USA > Connecticut > New London County > A modern history of New London County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 51
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Unfortunately, the early records are very meager. Not until 1811 do we find given the names of those present at the meetings and a list of the members. In that year there were ten present, and the total membership was given as twenty-one. The next year, out of twenty-five members sixteen were present at the meeting, a large proportion considering the delays and difficulties of travel at that time. It is probable that the membership and attendance during those early years did not vary greatly from the fore- going figures.
The original list of what may be called charter members contained the names of several men of mark in their day, not only eminent in their pro- fession but conspicuous also for qualities which make for good citizenship. Such were Dr. Theophilus Rogers of Norwich, son of a distinguished physi- cian of the same name, leader of the memorialists of 1763, and incorporator of the State Medical Society; Drs. Thomas Coit and Simon Wolcott of New London, the two most eminent and highly regarded physicians in the south part of the county; Dr. John R. Watrous of Colchester, a Revolutionary surgeon of note, six times president of the State Society, and long the most
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prominent practitioner of his region; Dr. Philip Turner of Norwich, one of the ablest surgeons of his time, Surgeon General of the Eastern Division of the Continental army, later in association with Dr. Philemon Tracy carrying on a school at Norwich for training young men as physicians and surgeons ; and the two Downers of Preston, father and son, who rushed to the aid of the wounded at Fort Griswold.
During the first twenty-five years following its organization in 1792, there were admitted to its membership several men destined later to become noted in the exercise of their art. Among these, special mention may be made of Drs. Samuel H. P. Lee of New London, William Hyde of Stoning- ton, Vine Utley of East Lyme, George and Nathan Tisdale of Norwich, Thomas Miner then of Lyme afterward of Middletown, Richard Noyes of Lyme, Richard P. Tracy of Norwich, Elisha North, Nathaniel S. Perkins, Archibald Mercer and Dyer T. Brainerd of New London.
These early meetings were held sometimes in Norwich, "at Mr. Jesse Brown's," sometimes in New London "at Miner's Coffee House," and again "at Mr. Haughton's Tavern at Montville," which was a sort of half-way house. Later on, the meetings were held alternately in Norwich and New London, and the practice has continued until the present day.
With the lapse of time and increase of population the membership grad- ually increased until about 1830 from thirty-eight to forty-one members were listed, and the attendance varied from eleven or twelve to eighteen or twenty. About this time, too, the names begin to appear of men well remembered by the older members of the present time. Of these may be mentioned Drs. R. A. Manwaring, I. G. Porter, Ashbel Woodward, Mason Manning and Elisha D. er, Jr. During the '30s the list of members ran from thirty-eight to fifty- nine, with an attendance of eleven to twenty-one; during the '40s, from fifty-seven to sixty-five were taxed as members, and from twenty to twenty- five attended the meetings. About that time the New London City Hotel and the Merchants' Hotel in Norwich were generally the meeting places.
The association has always included in its membership most of the rep- resentative medical men of the county. During its long and honorable past it has exercised a powerful influence for good, fostering good will and mutual respect among its members, raising and maintaining ever higher professional standards, and directly and indirectly in various ways working for the general good of the public.
Early Physicians .- The shortcomings of the following account none can realize more keenly than the author. With the scanty leisure at his dis- posal, he has found it impossible at this time to attempt a complete list of the former medical men of the county, or to give more than sketchy treatment of lives which deserve the fullest possible biography. If the other towns had been as fortunate as ancient Norwich in having an Ashbel Woodward, there
The author wishes here to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mrs. Elisha E. Rogers of Norwich, Miss Celeste Bush of Niantic, and Mr. R. B. V. all of New Loslon, who bay> kindly supplied him with facts of interest and importance.
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would be little left for the late-coming medical annalist. As they were not so favored, it is hoped that even this cursory and inadequate gathering to- gether of scattered records may be not without interest .*
As pointed out by Dr. Steiner in his interesting Historical Address: "Of the three classes of medical practitioners-the priest physician, the regular physician, and the empiric or charlatan-Connecticut appears to have pos- sessed them all." It is well known that the very earliest physicians of many parts of the colony often belong to the first class. This was not true in general of New London county, and as for its first physician, he must cer- tainly be placed among the regular physicians, although not actually holding the medical degree. This county may well be proud of the distinction of its claim to John Winthrop the Younger, first Governor of Connecticut, as its earliest and one of its most famous physicians. The story of his life has been told so often that only an outline may be recalled here. Born in England, February 12th, 1605-06, he first came to America in 1630. Founder of Say- brooke, later of New London, he resided in the latter town until in 1657 he became the first Governor of the Colony. After that time he lived chiefly in Hartford. He died in Boston, April 5th, 1676. Having a marked taste for the natural sciences, a good knowledge of medicine for his time was among his accomplishments, which his generous and sympathetic temperament led him to practice so far as other demands upon his time would allow. A con- siderable amount of correspondence and other data are extant showing the wide range of his interests, and the high degree of confidence reposed in his knowledge and skill by all classes of his fellow citizens.
