Biography or History

The Cornish family supplied three generations of physicians to Albuquerque, New Mexico starting in the 1890s when Dr. P. G. Cornish, Sr. arrived in the city with his young son and wife and ending in 1987 with the retirement of Dr. P. G. Cornish, III. Three successive doctors provided healthcare and took part in the city's social life as Albuquerque grew from a small valley community to the largest city in the state.

With his arrival in New Mexico in the 1890s, P. G. (Percy Gillette) Cornish, Sr. (1857-1932) started a family tradition of practicing medicine in the state that would span almost a century. Born in Alabama in 1857 and educated at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Cornish, Sr. settled in Albuquerque, having gone West originally to visit a brother in Arizona. Dr. Cornish, Sr. began his career as Chief Surgeon for the Santa Fe Railroad while building a large private practice. After leaving his post with the railroad, Dr. Cornish, Sr. continued his private practice as an "old-fashioned" doctor until his death in 1932. His grandson, Dr. P.G. Cornish, III recalled making house calls with his grandfather in what was probably one of the first automobiles in Albuquerque.

Shortly before arriving in Albuquerque, Dr. Cornish, Sr. welcomed the birth of his son P.G. Cornish, Jr. (1892-1958) in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1892. Educated at Yale University and then Columbia University School of Medicine, P.G. Cornish, Jr., like his father, entered the Albuquerque medical community. Practicing general surgery during the 1920s and 1930s, Dr. Cornish, Jr. frequently worked with tuberculosis patients and performed thoracic surgeries. Dr. Cornish, Jr. became the first member in New Mexico of the American College of Surgeons and served as its state governor and also served as president of the Bernalillo County Medical Society. In 1954, Dr. Cornish, Jr. was elected as the first President of the Medical Staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital. P.G. Cornish, Jr. died in 1958. His son, P.G. Cornish, III practiced medicine in Albuquerque until his retirement in 1987. Dr. P. G. Cornish, III. died in 1996.

Scope and Content

Included in this collection for longtime New Mexico doctors P.G. Cornish, Sr. and P.G. Cornish, Jr. are three bound, handwritten office expense ledgers and medical school notes of Dr. Cornish, Jr. The office expense ledger covering the period of January 1928 to February 1934 includes the offices of both doctors and documents office expenses, salaries and books. The second ledger covers the period between February 1933 and February 1934 and includes patient lists, dates and notes on treatment for Dr. Cornish, Jr. The ledger from February 1938 to October 1938 includes patient information, dates and treatments for Dr. Cornish, Jr. Also included are handwritten medical school notes of P.G. Cornish, Jr. dated February 12, 1915 and a box of medical instruments and equipment used by the doctors.

Series I. Medical School Notes Ledger, P.G. Cornish, Jr., 1915 February 12

Series II. Office Expense Ledgers, 1928-1934, 1938

Series III. Medical Artifacts, undated

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research. Access is restricted for patient-identifiable materials.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication of print materials allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Preferred Citation

P.G. Cornish Family Collection, New Mexico Health Historical Collection, UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center.

Processing Information

Inventoried by Janet Johnson. Processed by Peggy McBride and Danielle Scott.

Separated Material

P.G. Cornish Family Medical Artifacts. HHC 224.EX13. New Mexico Health Historical Collection.

Related Archival Material

P. G. Cornish, III Oral History. HHC 29.FL 1182. New Mexico Health Historical Collection.

Access Terms

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Cornish, P. G. (Percy Gillette), Jr., 1892-1958.

Cornish, P. G. (Percy Gillette), Sr., 1857-1932.

Education, Medical.

Fees, Medical.

Instruments, Surgical.

Surgery.

Contents List

I. Medical School Notes,  1915 February 12

II. Office Expense Ledgers (restricted),  1928-1934, 1938

III. Medical Artifacts,  undated

The instruments are reported to have been used by both doctors during their careers. The lantern slides were used for a presentation given in Memphis by P.G. Cornish, Jr.