The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884, Volume II, Part 62

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co
Number of Pages: 1345

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884, Volume II > Part 62

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ALEXANDER J. C. SKENE was born in Scotland ; studied medicine; graduated from the Long Island College Hospi- tal in 1863, and served in the army during the Civil War, and, at its close, returned to Brooklyn and began private practice. Entering upon the field of Gynecology as his special study, he has added much to the literature of that subject, both by monographs and more extended works; and, as one of the visiting physicians and Professor of Gynecology in the Long Island College Hospital, he has given both theoreti- cal and clinical instruction. He was President of the Kings County Medical Society, 1874-'76; he is a member of the New York Academy of Medicine.

CHARLES JEWETT was born in Maine. He was educated at Bowdoin College, receiving his first degree in 1864, and A.M. in 1867. For several years after his graduation, he was en- gaged in teaching the Physical Sciences at Cooperstown, N.Y. In 1871, he graduated M.D. from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, N. Y., and settled in Brooklyn. He was Professor of Physical Sciences in the Adelphi Academy; has been a large- contributor to medical periodicals; President of Kings County Medical Society, 1880-1883 ; since 1880, Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Children, in the Long Island College Hospital, and in charge of the Department of Obstetrics in the same institution ; Physician-in-Chief of Department of Children's Diseases in St. Mary's Hospital, and a member of the New York Academy of Medicine.

893

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

LEWIS S. PILCHER was born in Michigan. He took the de- gree of A.B. from the Michigan University, in 1862. Enter- ing the army, he served through the war; and, at its close, entered the Medical Department of the Michigan University, from which he graduated in 1866. The following year, he became an assistant surgeon in the U. S. Navy, remaining in the service till 1872, when he resigned, and settled in Brook- lyn in private practice. From that time till 1883, he lectured on Anatomy at the Long Island College Hospital. Dr. Pilcher has contributed several monographs to medical litera- ture, his most important articles being on Fractures at the Wrist Joint, Croup and Tracheotomy, and a " Treatise on the Treatment of Wounds." He was appointed, with Dr. Purdy, of New York, to superintend the building of the Seney Hos- pital, and is one of the Board of Managers of that institution.

JARVIS S. WIGHT was born in New York. After taking his degree in Arts at Tuft's College, Mass., in 1861, he gradu- ated M.D. from the Long Island College Hospital, in 1864. Till the close of the war, he served as an assistant surgeon in the army. Returning to Brooklyn, in 1865, he held, for some · time, the chair of Materia Medica in the Long Island College Hospital. Later, he became one of the Visiting Surgeons to that institution, and occupied the chair of Surgery and Clinical Surgery. He has contributed many articles to medical journals.

Among the older physicians who have gained prominence in the profession, but of whom space forbids an extended no- tice, stand the names of JOHN BALL, WM. H. THAYER, C. R. MCCLELLAN, I. H. BARBER, and ALEX. COCHRAN, of Brooklyn; J. L. ANDREWS, of East New York; H. L. BARTLETT and J. L. ZABRISKIE, of Flatbush ; S. J. BRADY, C. H. SCHUPPS, and L. W. PALMER, of the Eastern District, and R. E. VAN GIESON, of Greenpoint. Of these, Dr. Bartlett is Attending Physician to the Penitentiary, and a Consulting Surgeon to the Kings County Hospital; Dr. Brady, a Visiting Surgeon to the Eastern District and St. Catherine's Hospitals, and Dr. Zabriskie, Con- sulting Physician to the Kings County Hospital. Among those who have been prominent in the Department of Health, stand the names of B. A. SEGUR, ANDREW OTTERSON, J. T. CONKLING, JAS. CRANE, and J. H. RAYMOND, as Commis- sioners, and JAMES WATT, F. H. STUART, and R. M. WYCKOFF, as Registrars.

Dr. A. N. BELL graduated from the Jefferson Medical Col- lege, in Philadelphia, in 1842. For many years he was in the Medical Department of the United States Navy. After settling in Brooklyn, he was for a long time a Visiting Physi- cian to the Brooklyn City Hospital. He has been one of the State Quarantine Commissioners, and for some years the editor of the Sanitarian.

