In Sickness and in Health
Alma Mater cares for her own.
1777
The College's first healthcare crisis hits. Eight students are exposed to smallpox. They are quarantined in a mill a mile from the village. The mill site is fenced in and warning signs are posted along the road. One room in the mill is reserved for Dr. Wheelock and his wife—just in case.
1860
"The question is frequentlyasked—'what is the cause of so much sickness at Dartmouth?' The location and autumn fogs is generally considered sufficient reply," notes the Aegis.
1902
Dr. Howard Kingsford becomes the College's first medical director. His job is to "watch over the sanitary conditions of the community, to be on guard against contagious disease, to inspect the supply of water, ice, milk, and other commodities, and to act, in general as a medical officer." Student health improves.
1905
College students with contagious illnesses live in the isolation hospital located near the heating plant. The atmosphere is hardly clinical. A journal, written by the patients, substitutes for any real medical records.
1921
Dr. Arthur Ruggles '02 starts a psychiatric treatment program for Dartmouth undergraduates. It is one of the nation's first. By 1953, 91 percent of colleges will have instituted similar programs.
1927-1929
The College infirmary, Dick's House, treats 194 outpatients and admits 1,788.
1936
A survey indicates that a majority of students fail to get medical help because of the out-of-pocket fees charged by Dick's House. In response the College raises tuition to cover the cost of free health care.
1951
Dartmouth ends compulsory classes on sex, alcohol, and hygiene for freshmen because, in the words of the College administration, "they refused to take the subject seriously."
1959
A report to the Trustees indicates that twice as many Dartmouth men could benefit from psychiatric assistance as actually receive treatment. These students don't seek help, says the report, "because of ignorance of its value or fear of being tagged as weak or 'queer.
1976
Dick's House records more than 25,000 outpatient visits, but only 370 admissions. The advent of antibiotics is the reason fewer students are admitted.
1999
The Dick's House web site boasts, "We have a vending machine offering commonly used over-the-counter medications. Among our current selections are Tylenol, Advil, Robitussin, Rolaids, throat lozenges, nasal decongestants, condoms, etc., at super low prices. Your College ID work JUST as well as cash!"
In exchange for room and board, medical students treated the residents of Dartmouth's first infirmary—a.k.a the Pest House.
