James, Thomas C. (Thomas Chalkley), 1766-1835

Thomas Chalkley James was born in Philadelphia on 31 August 1766 to Abel and Mary or Rebecca (Chalkley) James. He married Hannah Morris in 1802. On 5 July 1835 he died in Philadelphia. James received his M.B. from the University of the State of Pennsylvania in 1787 and his M.D. from the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1811. He traveled to Europe to further his medical studies at St. George's Hospital and the Story Street Lying-In Hospital in London, where he studied obstetrics under Drs. Osbourne and John Hunter. In 1792 he attended lectures at the University of Edinburgh. James began giving public lectures on midwifery in the Philadelphia Almshouse with John Church in 1802. After Church's death, Nathaniel Chapman assisted James in his lecture course (1807-1808). These lectures formed the basis of his course on midwifery at the University of Pennsylvania (1810-1834). James established the Lying-In Ward at the Almshouse and also served as Physician (1807-1810) and Obstetric Physician (1810-1835) to the Pennsylvania Hospital. In addition to penning a number of anonymous poems and essays, James served as editor of the Eclectic Repertory (1811-1822), a publication that compiled abstracts and articles from foreign medical journals. Dr. James was elected to the Fellowship of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia on 6 Oct. 1795. He served as Secretary (1796-1802), Treasurer (1809-1826), Vice-President (1826-1835), and President of the College (1835).

Thomas C. James served as professor of midwifery and chair of obstetrics at the University of Pennsylvania from 1810 to 1834. He was a physician at the Pennsylvania Hospital and Philadelphia Almshouse, editor of the Eclectic repertory, and served as president of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.