Among the younger members of the profession who have gained prominence in special work, stand the names of Drs. FRANK W. ROCKWELL and GEO. R. FOWLER, in Surgery. The former is Visiting Surgeon to St. John's, and Chief of Department of Genito-Urinary Surgery at St. Mary's Hospi- tal; the latter Chief of Department of Fractures and Dis- locations at St. Mary's Hospital, and the most earnest advo- cate of antiseptic Surgery among our surgeons. In the

field of Nervous Diseases, Drs. L. C. GRAY and JOHN C. SHAW are eminent. Dr. Gray for a long time lectured on this subject at the Long Island College Hospital, and is now Pro- fessor of Nervous Diseases at the New York Polyclinic, and Chief of the Department of Mental and Nervous Diseases and Electro-Therapy, at St. Mary's Hospital. Dr. Shaw is Superintendent of the Kings County Insane Asylum.

DRS. SAMUEL SHERWELL and T. R. FRENCH have devoted their attention to Diseases of the Throat and Nose. The former is Visiting Physician to the Brooklyn City and Eye and Ear Hospitals; the latter Consulting Laryngotomist to St. Mary's Hospital.

DRS. J. S. PROUT and A. MATHEWSON were both largely instrumental in founding the Eye and Ear Hospital, and both are Attending Surgeons to that institution. Dr. Prout was President of the County Medical Society in 1879. Dr. Mathewson is Chief of the Department of Diseases of the Eye and Ear at St. Mary's Hospital. Among those who have taught medical classes, or are still engaged in that work, are Drs. B. F. WESTBROOK, J. A. MCCORKLE, and J. D. RUSHMORE. Dr. Westbrook, for many years, taught Anatomy at the Long Island College Hospital, and is now Chief of Department of Diseases of the Thorax in St. Mary's Hospital. Dr. McCorkle was for many years chemist to the Toard of Health, and is now Professor of Materia Medica a' and a Visiting Physician to, the Long Island College Hospital; while Dr. Rushmore holds the Chair of Surgery in the Long Island College Hospital, and is At- tending Surgeon to the Brooklyn City, St. Peter's, and the Eye and Ear Hospitals. All of these men have contributed many articles on their specialties to medical literature.

GEORGE G. HOPKINS graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, 1868. He is Visiting Surgeon to St. John's, and has been recently elected one of the Council, and a Con- sulting Surgeon to the Long Island College Hospital, and is now President of the Kings County Medical Society.

The following authorities have been consulted : STILES' History of Brooklyn; Early Settlers of Kings County, by T. G. BERGEN; Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New York, and Documentary History of the State of New York, by E. B. O'CALLAGHAN; THOMPSON'S History of Long Island; Minutes of Common Council of Brooklyn; Revolutionary Incidents of Suffolk and Kings Coun- ties, by HENRY ONDERDONK, Jr .; Proceedings of the Kings County Medical Society; The Biographical Dictionary of Physicians; papers by Drs. TONER, HUTCHISON, SCHENCK, and others. Dr. LEWIS S. PILCHER has also rendered us much valuable assist- ance. Above all, we are under obligations to Dr. R. M. WYCKOFF, who cheerfully gave the use of his valuable notes on the Medical History of the County to assist in this work.

894

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

MEDICAL BIOGRAPHIES.

JOSEPH CHRISMAN HUTCHISON, LL.D.

