving testimony in courts of justice, and in the examination of medico-legal questions; embracing a view of insanity, suicide, infanticide, legitimacy, poisoning, death and injuries from violence, feigned sickness, duties of coroners, and other topics of practical importance, whether to the student of medicine or of law; together with a thorough course on the various diseases of the mind, so common in the State."

In 1878, Dr. George A. Shurtleff was appointed professor of mental diseases and medical jurisprudence. In 1885, Shurtleff was succeeded by Dr. Jules Simon, who held the office until 1887 when he was replaced by Dr. William H. Mays, professor of mental diseases and medical jurisprudence, who in turn was replaced by Dr. John W. Robertson, lecturer, in 1891. Ten years later in 1901, the Department of Mental Diseases was separated from the Department of Medical Jurisprudence and the curriculum in the latter department was altered to compensate for this dichotomy. The emphasis was shifted from medicine to the law, and Louis de F. Bartlett, special lecturer on medical jurisprudence, was the first lawyer appointed to have charge of the course in medical jurisprudence.

In 1906, Arnold A. D'Ancona, dean of the Medical School, recognizing the accelerated evolution of medico-legal responsibilities and hazards and the increasing liabilities incurred by the physician in his daily work, presented a lecture or lectures on malpractice. In 1912, D'Ancona was succeeded by Dr. Herbert C. Moffitt as dean of the Medical School while D'Ancona remained as lecturer for the Department of Legal Medicine with the course covering: "1. Technique of medico-legal postmortem examinations; 2. Toxicology from the chemical and legal points of view; 3. Biological aspects; and 4. Legal regulation of medical practice, rules of evidence."

Drs. Daniel W. Burbank, Eugene M. Prince, and Paul S. Marrin succeeded each other annually as lecturers in the department. Dr. Marrin held the post for eight years and was succeeded in 1932 by Alexander M. Kidd, professor of law in the University's School of Law.

In 1939, it seemed time for reorientation again and Dr. Langley Porter, dean of the Medical School at that time appointed Dr. Jesse L. Carr chairman of the department.

After the 1940's, many changes occurred within the department. In 1957, a proposal to give legal medicine full departmental status was supported by Dean John B. deC. M. Saunders, who had strong interests in the forensic sciences. This proposal was approved by the Regents and independent department status was granted in 1958. source

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The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Last updated 03/23/05.