There were probably others practicing the healing art in this county contemporaneously with Winthrop, but we know next to nothing about them. Unless made prominent by some other activity, as in church or politics, their very names are apt to be forgotten with the lapse of time. For several gen- erations after the founding of the colony it was too often true, as Dr. Wood- ward11 (p. 167) says, that "many devoted to the duties of their calling the undivided energies of long and laborious lives, reaping only a scanty pecuni- ary recompense for the present, and no place at all in the grateful recollection of posterity."
As regards the early physicians of Norwich, I can add nothing to Dr. Woodward's admirable accounts, and almost all my facts are drawn from that source. We are indeed fortunate in having such accurate and full biographies written by one skilled in historical and genealogical research. Of the profession as a whole in Norwich, Dr. Woodward has this to say : "The medical profession in ancient Norwich was more than respectable; was distinguished. As practitioners, several of its members had few superiors on the continent. As reformers of abuses and peerless advocates of salutary though unpopular changes, they held a place in the foremost rank." Of the following, some belonged to Norwich proper, others to that part which was called at first Norwich West Farms, and afterward Franklin.
Dr. John Olmstead (or Holmstead) appears to have been the very first medical man of the place. He was from Saybrooke in 1660 and practiced both
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in the town proper and at West Farms. "He was something of a surgeon, and is said to have had considerable skill in the treatment of wounds, particu- larly those caused by the bite of the rattlesnake. He was fond of frontier life, and enjoyed to a high degree the sports of the chase." He died in 1686.
Dr. Solomon Tracy, born about 1651, came to Norwich with his father, Lieut. Thomas Tracy and family, in 1660. He studied with the last-named, and practiced both in Norwich and Franklin. Miss Caulkins10 says: "He must be remembered among the solid men of the first generation. Very active in all town affairs." He died July 9th, 1732.
Dr. Caleb Bushnell, born May 26, 1679, married January 9th, 1699-1700, Ann Leffingwell, and had one son and five daughters. "Captain Bushnell, as he was more generally called, died February 18, 1724-25, having accumulated by sagacity in business an estate of about £4000." He held various town offices.
Dr. David Hartshorne was the earliest physician to actually settle in Franklin. He was born in Reading, Mass., in 1656, and moved to Franklin about 1700. He was "highly esteemed as a physician, and was a leading man both in civil and ecclesiastical affairs." He died November 3rd, 1738.
Dr. John Sabin, born in Pomfret, 1696, early removed to that part of Franklin called Portapaug, where he built up a large practice. He died March 2nd, 1742.
Dr. Thomas Worden studied with Dr. Hartshorne, and lived near the present village of Baltic. He died 1759.
Dr. Theophilus Rogers was born in Lynn, Mass., October 4th, 1699. He studied in Boston, and practiced there for a time. Later he moved and settled in Norwich West Farms, where he resided until his death, September 29, 1753. "While he possessed firmness and good judgment as a physician, his natural timidity was excessive. It is said that he built his house very low between joints in order to avoid danger from high winds, and covered the windows with wooden shutters, to keep out the glare of lightning. When- ever called abroad in the night, he preferred to have someone accompany him."
Dr. Joseph Perkins was born in Norwich, in 1704, and graduated from Yale at the age of 23. Dr. Woodward writes of him: "Having enjoyed the best medical instruction obtainable, he opened an office in the present Lisbon. Possessed of brilliant talents, ardent in the pursuit of knowledge and venture- some in experiment, he became distinguished as a daring surgeon. Most of the capital operations of the circumjacent country were perfermed by
his hand. . . Dr. Perkins was also a man of piety, patriotism and benevolence." He married, July, 1730, Mary, second daughter of Dr. Caleb Bushnell, before mentioned. "His eldest son, Dr. Joseph, became an eminent physician in his native town; was the father of Dr. Joseph Perkins, late of Norwich, and Dr. Elijah Perkins of Philadelphia, who died in 1806." An- other son, Dr. Elisha Perkins of Plainfield, was the famous inventor of the "metallic tractors" which for a time were all the rage both here and in Europe. The first Dr. Perkins died July 7th, 1794. He was a memorialist of 1763.
