Born in Philadelphia on 15 November 1863, John Chalmers Da Costa was the son of George T. and Margareta (Beasley) Da Costa. Educated at the Friends' Central School and the University of Pennsylvania (1882), Da Costa received his MD from Jefferson Medical College (1885). Following the publication of the first edition of his Manual of Modern Surgery Dr. Da Costa became Clinical Professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College in 1895. To frustrate attempts made by other medical schools to recruit him for their faculties, the Co-Chairmen of Jefferson’s Department of Surgery, Professors John Hill Brinton and W. W. Keen, elevated Dr. Da Costa to a third full professorship in surgery in 1900. When Dr. Keen retired in 1907 the trustees appointed Da Costa as his successor. He subsequently became the first Samuel D. Gross Professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College, 1910-1933.

Da Costa's Modern Surgery went through ten editions between 1895 and 1931. The impact of this work can be derived from the acknowledgments that Dr. Da Costa received from such eminent figures in the medical profession as Harvey Cushing, William Mayo, and Rudolph Matas. Da Costa also enjoyed high regard as a public speaker. In 1931, the same year that he produced the tenth edition of his surgery text, Da Costa also published The Papers and Speeches of J. Chalmers Da Costa. This work was followed by a similar collection, published posthumously in 1944, entitled The Trials and Triumphs of the Surgeon.

Da Costa continued teaching until 1930 and retained the title of Samuel D. Gross Professor of Surgery until his death in 1933.

Reference: University Archives and Special Collections. John Chalmers Da Costa. http://jeffline.jefferson.edu/SML/archives/collections/finding_aids/jcdacosta.html