Historical Bibliography Updated: July 14, 2026

A discourse upon the duties of a physician, with some sentiments, on the usefulness and necessity of a public hospital: Delivered before the president and governors of King's College, at the commencement, held on the 16th of May, 1769. As advice to those gentlemen who then received the first medical degrees conferred by that university.

New York: A. & J. Robertson, 1769.

The first American treatise on medical ethics, and the first treatise on medical ethics published in the English language. Samuel Bard was one of the founders of King’s College, New York. Digital facsimile from the National Library of Medicine, Internet Archive, at this link.

Facet Tags

Subjects

COUNTRIES, CONTINENTS AND REGIONS › United States COUNTRIES, CONTINENTS AND REGIONS › United States › American Northeast DEATH & DYING Ethics, Biomedical U.S.: CONTENT OF PUBLICATIONS BY STATE & TERRITORY › New York

Catalog Metadata	Reference Information
Entry Number	#1763
Permanent Link	https://beta.historyofmedicine.com/id/3195
Author Bio Link	Wikipedia ↗
External URL	a-discourse-upon-the-duties-of-a-physician

Geographic Context

Publication place: New York