A leader, not only in the professional circles of his adopted city, but foremost among those surgeons whose attainments have reflected credit upon the American name, is Joseph Chrisman Hutchison. His father, Dr. Nathaniel Hutchison. of Scotch-Irish extraction: his mother, Mary Chrisman, a na- tive of Virginia, were residents of Old Franklin, Howard county, Mo., where he was born, February 22, 1827. He studied at the University of Missouri, and commenced his medical studies at the medical department of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, erjoying, me inwhile, the valuable private instruction of Drs. Gerhard and Peace. Graduating M.D., in 1848, he passed four years in practice in his native state, and, in 1853, came to Brooklyn, where he has since re- mained, and where he has acquired that reputation which now crowns his long and active career. Of the honors which his profession can confer, Dr. Hutchison has had an ample share. He is a member of the Kings County Medical Society, of which he was President in 1864; of the New York State Medical Society, of which he was President in 1867 and 1868 ; of the New York Pathological Society, Presi- dent in 1871; Fellow of the New York Academy of Medi- cine, and its Vice-President in 1869, 1870 and 1871; an hon- orary member of the Connecticut and New Jersey State Medical Societies ; corresponding member of the Boston Gynecological Society ; a delegate from the American Medi- cal Association to the International Medical Congress of 1867, at Paris; and to that of the British Medical Association, at Edinburgh. in 1875 ; a delegate from the N. Y. State Medical Society to the International Medical Congress of 1876, at Philadelphia; and to that at London, in 1881. He is also an honorary member of the New Jersey State Medical Society ; and, in 1880, received the degree of LL.D. from his Alma Mater, the University of Missouri.

The field in which Dr. Hutchison has especially gained his laurels is that of operative surgery, and his record is full of notable cases. During the cholera epidemic of 1854, he was Physician-in-charge of the Brooklyn Cholera Hospital ; he has been, since 1857, Surgeon to the Brooklyn City Hospital, and, for a number of years, Surgeon-in-Chief of the Brook- lyn Orthopedic Infirmary, of which he was the founder. He is also Consulting Surgeon to the Kinga County, St. John's. and St. Peter's Hospitals. In 1834, '35 and '56, he was Lec- turer on Diseases of Women in the medical department of the University of the City of New York ; from 1860 to 1867, Professor of Operative and Clinical Surgery in the Long Island College Hospital, resigning the chair in the latter year. In 1873, '74 and '75, he was Health Commissioner of the city of Brooklyn, and the confidence with which he is regarded by the members of his profession, causes his opinion and experience to be sought, also, in all matters pertaining to the sanitary and medical interests of the city.

He has been a diligent writer, as well as worker; and, among some of his more important publications, may be mentioned those on "Dislocation of the Femur into the Ischiatic Notch " (disse tion); a "Treatise on Physiology and Hygiene," for school use ; "Acupressure," a Prize Essay of the New York State Medical Society ; "Lectures on Ortho- pedic Surgery," delivered at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, N. Y., published 1880 ; reports on " The Removal of the Upper Maxillary and Malar Bones, without External

Incision ; " Excision of the Entire Ulna ; " "Ligation of the External Iliac Artery, for Femoral Aneurism ;" on "Rapid Lithotrity ;" on the "Treatment of Femoral Aneurism by Laying Open the Sac" (method of Antyllus), etc., etc.

Dr. Hutchison married, in 1849, Susan H., daughter of Rev. A. and Martha (Cowles) Benedict, of Farmington, Conn. They have had four children, of whom the eldest was N. Ger- hard Hutchison, M.D., whose biography will be found on page 890. His death at the very outset of his career, was a great sorrow and loss, both to his parents and his profession; mitigated only by the splendid example which it furnished, of heroic sacrifice to professional duty.

SAMUEL FLEET SPEIR, M.D.

SAMUEL FLEET SPEIR, M. D., a prominent physician of Brooklyn, was born in that city, April 9, 1838. His parents were Robert and Hannah (Fleet) Speir. His father, Robert Speir, was a native of New York, and for many years was successfully engaged in that city in mercantile pursuits; and, having acquired a competence, retired from active business in 1856. His mother, née Hannah S. Fleet, was a daughter of Samuel Fleet, who came to Brooklyn from Suffolk county, Long Island, in 1819, and erected what for many years was known as the " Fleet Mansion," located on the corner of Ful- ton and Gold streets. This homestead has been replaced by a block of substantial stores, which were erected by the "Fleet Estate," and is now in the business centre of the city, which has grown from a population of five thousand in 1819, to over a half a million in 1883 (sec engraving, page 895).

