History

Chicago Eclectic Medical College was founded in 1901.  It became American College of Medicine and Surgery in 1902; the same year it became the medical department of Valparaiso University.  In 1907 it adopted the name Chicago College of Medicine and Surgery.  In 1917 it was purchased by Loyola University.  The Irish Standard notes that this merger created a college of 400 students.  In 1948 that college became known as the Stritch School of Medicine, and as such continues today as a major research and medical school.

A.C.M.&S. advertised itself as “not a LARGE school but a GOOD one.” The Flexner Report lists an enrollment of 366 (up from 315).  But Flexner credits this increase on the school’s accepting advanced students from “low grade institutions.”   The teaching staff was 71 (37 professors); none were full time faculty.  Some Valparaiso faculty also taught classes at A.C.M.&S.  

The Illinois Medical Bulletin reported in 1906 that beginning in 1908 A.C.M.&S. would require a preliminary year of physics, chemistry, biology and languages prior to a student’s admission.  However, Flexner found that this was not the case as a high school diploma or its equivalent was the only requirement.    In 1913 the school was included in the list of medical schools receiving a B classification from the American Medical Association  as “needing general improvements to be made acceptable.”

Before the merger, A.C.M.&S. students had chapters of four medical fraternities—Delta Omicrion Alpha, Phi Delta, Kappa Psi and Phi Chi.