USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 56
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Thus far, then, Peoria county had been fortunate in her incidental acquisi- tion of medical talent. Talent not only worthy of more than its prospective reward, but befitting the ambitions and ideals of many a more pretentious com- munity. It is therefore historically interesting and enlightening to call attention at this juncture to that timely and fortunate combination of local and general con- ditions which served to continue the segregation within the county's borders of an ever increasing number of able medical men. The renewed activity in American educational concerns following disturbed conditions in Europe and the close of our second war with Great Britain, eventuated in evolving from the colleges and universities of the east a large number of talented, technically well-trained and ambitious young professional men, imbued with the aggressive thought of the time. Chafing under the restrictions and monotonies of customary surround- ings, they longed for a greater measure of personal and professional liberty. Aroused still further by the growing sentiment that "westward the star of empire makes its way" they wished to satisfy the spirit of adventure as well as progress by seeking and creating for themselves opportunities and homes in the midst of surroundings and institutions at least partially of their own making. Small wonder, then, that their attention was easily directed to the great State of Illi- nois, the frontier commonwealth of the nation, and to the vicinity of Fort Clark, its frontier settlement. The conditions of location and convenient transportation which made Fort Clark a strategical territorial outpost, also made of Peoria the most conspicuous centre of border life and activity. Thither, then, as their first objective, was turned the rapidly increasing streams of immigration. From the Atlantic sea-board and Middle States, down the Ohio, up the Wabash and across country to Peoria ; and from the south up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to the same destination came these streams of humanity bearing with them not only the professional representatives of recent college experience, but gathering in their currents medical men from all sources enroute ; one from here and another from there, no two from the same locality or with the same antecedents, traditions or training ; men of refinement and education, of orthodox principles, and those of irregular and sectarian mould of predisposition. Men imbued with the profes- sional, social and political instincts of the slave states and the south, with those of northern sentiments and sympathies; all to be collected in a small human whirl- pool on the shore of Peoria lake. Because, when these travelers, worn and weary from their long journey caught sight of the beauties of the Illinois valley from the tops of the Tazewell county hills, or from the decks of the up-bound steam-boats, they cared to go no farther, and prepared at once to call the place home. Many, of course, finding the field preempted, or for other reasons unsatis- factory. made the town of Peoria itself but a rendezvous from which to secure needed supplies and seek locations further interior, where hamlets were spring- ing up in all directions, each expectant and ambitious to become the metropolis of the region. In that state of affairs may be read the answer to the oft repeated inquiry as to why the profession of Peoria and vicinity acquired so commanding an influence in the early medical as well as other councils of the state. Concentra- tion of cultivated intelligence within a comparatively small area, held the secret.
From the admixture of professional materials and forces just alluded to it is not difficult to surmise that some strenuous experiences were in sight. It will be profitable as well as entertaining, therefore, to learn yet more of the dominant
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personalities involved, since character in physical and mental resource can alone come to the rescue in predetermining the nature and quality of results in any professional calling. To that end then, it may be said that the first representative of this younger contingent of medical aspirants for fame and fortune was Joseph C. Frye, from the University of Virginia and Ohio Medical College, who arrived within the same years as his immediate predecessor. A man of impressive, scholarly feature and quiet dignity as well as politeness of manner, he was not long in winning the confidences he sought in the community, building up a large and lucrative practice as a physician rather than a surgeon. In fact he may be justly said to have had a specialty, as specialties were counted in those days, in that his mind dealt mostly with the philosophy of medical therapeutics; or the application of drugs to the cure of disease. An extensive and intensive reader, as well as deep thinker and observer in the line indicated, he was considered throughout central Illinois as an authority into the adjustment of such agencies to the desired end. He loved the study of the intimate, vital relation of external and internal forces within the economy, and was an expert in such divination. Dr. Frye was one of the original members of the Peoria and State Medical Socie- ties, and represented the professional sentiment of central Illinois in the organiza- tion of the American Medical Association at Philadelphia in 1847, in association with Drs. Brainard, Davis and one or two others from Chicago. A very con- stant attendant at the meetings of the few gathered now and again in the interest of a local society, Dr. Frye's very interesting report from the national gathering, including its adopted code of medical ethics, had much to do with arousing the necessary enthusiasm to make the scheme an accomplished fact in the following year. Dr. Frye had attained the age of full four score years when he finally passed away, leaving the impression of a systematically conducted and well- balanced life.