Samuel Fleet, the grandfather of S. Fleet Speir, was a lineal descendant, in the fifth generation, from Captain Thomas Fleet, who was the American ancestor of the Fleet family, and who came to this country about 1650, and settled at Northport, near Huntington, Long Island. The English patronymic was Fleetwood, the latter part of the name hav- ing been dropped by Captain Thomas Fleet on his arrival in this country. His father was Sir William Fleetwood, an ad- miral in the English navy, and a person of prominence in his day. A brother of Captain Thomas Fleet (or Fleetwood), née Charles Fleetwood, who died at Stoke-Newington, England, in 1692, occupied a large share of public attention during his lifetime. In 1645, he was a member of Parliament, and was one of a body of commissioners, appointed to treat with the king. He subsequently became an adherent of Oliver Crom- well, and took an active and leading part during the days of the Protectorate, both in military and civil affairs. He mar- ried for a second wife the widow of Ireton, who was a dauglı- ter of Cromwell. Captain Thomas Fleet, previous to coming to this country, was an officer in the British navy and pos- sessed of ample means. He became one of the original pat- entees of Huntington, Long Island, and greatly increased his fortune after locating at that place. His descendants, mostly natives of Suffo'k and Queens counties, are a numerous body, and have during the past two centuries been extensive land- holders in these localities.

Samuel Fleet Speir obtained his education at the Polytech- nic Institute of Brooklyn, and also under the guidance of a private tutor.

Electing to follow the profession of medicine, he began his studies pertaining thereto in 1857; and, at the same time, matriculated in the Medical Department of the University of

location M.D

"SEA BREEZE"-NEW UTRECHT, KINGS COUNTY, L. I .- SUMMER RESIDENCE OF DR. S. FLEET SPEIR, MONTAGUE STREET, BROOKLYN.

Ableet Spec M. D.

895

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

New York, from which he was graduated, in 1860, with the highest honors, being the winner of the "Mott Gold Medal " and the " Van Buren Prize." He became also the recipient of the " Wood Prize," of Bellevue Hospital. Desiring to still further perfect himself in the knowledge of his profession, he repaired to Europe, where he spent some eighteen months at- tending the various hospitals and cliniques, thus acquiring much valuable information both in medicine and surgery. The use of Plaster of Paris splints was brought to his notice dur- ing this time; and Dr. Speir, recognizing the vast importance of their application to the thousands of the wounded in our War of the Rebellion, then at its height, hastened home, and in the latter part of 1863, at the request of the United States Sanitary Commission, he visited the Army of the Potomac, and for several months, and particularly at the Battle of Seven Pines, rendered valuable service in superintending the applying of Plaster of Paris splints to the wounded, by which their transportation or removal was accomplished with much less suffering and a greater degree of safety.

In 1863, he returned to Brooklyn and entered upon the practice of his profession. The year following he again vis- ited Europe for the purpose of perfecting himself in the de- partments of ophthalmology and otology. Upon his return, his abilities in these specialties were recognized by the trus- tees of the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Infirmary, and his services were secured as surgeon to that institution.

A large and increasing practice, both in medicine and sur- gery, through nearly a quarter of a century, combined with an eager desire and a ready power to keep pace with the won- derful progress which has been made in his profession during this period, has placed Dr. Speir in the foremost rank of practitioners in Brooklyn.

Devoted to his calling, he has, from the period of his en- trance to the profession, notwithstanding the labors inciden- tal to a large family practice, found time to contribute to its literature, various papers of note and value. In 1863, his spe- cial experience in a number of cases of jaundice caused him to arrive at conclusions at variance with the then accepted theories, pertaining to this sickness. He promulgated these views in a monograph on the "Pathology of Jaundice," and was awarded a gold medal for the same by the American Medical Association, in 1864. In 1871, he contributed, through the Medical Gazette of New York, a valuable series of papers on the " Use of the Microscope in the Differential Diagnosis of Morbid Growths," with a new method for determining the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancers and tumors. The subject was one of much interest, and the views ad- vanced by Dr. Speir in his writings evinced much study and careful research, as also the ability of the thorough adaptation of means to ends.

