Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. II, Part 29

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1166

USA > Georgia > Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. II > Part 29

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the river before him, and left him a solitary, but most distinguished and venerated object of contemplation. To his skill and fidelity as a teacher of the departments of the pan-science of medicine assigned him, thousands of his pupils, scattered all over the south and west, bear willing testimony. Two generations of the populations of Augusta attest with universal acclaim his patience, integrity, tact and success as a general practitioner. All men and women of all pursuits and conditions of society, award to him the crown as a hero of benevolence. If any modern man could, Dr. Eve might contest with St. Luke the proud title of nobility, 'The Beloved Physician.'"

L EWIS DeSAUSSURE FORD, M. D., LL. D., Augusta, Ga., was born in Morristown, N. J., Dec. 30, 1801, and died in Augusta, Ga., Aug. 21, 1883. His father was the Hon. Gabriel H. Ford, of the supreme court of New Jersey. Dr. Ford received an academical education, and began the study of medicine at Morristown with Dr. Jones. His medical education was acquired at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York. From this college he was graduated M. D. in 1822. A few months after taking his degree he settled in Bamburg, S. C., to practice his profession. In 1827 he located in Augusta, Ga., where the remainder of his life was spent.

No citizen of Augusta ever more signally enjoyed the respect, confidence and love of the community than did Dr. Ford. As a citizen, he was noted for his patriotism and active public spirit. Every measure calculated to promote the welfare of his state or city found him a zealous supporter. In politics he was actively interested, being, prior to the war, an ardent whig. For a number of years he was elected a member of the city council. In 1846 he was elected mayor of Augusta. His administration of this trust was marked by wisdom, economy and integrity, such as to lead to his re-election when his term of office expired. Retiring from this office, he devoted his time wholly to his professional duties. After the war, however, when a military satrap established his headquarters at Atlanta, and threatened to imprison any man who dared to counsel the citizens of Georgia contrary to the views of the United States government, this venerable patriot, intense in his love of liberty, and fearless of consequences to self, deliv- ered two addresses to his fellow-citizens, urging them not to adopt the recon- struction measures proposed by the military authorities. These addresses were entitled Popular Government-the United States and Confederate States Govern- ments Compared. No champion of the lost cause ever more learnedly or fear- lessly exposed the iniquitous measures placed upon a conquered and helpless peo- ple. The Defense of the Confederate States Government was one of the most masterful productions of the times.

Dr. Ford was a Christian man. Fceling a personal need of daily communion with his God, he sought to satisfy his judgment as to the evidences of the Chris- tian system. The examination of the evidences-both internal and external-of Christianity fully confirmed his faith and from it he never wavered. In times of trouble or distress of self, kindred or friends, he carried his burden in prayer to the Redeemer of mankind and laid it on his cross. In his daily walk and con- versation he illustrated and adorned the profession which he had made. Not con- tent with enjoying to himself the fruits unto righteousness, he sought actively to diffuse the teachings of his Lord and Master, hence we see him leading the minds of his students to contemplate the goodness of God unto man, and the truth of revelation. He urged his students to study the natural sciences and said: "But they exert a more direct and decided influence in forming the moral character; they tend to direct the thoughts through nature, to the God of nature. His works,

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the objects of study, are continually revealing to the mind of the student, the wisdom, the power, the benevolence of the Creator; the perception of these attributes encourages in him a natural devotion and reverence which prompt to a further knowledge of His character. Casting around for the sources of a knowl- edge of the moral attributes of the Deity, his well disciplined mind cannot fail to assent readily to the fullness of the testimony by which the sacred scriptures are recommended as God's revelation of his own character and the character of man; his duty, his destiny. He cannot fail to perceive the surpassing beauty of its sacred code of morality based upon the principle, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' With his characteristic habits of deduction he follows this principle into its minutest ramification-sees how it is calculated to refine the heart of man from selfishness-to encourage an expansive benevolence-and to heal the disor- ders and restore the harmony of the social system; and thus, contemplating its intrinsic excellence, he will be disposed to render a more cheerful obedience to its requisitions, than he would receive it as a mere dictate of sovereignty.