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Dr. John Barker was an eminent physician of Franklin, born in Lebanon, 1729. He studied with Dr. Joseph Perkins and began practice about 1750. "As a physician, Dr. Barker enjoyed an enviable popularity both with the public and the profession. He was extensively employed in consultation throughout eastern Connecticut, and great deference was yielded to his opin- ions. . . . He was a man of sparkling wit, quick perceptions, sound common sense, and, not least, generous heart. It was to these strong and noble traits of character that he owed his success, for he was not graced with elegance of person or polish of manner, nor did his pointed repartees derive their force from any fastidious selection of words." He was also popular as a medical teacher. He was one of the original memorialists of 1763, and was the presi- dent of the voluntary New London County Medical Society from its forma- tion in 1775 until his death, June 13, 1791. He was evidently a man of marked originality and great force of character.
Dr. Obadiah Kingsbury was a student of Dr. Barker. He was born in 1735, and practiced in Franklin. "Though dying in 1776 at an early age, he accumulated by his industry a handsome estate." He also was one of the memorialists of 1763.
Dr. Nathaniel Hyde, another student of Dr. Barker, was born in Franklin in 1746, and located in his native town. "He was a judicious practitioner, though his remedies were chiefly of a domestic character. His field of labor was limited, and he had abundant leisure, which was devoted to reading and meditation. . . . He is said to have done most of his business on foot." He never married, and died in 1832. He was a charter member of the New London County Medical Association.
Dr. Benjamin Ellis was born in Franklin, in 1752; "he studied with Dr. Joshua Downer of Preston, and settling in Franklin acquired an extensive practice, particularly in the department of obstetrics." He died in 1825. He also was an original member of the County Medical Association.
Dr. Elijah Hartshorne, another native of Franklin, was born in 1754. "He studied with Dr. Philip Turner, and located in the southern part of his native society. Dr. Hartshorne was a careful and judicious practitioner. His field was a circumscribed one, and he did his business on foot." His name appears in the list of original members of the County Medical Association. He died in 1839.
Dr. Theophilus Rogers, Jr., was born about 1731, married, March 25th, 1754, Penelope Jarvis of Roxbury, Mass., and had one son and three daugh- ters. He studied with his father, and established himself at Bean Hill. "He was noted for rigid adherence to etiquette and nicety in matters of dress and appearance. Habitual courtesy, graceful manners and skill in the winsome play of conversation threw a charm around his presence which was felt alike by young and old." He was very active during the Revolution, and a member of the committee of safety. He headed the memorialists of 1763, was an incorporator of the State Medical Society, a charter member and the first chairman of the County Medical Association. In 1798 the honorary degree of M. D. was conferred upon him by the Connecticut Medical Society.
Dr. Elihu Marvin was born in Lyme, about 1753, a graduate of Yale in
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1773, and a student with Dr. Theophilus Rogers, Jr., of Norwich, whose daughter he later married. In 1777 lie entered the army in Colonel Durkee's regiment as adjutant. He wintered at Valley Forge, and won a high reputa- tion as a brave and efficient officer. After the war he was a leader in reor- ganizing the militia, and, rapidly rising in rank, was appointed brigadier- general in 1793. In 1798, when the yellow fever broke out in New London, Dr. Marvin went to New York to study the disease in order to qualify him- self for its treatment. Upon his return he was called to attend one or more patients with that disease. Holt states that he took the infection "while attending Mr. Stewart at Mr. Haughton's, who lived at Montville," and died a few days afterward. To quote Dr. Woodward again: "Like many noble brethren in a calling around which dangers thicken frightfully when 'pesti- lence walketh in darkness and destruction wasteth at noonday,' he offered his life in the devoted endeavor to ward off the blow of the destroyer from others. His death sent a pang through the community, falling crushingly upon an amiable wife and six small children." "Dr. Dwight Ripley, an intimate and valued friend, was with him much in his brief illness of four days, and, with his father-in-law, Dr. Rogers, was the only man who had the courage to assist in preparing his body for burial." (Salisbury,17 VIII, p. 166.) He died September 13, 1798, and was buried in Chelsea Landing burial ground. He was an original member of the County Medical Association.