In the trail thus rebroken, as it were, by Drs. Rouse and Frye, quickly fol- lowed a sufficient number of others to make a score or more of those who as a matter of record constituted the essential personal elements of professional life in what has been designated the pioneer stage of Peoria county's medical develop- ment. In uncertain order of sequence came the other members of this notable group. Whence Edward Dickinson came the writer has been unable to learn, but that appears to be a matter of small moment in comparison with his position as the preeminently beloved physician of Peoria county. A man of splendid physique and intellectual attainments along both general and technical lines, wise, of a judicial temperament, courteous and dispassionate as well as compassionate, he was one whom everybody not only respected but loved. He was a man who endeared himself to his patients as a parent to a child, and was equally adored by his professional brethren for his gentlemanly, kind and helpful disposition. It might almost go without saying, therefore, that he was a successful practitioner, but an indifferent business man. He entered into both the joys and sorrows of those with whom he became associated, and was everybody's friend. And when he died a most remarkable thing occurred. On the day of his funeral his remains were escorted by his comrades of the medical profession in solemn procession to the church where the last sad rites were said, and then, in the presence of a congregation overflowing accommodations, with windows and doors open, prac- tically every medical man in the city knelt about the casket, and in the silence almost of death in unison reverently intoned the Lord's prayer. And afterwards, as the funeral cortege passed on its way to the tomb residents along the street stood in the open door-ways of their homes with bared and bowed heads in response to the common sentiment of sorrow. No such tribute before or since has ever been so universally paid to a member of that profession which Dr. Dick- inson graced with his personality. And when the formerly exclusive medical club of the city was formed it was christened "The Dickinson Medical Club." The living and lasting contribution of Dr. Dickinson to the professional life of his locality and time must therefore be accounted his inspiring influence toward that nobility, grandeur and self-sacrifice characteristic of the ideal physician.
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Francis McNeil was one of those characters which, though once numerous are now rarely if ever seen in this country. Only in the mission fields of foreign lands is his like probably to be found. He was what nowadays is called a medi- cal missionary, a representative of the Methodist church, combining the functions of theology and medicine. He preached on Sundays and practiced medicine the remaining days of the week. He was a regularly educated physician, possessed of the instincts of that calling, and if he was as efficient in his clerical relations as he was in his medical, his church could have had no reason to find fault with him. He was one of the original members of the Peoria City Medical Society. and was chosen by that body as one of those to represent its membership at the organization of the Illinois State Association in 1850. He possessed the faculty of expressing himself eloquently and logically, and was a valued exponent of the progressive professional energies of the time. Dr. McNeil was highly esteemed by his medical associates, and remained in Peoria for several years, finally remov- ing to some point in Iowa, to which the exigencies of his gospel calling probably led him, but from which it is said he later returned to some point in northern Illinois where he died, rather early in life. Dr. McNeil's name will ever be recalled from the records of both the above named medical societies as a sincere and impressive expounder of the faith in both of his chosen professions, and as a genial, companionable gentleman.
But there are other factors necessary in the composition of medical men whose paths lie in differing lines of service. Such was. exemplified in the life and work of Elwood Andrew. He seemed to have been especially built for the require- ments of a widely extended country practice under pioneering conditions. He was big, strong, bluff and hearty, and enjoyed a splendid reputation through- out a large extent of territory. He feared nothing and nobody and impressed upon his clientele respect for both his opinions and requirements. Like his comrade in arms, Dr. Clark Rankin, his popularity rested more upon his hopeful, inspiring personality than upon any superiority in a purely medical sense, though the latter was a diligent and earnest student, active in organization affairs and a surgeon in the Union army.
As exemplifying another phase of local professional personality, one of the most impressive characters in the pioneer life of Peoria was John Murphy, an early comer, an Irishman of substantial lineage in the old country, a graduate of Edinborough University, a scholarly man of fine all around professional attainments, naturally of a fiery, passionate disposition, yet tender-hearted and generous with all. He attracted immediate attention through his singular stateli- ness of bearing and polite gravity of manner. By the members of his profession he was often jocularly referred to as "my lord Murphy." That appellation, how- ever, did not fully expound the doctor's character, since with his friends he was condescending, affable and democratic enough, a good story-teller, and alto- gether a very companionable man. Very sensitive and easily perturbed by criticism or injustice, his display of temper was sometimes alarming and at others amusing since some of his best friends would now and again take advantage of his disposition for purposes of tantalization. No one recognized or deplored that unfortunate feature of his make-up more than the doctor himself. And yet with it all he managed to gain the highest respect and confidence of a large following and was a successful medical practitioner and surgeon. He seemed to under- stand human nature thoroughly, and could apparently read the composition of a man almost at first sight. He was a remarkably good disciplinarian of his patients, and in that way could secure results where others failed. He was always indulgent toward beginners in the profession who sought his advice. Dr. Murphy was one of the organizers of the City Medical Society, and was its secretary for a long time, his heavy, verbose style of composition being found on many a page of the society's early transactions. On the occasion of the celebration of the last named's semi-centennial anniversary in 1898 the portrait of Dr. Murphy, as the only survivor of the original membership, was selected
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to adorn the cover of menu and program at the banquet. To the very last Dr. Murphy rarely wrote a prescription, preferring the old method of self-dispensing. As a matter of fact Dr. Murphy all his life clung to the principle, as a business proposition, that details in the practice of medicine were entirely matters of individual experience and adjustment, and could never be satisfactorily com- municated to another. In other words, that every man's faculty in that line was inscrutibly and exclusively his own.