"But the charge has been brought against these studies that they tend to encourage the spirit of infidelity. Without entering upon a formal refutation of this charge, I would only ask, is it reasonable that the man whose ruling passion has been the acquisition of knowledge-who has ever found its pursuit and . especially its attainment, the source of his most refined and exalted pleasure, his faculties and powers enlarging and his desires increasing with their every new gratification-the consciousness of his own littleness and weakness increasing, as at every ascending step up the mount of science, the prospect opens wider and wider before him, until at its highest attainable point, he sickens at the thought of the boundless regions which he cannot penetrate? Is it reasonable that the man whose experience has been but a continually renewed testimony of the expansive- ness of the human mind should adopt the cold, cheerless, desperate suggestions of infidelity? Shall he not rather welcome with an ecstacy of delight that revela- tion which brings life and immortality to light, which assures him that in the new state to which he is hastening his faculties for the acquisition of knowledge shall be enlarged, all obstacles shall be removed, and the work of the same Deity, the small insight into whose beauties here has afforded him such ineffable delight, shall constitute the theme of his studies through the wasteless ages of eternity?"

Dr. Ford was actively engaged in the work of disseminating the Bible among men. He was for a number of years, even to the hour of his death, president of the Augusta Bible society. He was for a number of years senior warden of the vestry of St. Paul's Episcopal church, in which faith he died.

It has been seen that the deceased was a son of the distinguished jurist, it was therefore but natural to find him applying such rigid rules in the weighing of testimony. In lecturing to his class he said: "So he who advances into the great temple of nature, who comes up there with his bold interrogations, who seeks to be initiated into her sublime mysteries, to behold the revelation of her beauties, to hear the melody of her harmonies, to obtain that knowledge of her secret springs which will give him power and place and authority among his fellow men, must chasten himself with a discipline severe as these benefits are excellent. He must come laying aside his idle opinion and prejudices, his false notions of the nature of things which he may have contracted in the course of an imperfect education. He must come manifesting that virtue so essential to the philosophic character-the virtue of humility, with the open-mindedness, the docil- ity of a little child, must he come to be taught. Again, with an impar- tiality that is willing to do as severe justice to his own opinions as to those of others, the student of these sciences cautiously weighs all the evidences for and

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against any proposed fact or opinion, determined to abide by the law and the testimony, even should these demand the recantation of his own opinions formally and publicly acknowledged. This magnanimous trait of character, which will thus postpone its own temporary fame to the grand interests of science, you will find illustrated in the history of some of the greatest men that have ever lived- it marks the man who has been refined from selfishness by a constant intercourse with the sublimities of nature."

The most prominent trait of character possessed by the deceased was benevo- lence. The poor, who had none of this world's goods with which to recompense his valuable services, found in him a friend and benefactor. No hour, day or night, no season of heat or cold, rain or snow, deterred him from answering the call of the sick poor. It was only necessary that he be informed that there was disease and anguish to be relieved; with cheerfulness and alacrity he wended his way to the bedside, and with unbounded courtesy and kindness he listened to recitals of ills of mind and body, comforting the distressed, binding up their wounds, healing their diseases. This gratuitous service to the poor was continued when in the midst of a large and lucrative practice, which often caused him unos- tentatiously to respond to the call of the poor and needy, rather than the demands of the affluent.