Dr. Benjamin Wheat was born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1709, the son of Dr. Samuel Wheat. He studied with his father, and when twenty-one years old moved to Norwich, where he lived a little below Bean Hill. He had many students, and a practice which extended over thirty years.
Dr. Elisha Tracy was born in Franklin, 1712, a graduate of Yale, 1738, and studied medicine with Dr. Theophilus Rogers, Sr. "He possessed thor- ough classical scholarship and was well versed in medical literature." He was a member of the committee which in 1775 was appointed to examine all candidates for positions of surgeon and surgeon's mate in the army. His activity in relation to small pox inoculation has already been noted. He was a memorialist of 1763. He died in 1783, "widely beloved and lamented."
Dr. Philemon Tracy, son of the preceding by his second wife, Elizabeth Dorr of Lyme, was born May 30, 1757. "Having enjoyed the professional teachings of his father and Dr. Philip Turner, he practiced medicine in his native town for more than fifty-five years. His forte lay in the patient and thorough investigation of chronic diseases, especially those which, from their complications, demanded deep research and accurate discrimination. Hon- orable as a counselor and faithful as a physician, his services were extensively sought both at home and abroad." Mrs. Sigourney18 has left a word-picture of him which deserves quotation :
"I think I see now that cautious mentor-like person, so grave and cour- teous, his countenance marked with deep thought and kindness-Dr. Phile- mon Tracy. I remember him among my benefactors. From his father he inherited medical skill and, monopolizing the principal practice of the city, yet let the pressure of his business be ever so great, he studied a new case as a faithful clergyman does a sermon. He happily avoided the extremes
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which my Lord Bacon has designated : 'Some physicians are so conformable to the humor of the patient that they press not the true treatment of the disease, and others are so bound by rules as to respect not sufficiently his condition.' But the practice of our venerated healer was to possess himself of the idiosyncrasies of constitution as well as of the symptoms of the disease, to administer as little medicine as possible, and to depend much on regimen and rousing the recuperative powers to their wonted action. His minute questions and long deliberation inspired confidence, while the sen- tentious mode of delivering his prescriptions gave them a sort of oracular force."
He was an incorporator of the Connecticut Medical Society, an original member of the County Medical Association, and several times Fellow of the State Society. He received the honorary degree of M. D. from the Con- necticut Medical Society in 1816. He was blind for several years before his death, which occurred in 1837, at the age of eighty.
Dr. Philip Turner was one of the most distinguished men in the medical profession that Eastern Connecticut has ever produced. He was born Feb- ruary 25, 1739-40. He studied under Dr. Elisha Tracy, whose daughter Lucy he afterward married. In 1760 he was appointed assistant surgeon in a regi- ment at Ticonderoga, and this was renewed in 1761. He became widely acquainted and popular with the English surgeons, and was thus "afforded opportunities for improvement rarely enjoyed by men from the Colonies." He continued in service until the peace of 1763, when he returned and took up private practice in Norwich. With the breaking out of the Revolution he immediately entered the army again. Dr. Woodward states that he was with the Connecticut troops on their first campaign before Boston. "He was also with the army in New York in 1776." In 1777 he was "appointed Surgeon General of the Eastern Department of the army, which position he ably filled to the end of the war. He then returned to his private field of labor where he stood unrivalled as an operator." "The late Dr. Shippen of Philadelphia remarked that he had never either in Europe or America seen an operator that excelled him." In association with his brother-in-law, Dr. Philemon Tracy, he instructed many students and lectured upon the essential medical branches. Dr. Turner was a memorialist of 1763, an incorporator of the State Medical Society, and an original member of the County Medical Asso- ciation. About 1800 he moved to New York, and soon afterward was appointed surgeon to the staff of the United States army, which position he held until his death in the spring of 1815.
Dr. Richard Tozer was a student of Dr. Benjamin Wheat. He lost his life in the Louisburg expedition in 1745, being surgeon's mate under Dr. Norman Morrison.