Unlike Dr. Murphy in nearly every respect was John D. Arnold, who was one of the earliest professional compatriots. A tall, slender man, Dr. Arnold suffered throughout his adult life from what would now probably be termed latent tuberculosis. Nervous and yet self-contained, Dr. Arnold conducted him- self cooly, calmly and deliberately under all circumstances, was a successful general practitioner, cordial, persuasive and sincere. His tastes, however, ran more to general political affairs than to the intricacies of medical science, and his methods in professional affairs were those of the practical politician. He was active in the cause of the republican party, being a candidate for election to the state senate. His failure to attain his ambition in that direction was compensated for by his appointment at the hands of his friend, President Lincoln, to the con- sulship at St. Petersburg, Russia, during the trying period of the Civil war; a position he was shortly compelled to relinquish on account of rapidly failing health under the rigors of the northern climate. Upon his return home he con- tinued to grow steadily more feeble, and finally died from the continuous inroads of his old enemy. tuberculosis.
Dr. William R. Hamilton and his brother John L. came from Ohio to the town of Morton, in Tazewell county, if the writer is not misinformed, but within a short time removed to Peoria, which they made their final home. The former did not continue at the practice of medicine very many years, his tastes and capa- bilities leading him into other enterprises. He was the builder and first presi- cent of the Peoria and Rock Island railway, now a branch of the C. R. I. and P., and spent the remainder of his life in connection with general business rather than professional affairs, and lived to reach the unusual age of over ninety-one years. He was a man of intellectual, staid and quiet habit, whose honesty and integrity were never questioned. John L. Hamilton, however, remained in the active practice of medicine until within a few months of his death which occurred in -. He was one of the most competent surgeons as well as medical practi- tioners the city of Peoria contained. He was a quiet, serious man, a deep thinker, never boastful, nor in any way over-stepping the finest traditions of his profes- sion. Perfectly sincere and honest in all his professional and other relations, he had an extensive practice amongst the most discerning, and seemingly could attend to more work than any other man, because, although he never hurried, neither did he waste time. In many of his surgical exploits he was quite original, and remarkably successful. He did the first successful abdominal section ever performed by a Peorian. He it was who led in the project of the Cottage (now Proctor ) Hospital, and remained on its board of directors as long as he lived. Dr. Hamilton was a serious-minded, valuable friend. No man was more willing or quick to acknowledge merit wherever found, and none more ready to encourage it in the ranks of his profession. He was one of the early members of the local and State Medical Societies, and always a valued counselor in their deliberations. When he died the profession and city lost one of their most talented, worthy and honorable representatives.
Probably the most active, progressive, original and enterprising member of the Peoria county profession during this first stage in its development was Elias Cooper. From what section he came the writer does not know, but he was full of energy. He is said to have been the first man west of Pennsylvania to use chloroform as an anesthetic, and that feat was accomplished in the doc- tor's own private Orthopodic Hospital, the first hospital ever erected in Peoria. While such use of the agent mentioned was made for the first time anywhere
SHADY BEACH, PEORIA NARROWS
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FISHER BUGGY CO.
BROWNLEE BROR
PEORIA LAKE FROM SKYSCRAPER
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in 1846, only one year later Dr. Cooper was utilizing it, and at the meeting of the State Society two years later reported his experience with it in some seventy cases. For his assumed recklessness in that direction he was criticised by the local medical society membership, but his practical argument was too convincing to be long ignored, and his position was soon vindicated. In the long room constituting the third floor of the present Central National Bank building, cor- ner of Main and Adams streets, Dr. Cooper had his anatomical and dissecting laboratory, in which, along one whole side were arranged a row of human skeletons ranging from adult to infant size. For want of professional, he employed non-professional assistants in his experimental work, and was roundly censured for so doing by resolution passed in the City Medical Society, em- bodying the admonitory conviction that no self-respecting professional man would associate with him. But Dr. Cooper was as independent and courageous as he was progressive and enterprising, and paid no heed. When the Civil war broke out he enlisted and served in the capacity of regimental surgeon, and when finally he left the army he removed to San Francisco, California. where he became the most famous surgeon on the Pacific coast, accumulating a fortune which he left to his nephew, the late Professor Lane, who, in memory of his uncle founded the institution known as "Cooper Medical College," now the medical department of the University of San Francisco.
