War Effort at Hahnemann
During WWI (1914-1918), alumnus Dean William Bird van Lennep was one of two homeopathic physicians sent overseas by the Council of National Defense. In the wake of the Flexner Report, physicians with strong homeopathic backgrounds were generally not accepted as legitimate medical doctors. Dr. van Lennep had already established himself as a prominent homeopathic surgeon, but being part of an exclusive Council of National Defense team made him a renowned surgeon.
Dean van Lennep during a surgical lecture in an amphitheater.
Page from the 1943 Medic showing the WWI memorial plaque that the Alumnae Association erected honoring those lost in the war.
Inside cover of Medic from 1943.
As America entered WWII (1939-1945), the Alumni Association continued its efforts of maintaining stability through turbulent times. They regularly published Hahnemann Alumni News, held fundraisers to purchase War Savings Bonds, and kept meticulous detail of alumni fighting in the war. When morale was low among homeopathic physicians eager to play a part in the war effort but faced with roadblocks, the Alumni Association encouraged its members not to give up.
“At the present time there still exists a great deal of confusion among physicians as to the best course to pursue in regard to military service. Many who have enlisted feel that for the time being their services are not being used to the best advantage and that they would be of greater service in civilian practice. To these men it can only be said that a real need exists for them and that this need will come suddenly and inexorably and their services in a few hours of real need will more than of set their apparently wasted ef orts during the sometimes dreary preparatory period.”
Alumni News, September 1942; Volume 8, No. 2.
Alumni News, September 1942; Volume 8, No. 2.
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