Medical study at Tulane, always preeminent among the colleges and schools, precedes the establishment of the university by some 50 years. Three men, each only 26 years of age, founded the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834: Thomas Hunt of Charleston, South Carolina; Warren Stone of Vermont and John Harrison of Washington, D.C.

In 1834, New Orleans had a population of 58,000 despite floods, hurricanes, malaria, smallpox, yellow fever and cholera. A new, 540-bed Charity Hospital had been erected in 1832 on Common Street, now Tulane Avenue, on the precise site of the present structure. This building was the fifth Charity Hospital, which dated to 1736.

On September 28, 1834, the New Orleans Bee announced the opening of the medical college and published its prospectus, which listed among its objectives “to lead the advancement of science and the rational treatment of disease.” The seven founding physicians were all age 26 or younger, and Hunt was elected dean. The first commencement was April 5, 1836, and the address was delivered in Latin to eleven graduates.

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