But Peoria's quota of the professionally eminent in her formative period was not full. Another surgeon of accomplishment and note was already on hand to take up the sceptre of the master, in the person of J. T. Stewart. a graduate of Knox College and Pennsylvania University. A man of intellectual dignity, culture and scientific taste, Dr. Stewart is yet remembered by many as a botanist of distinction, for many years President of the Peoria Scientific Association, and surgeon of the Civil war, in which he was wounded in a way maiming him for life, and yet he maintained for a score of years a reputation as the leading surgeon of the section of country tributary to Peoria. Scholarly. somewhat eccentric but always affable and polite, he possessed a host of friends. As a member of the state and local medical societies he was a valued contribu tor and constant attendant, and there were no more sincere mourners at his bier than the members of the profession he loved and honored.
Another member of the pioneer group that formed the City Medical Society was E. M. Colburn, a talented physician and affable, courtly gentleman, respected and honored by every one who knew him, and known for his scholarly and scientific attainments. He was the guiding spirit and for a number of years the President of the once famous Peoria Scientific Association, and a citizen in all respects to be proud of. Honorable and sincere in every thought and act of his life, he typified the old idea of the physician as counselor and friend. Regularly educated in medicine, his scientific sense revolted at the then pre- vailing habit of heavy and nauseous drugging, and he adopted a modified form of Homeopathic medication. Too honorable to even seem to be intruding upon the sensibilities of those who differed from him, he voluntarily severed his connection with his wilsome comrades and followed his own ideals. He lived to a really green old age loved and respected by his one-time associates in regular medicine, as well as by the hundreds who had looked to him for relief during the long period of his sojourn among them.
John N. Niglas was one of the pioneer group, of foreign training, to enter the northern army upon the breaking out of the Civil war, where he served with that patriotic distinction which characterized the allegiance of so many foreign born citizens to their adopted country. He reengaged in general practice immediately upon the expiration of his enlistment, and as health officer a few years later gained a wide reputation for efficiency in handling epidemics, espec- ially through the use of antiseptics and segregation of the afflicted.
Robert Roskoten, physician and ripe scholar, master of four languages, in- volved in the revolutionary movement in his native land, after incarceration in Vol. 1-23
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prison from which he escaped through connivance of compatriots, fled first to Spain and from thence to the United States, coming finally to Peoria where his splendid scientific and literary attainments, as well as thorough medical training, made him a most substantial addition to the high-bred class of medical men already assembled within so narrow a sphere. When the Civil war broke out none was more prompt in tendering his services to the cause of his adopted land than was Dr. Roskoten. Well trained in the military as well as profes- sional field he made a most valuable acquisition, and was at once appointed to a high position in the service, that of brigade surgeon, where he remained until mustered out with honor and credit to himself as well as the department in which he had labored. Returning to Peoria upon the close of the conflict, Dr. Roskoten resumed the practice he had for the time relinquished. A man of high education and cultivated tastes, he became the centre of a distinguished group of local German and American literateurs, and favored them later with a child of his brain in the form of a drama, based upon the sad experience of Maxamilian and his beloved Carlotta in Mexico, an experience followed closely by Dr. Roskoten from its inception to its close, as one of the incidents closely bordering on the interests of his native land. A man of noble qualities and manner, Dr. Roskoten was a favorite with the elite of his profession and society generally, and left a strong impress upon local professional ideals.
Dr. Peter Bartlett, an able physician, and previously secretary of the New Hampshire State Medical Society was a hopeful addition to the forces now being chronicled, coming to Peoria in 1834, but he sickened and died within a year or two after allying himself with the local professional organization. Dr. A. B. Chambers was another well-bred member of the profession arriving just prior to the close of the pioneer period. He was a very active and efficient member of the City Medical Society, at one time serving as its presiding officer. but soon removed to Warsaw, Kentucky. Drs. Cross, H. H. Waite, McConnell and Willis Sperry were likewise capable men, in so far as the records show, but all left in a short time for other points unknown to the writer, excepting Dr. Cross, who is said to have returned to Vermont, whence he came. Dr. Moses Tvoyer, a graduate of the Ohio Medical College, came in 1840, remaining in Peoria the rest of his life.
In connection with this list, as one name standing in almost as unique a relationship to its end as did that of Dr. Langworthy at its beginning, is that of Robert Boal, long designated the "grand old man" of the Illinois profession ; one of the organizers of our State Society, of which he was later made Presi- dent ; formerly demonstrator of anatomy in the Ohio Medical College, four times elected to membership in the state legislature, friend and political adviser of President Lincoln, and lacking only eighteen months of rounding out a century of life. Of him it may truthfully be said that he was a man amongst men, a leader of his time, one against whom no word of reproach was ever heard; of a genial. sunny disposition, broad and liberal minded, even tempered, sensitive as a woman, filled with the proverbial milk of human kindness, re- spected and loved by all. Coming to the West in 1834, Dr. Boal located at Lacon.
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