Dr. Jonathan Marsh was born in Wethersfield, but settled in Norwich, and became prominent as a surgeon, especially in bone setting. He served as surgeon in the expedition against Crown Point in 1755-56. He died in 1766. His son Jonathan, born 1754, was also somewhat famous in the treatment of fractures. He was an original member of the County Medical Association in 1792, and died April 18th, 1798.
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Dr. Elisha Lord was born in Norwich, August 10, 1726. In 1755 he was appointed by the General Assembly surgeon's mate in the Crown Point expe- dition and he was noted as of Farmington. In 1758 an Elisha Lord went as surgeon in the Canadian invasion, and is then said to be of Canterbury. They were probably one and the same person. In 1759-60 Dr. Elisha Lord was surgeon of the First Regiment, and principal director of hospital stores. He was also surgeon of the First Regiment against Cuba, in 1762. He was one of the memorialists of 1763. He died March 16, 1768.
Dr. Dominique Touzain is mentioned by Miss Caulkins as follows: "On the grave stone of Colonel John Durkee is the following memorial : 'In mem- ory of Doctr. Dominie Touzain who was lost in a hurricane in March 1782 in ye 31st year of his age.'" Additional facts have been kindly supplied to me by Mrs. Elisha E. Rogers of Norwich. He was a French surgeon who came from Latrille, France. He was engaged in the Revolutionary War with the American forces, were captured by the British, and paroled in 1779. He subsequently came to Norwich, where he married Anna, daughter of Colonel John Durkee. He appears to have gone as surgeon on privateering expedi- tions. The date on the stone seems to be incorrect, as he was known to be living in March, 1783, and was then about to set out on a voyage.
Dr. Richard Proctor Tracy, son of Dr. Philemon, was born 1791, and in 1816 graduated in medicine at Yale. He lived in what was called the Dr. Tracy house, at the foot of Mediterranean Lane, as had his father before him. He joined the County Medical Association about 1816, and continued a mem- ber until his death, March 17, 1871. Dr. Tracy was noted among his con- temporaries not alone for his professional learning and skill, his kindly and genial disposition, but perhaps even more for his wide acquaintance with the best in English literature and for his quaint and original humor. He was affectionately called "Dr. Dick." He never married, and was the last of his family to live in the old homestead. In his obituary notice Dr. Woodward19 (1871) remarks: "Thus ends in Norwich the line of medical succession in that family, which commencing with Dr. Solomon, fifth son of Lieut. Thomas, and grand-uncle of Dr. Elisha Tracy, continued for one hundred and eighty years."
Dr. John Turner, oldest son of Dr. Philip, was born in 1764, and died in 1837. He seems to have been a man not only of great professional skill but also of a peculiarly gracious disposition. "Not to mention the heart ever welling forth sympathy for the suffering, the tongue that spoke no words to the sick but words of consolation or cheer, the generous bearing of Dr. Turner toward his medical brethren, his freedom from professional jealousy, and his exertions to promote their welfare, indicated the true nobility of the man." He was an original member of the County Medical Association.
Dr. Gurdon Lathrop was born December 6th, 1767, in Norwich, grad- uated from Yale in 1787, and married Lucy Ann, daughter of Dr. Philip Turner. He became a member of the County Medical Association in 1793, and died in 1828.
Dr. Lemuel Boswell was a contemporary of Dr. Marvin, and possessed an extensive practice at the Landing.
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Dr. Worthington Hooker, born March 2nd, 1806, a graduate of Yale, 1825, M. D. Harvard, 1829, was an active member of the County Medical Association, and in active practice in Norwich from 1830 to 1852. In the latter year he moved to New Haven to accept a professorship in the Yale Medical School. The history of his later life belongs to New Haven. Suffice it to say that for the next fifteen years, till his death, November 6th, 1867. he led an extremely busy life, did an enormous amount of writing and other work, and left a highly honorable record.
Dr. Ashbel Bradford Haile was born at Putney, Vermont, May 29, 1806. He was a graduate of Yale in 1835, and in 1842 received his medical degree from same college. Immediately afterwards he settled in Norwich, where. except for three or four years spent in California, he resided until his death, March 8, 1880. He was a member of the County Medical Association from 1842 until his death. The author of the obituary of Dr. Haile, Dr. L. B. Almy19 (1880), says of him: "He always took a firm stand against the numerous forms of quackery, and was steadfast in his endeavors to keep it down, so far as possible. He was . . . a liberal Christian, a genial gentle- man, devoted husband and father, and a successful, well-informed, hard work- ing physician."
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