Autopsy reports

Abstract:

Records of autopsies performed on patients who died at Presbyterian Hospital, 1872-1911, 1917-1919. Records 1872-1911 are handwritten and composed in narrative form, while later records are typed and use a pre-printed form. Microscopic examination begins to appear regularly in the mid-1880s.

Volumes 1 and 12 overlap chronologically but do not cover the same cases. Most volumes include indices for both decedent's name and cause of death.

Creator:

Presbyterian Hospital (New York, N.Y.)

Date [inclusive]:

1872-1911, 1917-1919

Languages:

English

Physical Description:

2.33 cubic feet (15 vols.)

Collection:

- Columbia University Irving Medical Center Archives
  - Affiliate Hospitals
    - Presbyterian Hospital in the City of New York, 1868-1997

Access:

Because the records include Protected Health Information (PHI) as defined by the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), access is allowed only under the terms of Archives and Special Collections’ Access Policy to Records Containing Protected Health Information.

Because of staff constraints, Archives & Special Collections cannot search for individual records.

Cite as:

Presbyterian Hospital Autopsy Reports, Archives & Special Collections, Columbia University Health Sciences Library

Download Presbyterian Hospital Autopsy Records PDF finding aid

History and Biography

Historical/Biographical Note:

Presbyterian Hospital was established in 1868 by philanthropist and book collector James Lenox who intended that the new hospital accept all patients “without regard to race, creed, or color.” It opened in October 1872 on a site bounded by Madison and Park Avenues, 70th and 71st Streets. Presbyterian affiliated with Columbia University in 1911 to form the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, which opened in 1928 in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood. Presbyterian Hospital and New York Hospital merged on Dec. 31, 1997 to form New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Organization

Scope and Content:

Volumes 1 and 12 overlap chronologically but do not cover the same cases. Most volumes include indices for both decedent’s name and cause of death.

Box and Folder List:

Volume	Contents
1	Aug. 27, 1874-Nov. 28, 1885
2	April 9, 1886-Jan. 31, 1893
3	Feb. 1, 1893-Dec. 19, 1894
4	Dec. 22, 1894-July 31, 1896
5	July 4, 1896-June 24, 1898
6	June 24, 1898-July 17, 1900
7	July 17, 1900-July 30, 1902
8	Aug. 2, 1902-Nov. 4, 1904
9	Nov. 5, 1904-Dec. 14, 1906
10	Dec. 16, 1906-Dec. 21, 1909
11	Dec. 24, 1908-Dec. 24, 1911
12	Nov. 17, 1872-Aug. 5, 1880 [unnumbered vol.]
13	Sept. 20, 1917-March 2, 1918 [original v. 26]
14	March 3, 1918-Nov. 20, 1918 [original v. 27]
15	Dec. 7, 1918-June 12, 1919 [original v. 28]

Subject Headings and Related Records

Subjects:

Administrative Information

Provenance:

Gift of the Columbia University Dept. of Pathology and Cell Biology, Jan. 2008 (accession #2008.01.15).

Archives and Special Collections

at the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library of Columbia University

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