Not content with illustrating this virtue of benevolence in his daily life, we find him teaching his students to appreciate the luxury of doing good. To them he said: "The corrupting love of money, and a contracted selfishness, have no natural companionship with the noble enthusiasm which burns in his heart. If this were their only fruit, this should recommend them to your most favorable notice; for the virtue of benevolence lies at the foundation, while it forms the crowning glory of the medical character. Without this heaven-born principle there can be no enlightened appreciation, no devoted performance of the duties of that profession, whose ministrations have been represented by one not of our profession, as a beautiful, but humble imitation of those of the Divine Providence. Its dispensation is indeed one of mercy. . Devote yourselves, then, to these studies and to all other means tending to mature this spirit of philanthropy, if you would be prepared to redeem all those high expectations which will be entertained of you, as members of this noble profession; for to it has society ever looked for instances of devoted self-sacrificing humanity. And they have not looked in vain; for, notwithstanding the cavils to the contrary, the constant occu- pation of the mind in devising means for the relief of human suffering, and the repeated exercise of an active beneficence, do tend most manifestly to strengthen the spirit of benevolence within the bosom of the physician, and the annals of philanthropy, in every age, display those names which are alike the boast and glory of our profession.'

The deceased was one of the most polished of men. Simple and dignified in manners, easy of access, and social in demeanor, he was the center of a throng of admiring friends whenever he entered the social sphere. And yet he was a man of wonderful humor. It was of the type portrayed by Carlyle in speaking of Richter: "It has such witching turns; there was something in it so capricious, so quaint, so heartfelt. The essence of humorous sensibility, warm, tender fellow- feeling with all forms of existence. True humor springs not more from the head than the heart; it is not contempt, its essence is love; it issues not in laughter, but in still smiles, which lie far deeper. It is a sort of inverse sublimity ; exalting, as it were, into our affections what is below us, while sublimity draws down into our affections what is above. The former is scarcely less precious or heart affecting than the latter; perhaps it is still rarer, and, as a test of genius,

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still more decisive. It is, in fact, the bloom and perfume, the purest effluence of a deep, fine, and loving nature; a nature in harmony with itself, reconciled to the world and its stintedness and contradiction, nay, finding in this very contradiction new elements of beauty as well as of goodness."

Dr. Ford was a man of extensive general literary attainments. As a part of his intellectual character he possessed an insatiable thirst for knowledge. This trait showed itself even as a young man, and grew with his growth, and continued unabated to the hour of his death. He never rested with his attainments, but was constantly seeking yet more knowledge. When at home he was usually to be found deeply engaged in reading books. It was a matter of surprise to his friends that amid such an extensive practice of medicine he could find time for such general reading as was apparent in his conversations. He made it a rule to always keep some study before him as a recreation from the arduous duties of his pro- fession, and affording rational enjoyment to his mind in times of leisure. He was a man of keen powers of perception, and of a thoroughly analytical turn of mind. Possessing a wonderful memory, he stored liis capacious brain with the excellent general readings which he had made, and could astonishingly entertain his friends upon political economy, general literature, classical lore, science, his- tory or poetry as readily as upon medical philosophy. It may be truly said of him that he possessed all the qualities of a great and commanding intellect, qualified for grand achievements in whatever direction his grasping, penetrating mind might choose to exert its marvelous faculties.

As a mark of high appreciation of his intellectual attainments, the university of Georgia conferred upon Prof. Ford the honorary degree of LL. D. In thus honoring this grand old man, the distinguished university in the act signally honored itself. But it was as a teacher of medicine that he achieved greatest renown. As a lecturer he was charming. The students were anxious for his lecture-hour to be announced. He was singularly eloquent, and remarkably gifted in presenting his views to his classes. He had mastered the subjects presented for the consideration of his students, and therefore he addressed them with that calm- ness, dignity and self-possession which spring only from the consciousness of having thoroughly investigated his subjects and mastered their intricate problems. Sometimes, in the midst of profound dissertations upon medicine, he would en- liven his classes by sallies of wit, or an illustrative anecdote, which was peculiar to himself. He possessed the classical scholarship of the highest and brightest of our profession, and had all the charming grace and refined diction of a Watson, a Trousseau or a Fothergill. He had fathomed the deepest depths of the God- like science of medicine, and aerie-like had soared into the ethereal heights of the collateral sciences. He was a teacher of medicine for fifty years. With the exception of a few years as professor of chemistry, the whole time of his profes- sorship was devoted to the principles and practice of medicine. As a teacher for half a century, what an influence he must have exerted upon the medical opinions of the two or more thousand doctors who had sat as students at his feet that they might learn of him.

