Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History

Sauer, Anne

Branco, Jessica

Bennett, John

Crowley, Zachary

2000

Thayer, Charles Paine, 1843-1910

 

Charles Paine Thayer (1843-1910), professor of Anatomy and originator of the idea of establishing the Tufts University Medical College, and was one of the original seven members of the faculty. He also served as the school's first secretary and purchasing agent.

Born in West Randolph, Vermont, on January 22, 1843, Thayer was the son of Doctor Samuel White, who is credited with reestablishing the Medical Department at University of Vermont. Thayer entered the university in 1860, but his studies were interrupted when he enlistedfor military service in the Civil War. Following the war, Thayer returned to Vermont to pursue courses in the university's medical department. He received his medical degree from there in 1865.

Following stints as a private practitioner and Northern Pacific Railroad Surgeon, Thayer returned to University of Vermont's Medical School as assistant in Histology and Physiology and instructor, and later, adjunct professor in Anatomy. By the time Thayer and his wife, Alice Bemis, moved to Boston in 1878, he was primarily concerned with the problems of medical education.

In 1893, when the policies of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Boston came into question, Thayer, along with six other physicians, removed himself from the corporation. Working with Thayer's idea to create a medical faculty in connection with a university, the physicians approached President Capen of Tufts College, who found the proposal quite favorable, and supported the founding of the Tufts College Medical School in 1893.

Thayer poured his energies into establishing the school, serving as its secretary, purchasing agent, and professor of Anatomy for the college's first twelve years. From 1905 until 1909, Thayer also held the position of emeritus professor of Anatomy. Thayer died of heart disease in 1910 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Thayer was Editor of the Atlantic Medical weekly, a Fellow of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and maintained several memberships in Vermont's medical organizations. He received an honorary Master of Arts from the University of Vermont in 1899.

Source: HTCMS

 
 
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  • The encyclopedia seeks to capture more than 150 years of Tufts' achievements, societal contributions and outstanding alumni and faculty in concise entries. As a source of accurate factual information, the Encyclopedia can be used by anyone interested in the history of Tufts and of the people who have made it the unique institution it is.
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Dame, Lorin Low, 1838-1903
Dana, Charles A., 1881-1975
Dana Laboratory, 1963
Daniel Ounjian Prize in Economics,
Davies, Caroline Stodder, 1864-1939
Davies House, 1894
De Florez Prize in Human Engineering, 1964
de Pacheco, Kaye MacKinnon, ca. 1910-ca. 1985
Dean Hall, 1887-1963
Dean, Oliver, 1783-1871
Dearborn, Heman Allen, 1831-1897
Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, 1893
Department of Anesthesia, 1970
Department of Art and Art History, 1930
Department of Biochemistry, 1893
Department of Chemistry, 1882
Department of Community Health, 1930
Department of Dermatology, 1897
The Department of Economics, 1946
Department of Medicine, 1893
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Department of Neurology, 1893
Department of Neuroscience, 1983
Department of Neurosurgery, 1951
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1893
Department of Ophthamology, 1893
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 1906
Department of Otolaryngology, 1895
Department of Pathology, 1893
Department of Pediatrics, 1930
Department of Pharmacology, 1915
Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1854
Department of Physiology, 1893
Department of Psychiatry, 1928
Department of Radiation Oncology, 1968
Department of Radiology, 1915
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, 1955
Department of Surgery, 1893
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy, 1973
Department of Urology, 1910
Dental Health Sciences Building, 1969
Dewick, Cora Alma (Polk), 1875-1977
Dewick/MacPhie Dining Hall, 1959
Dickson Professorship of English and American History, 1913
Dirlam, Arland A., 1905-1979
Dog Cart, 1900
Dolbear, Amos Emerson, 1837-1910
Donald A. Cowdery Memorial Scholarship, 1946
Dr. Benjamin Andrews Professorship of Surgery, 1987
Dr. Philip E. A. Sheridan Prize, 1977
The Drug Bust, 1970
Dudley, Henry Watson, 1831-1906
Dugger, Edward Jr., 1919-75
Durkee, Frank W., 1861-1939
Durkee, Henrietta Noble Brown, 1871-1946
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