Dr. Ford was an expert in epidemic diseases, and rendered valuable services to physicians of his own city, and of the surrounding country, in aiding in making an early and accurate diagnosis in these diseases. In the epidemics of yellow fever in Augusta in 1839 and 1854 he rendered conspicuous services to the sick and afflicted. After these epidemics had ended he investigated the origin and causes thereof, and firmly but respectfully insisted that in each of these epidemics the disease originated in neglect upon the part of the city authorities to expedi- tiously remove decomposing filth beyond the city limits. During the war Dr.

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Ford was constantly engaged in the military service of the Confederate states gov- ernment, being surgeon of the first Georgia hospital at Richmond, Va. This posi- tion he held to the end of the war. When he left his home to render this noble service to his country he was sixty years of age. His skill, his kindness, his tender care of the sick and wounded, won the love and gratitude of the soldiers, and all of them parted from him with regret and sorrow. Dr. Ford has done more to delineate the natural history and to elucidate the pathology and therapeutics of malarial fever than any physician in America. He contributed articles upon these subjects to the "Southern Medical and Surgical Journal" from 1837 to 1845 in- clusive. These papers evidence a deep and critical research into the opinions and teachings of the classical authors to that date, and the author boldly con- tradicts the opinions then current with the profession, and earnestly calls upon the medical men to give heed and study to this important disease, and the treat- ment thereof. These papers are among the classics of the profession on that subject, and have been freely and frequently quoted from the time they were printed to the present day. All of the papers presented to the profession by Dr. Ford evidence a profound and critical study. of the subjects discussed by him. The last paper written by him was presented to the state medical association in 1880. His subject was Organic Affinity. This paper was considered by com- petent judges to be a masterful one. At the time it was written its author was seventy-nine years old.

The deceased was distinguished as a sanitarian, and took an active interest in the improvement of the sanitary condition of Augusta. For a number of years he ably filled the position of president of the board of health of Augusta. His administration of this trust-as, indeed, all others-was marked by dignity, cour- tesy, ability, and unswerving fidelity to duty. When he resigned his position the board unanimously requested him to withdraw the resignation tendered. Fail- ing to induce him to continue the discharge of his official station, the board of health and the city council unanimously adopted resolutions expressing their great regret at the loss of so valued an officer, and attesting their appreciation of his stewardship. Forty-five years ago the medical association of Georgia was organized in the city of Macon. About eighty of the most distinguished medical men of this state were present and enrolled as members. From this brilliant assemblage of physicians Dr. Lewis D. Ford was the one selected to be hon- ored as the first president of the association. The inherent modesty, dignity and impartiality of the man rendered him a most valuable officer, and well and worthily he illustrated the wisdom of the choice of his professional brethren. Philosopher as he was, it is needless to state that death had no terrors for him. For years prior to his decease he would calmly and beautifully speak of death as a thing not to be shunned or feared, but to be regarded by the Christian man as the crown of life. Ever ready for the summons, he continued the practice of his profession until smitten by disease several months prior to his death. Unterrified he approached "the dark, dark river," having obeyed the injunction to

"So live, that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan, that moves To that mysterious realm, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not like the quarry slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon; but sustain'd and sooth'd By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him and lies down to pleasant dreams."

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The death of such a man as Dr. Lewis D. Ford, as was to be expected, cast a gloom over the city in which he was so much loved. There were universal expressions of grief at the announcement of his death. The citizens of Augusta felt that the city had sustained an irreparable loss. His fellow-citizens all united to do honor to his memory. His honor, Mayor May, called the city council in special session, and feelingly and sorrowfully announced the death of the beloved physician. The city council unanimously adopted the following resolutions :

Resolved, That in the death of Dr. Lewis D. Ford this community has lost one of its most useful and respected citizens, the medical profession one of its brightest ornaments, society one of its most valued members. In every position to which duty called him he was always found true, zealous and faithful. In his family circle, in his social life, in his professional and political career he was the center of affection, of friendship, of popularity; and in all these positions his death leaves an aching void, and a vacuum hard to fill.

Resolved, That this council, as a mark of respect to the deceased, attend his funeral in a body.

The "Evening News," of Augusta, said: "Dr. Lewis D. Ford was not only a great and most eminent physician, honored by the profession all over the country, and loved by all who ever felt the touch of his inspiring hand, but he was a great and good man. His memory will ever be enshrined in the grateful hearts of his people. No service was too arduous for his brain and hand, and no trust was so high that the people of Augusta would not willingly and gladly bestow upon such a man." The "Chronicle and Constitutionalist" con- tained the following editorial: "The relics of Dr. Lewis D. Ford have been con- signed to the bosom of the earth. His memory will survive in a thousand good deeds that were the emanation of a lofty spirit and not done for effect. Indeed few persons, save those who were recipients of his care, bounty and charity, not to speak of his professional skill, have any idea of the multitude of his benefac- tions. One of the most distinguished of Dr. Ford's contemporaries and a brother physician informs us that the leading characteristic of his life was unselfish devotion to his fellow men-the alleviation of their physical suffering, the binding up of their spiritual wounds, the promotion of their virtues, with less regard for compensation and reward than any man with whom he was acquainted. He believes Dr. Ford did more good for less money than any man in the com- munity. He never thought of the 'filthy lucre.' It made no difference whether a man was rich or poor. If he paid him for his services all well and good; if not, the same. Consequently he dies leaving a small estate in this world, but will inherit a large one in the next. It made no difference whether a person paid him or not, though able to do so, he never failed to serve him when in distress. It is probable that he never thought the second time of any debt due him. Here then was a good Samaritan, who had lifted himself above the petty things of mor- tality, in many respects, and, like Abou Ben Adhem, grew especially dear to God because, neglectful of himself, he had loved his fellow men and served them faithfully, with all his power, for the love of their Maker. No eloquence of tongue or pen can surpass this simple revelation of fact. It tells the whole story of a noble spirit and needs no embellishment of poet or rhetorician. There are few men of whom this can be truly said, and therefore it may be concluded that Dr. Ford's best epitaph is the plain statement of his well spent life."

The faculty of the medical college of Georgia, of which he was one of the founders and most honored and accomplished professors, adopted the following resolutions :

"Resolved Ist, That in the death of Prof. Ford, one of its founders and for

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over fifty years one of its most distinguished and valuable professors, this, the medical department of the university of Georgia, has lost the revered and beloved nestor of our faculty; that in his long and useful life were beautifully illustrated all that we could desire to emulate as the true and honorable physician, the good citizen, the pure man and the Christian gentleman-that he will long be remembered as one of the founders of medical science in our state, and that his influence will long be felt as an early cultivator of correct methods of medical reasoning, and as one who has contributed largely by his labors to the founding of a sound medical philosophy, not only in his own state, but through the entire south.

"Resolved 2d, That, in accepting submissively his death, both as a decree of nature and of a wise and merciful providence, we yet mourn our separation from him and deplore his departure from our midst, as the loss of a wise coun- selor, noble exemplar and ever genial, loved and loving companion and friend."

Thus, full of years, rich in the honors of a life spent in the service of God and his fellow men this great man "fell on sleep," leaving to his family the precious legacy of a good name-which is far above riches; and to the medical profession an example which shall redound to the honor and glory of man.

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Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. II, Part 29

Author: Publication date: 1859 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association Number of Pages: 1166

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1166