In this same year (1871) he introduced to the profession "a new method of arresting surgical hemorrhage by the artery constrictor." This appliance was designed for the instanta- neous and hermetic closure of arteries, without the use of ligature, or other foreign substance, being left in the wound. The plans in vogue at that time for the arrest of arterial hem- orrhage, were ligature, acupressure and torsion. The method employed and suggested by Dr. Speir, combined the advan- tages of each of the old methods of procedure, and has proven beneficial where neither of the previous applications could be used equally as well. His essay on this subject secured to him the "Merritt H. Cash Prize " awarded by the New York State Medical Society. The plan of procedure has also been embod- ied in the works on surgery of Professors Gross and Hamilton, and also Bryant, of Guy's Hospital, London.

Dr. Spier's learning and skill in his profession has at various times been utilized by his associates, in the procuring of his

services for the several institutions connected with the pro- fession in Brooklyn. He has served as Physician, Curator, and Microscopist to the Brooklyn City Hospital, and is at present surgeon of that institution. He has also served as Surgeon to the Tumor and Cancer Department of the Brooklyn City Dis- pensary. The Long Island College Hospital has enjoyed his services as Demonstrator of Anatomy.

He has been identified with the various societies pertaining to his profession, and is a prominent member of the American Medical Association, also of the New York State Medical So- ciety; a member of the New York Pathological Society, Kings County Medical Society, and the New York Medical Journal Association; a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine; and he was, by invitation, a member of the " Inter- national Medical Congress " which was held in Philadelphia in 1876.

Thus, while on the professional side, full attainments, intel- ligence, a ready capacity for business and patient investiga- tion have placed Dr. Speir at the head of his profession, his prudential qualities, liberal, civic and social relations in do- mestic life; the cultivation, manners and bearing of a gentle- man by intuition, render him a favorite in the society of Brooklyn. It is no affectation to say that no member of his profession maintains a more enviable position in that society.

It has been said by a popular French writer, with much truth, "that professions are narrowing; that when too closely followed, they contract instead of expand the intellect; so that outside of professional knowledge many lawyers, physicians and clergymen dwarf their minds by too close confinement to the subtleties and technicalities of their profession." Hence, distinguished professional men of all ages, have liberalized and enlarged their minds by seeking other fields of intellec- tual culture, and by directing their attention to matters of relaxation from the strain and confinement of their calling.

Dr. Speir seems to take this view of professional life, and relieves the tedium, labor and confinement of his large prac- tice by directing his attention to other studies and other sub- jects. As one of the outcomes of this, he is the proprietor of one of the most attractive country seats on Long Island. His tasteful cottage, surrounded by a shrubbery that the English naturalist Shenstone might have envied, stands on a gentle elevation overlooking the lower hay of New York, which is said to rival in beauty the Bay of Naples. Further down in the opening ocean is seen the fine beach of Coney Island, with its magnificent structures; while opposite, far over the waters, appears the fertile country of the Jerseys,

Dr. Speir has given his attention largely to the cultivation of domestic and exotic flowers and shrubs. The exotics, nourished and sustained in winter in commodious, well-ap- pointed conservatories, are transferred to his grounds in the latter days of spring, giving them a sort of oriental beauty. As one wanders through these grounds, thus embellished, he can easily imagine himself in some tropical clime almost as delightful as the Hesperides.

Dr. Speir has also devoted his attention to the raising of the rarest species of dogs. In his kennels can be found the finest and most valuable of the canine tribe, some of them being almost priceless. He has also a fine stud of horses, and a choice herd of Alderney cattle; and last, but not least, he cultivates a lux- urious vegetable and fruit garden.

In this delightful retreat, Dr. Speir, like Pliny the younger, in his villa on the banks of the Mediterranean, spends much of his time during the heated summer months; although it is distant six or seven miles from his town residence, a pleasant and easy route by rail renders his office readily accessible; his professional arrangements are such that none of his numerous patients are neglected, and his practice is uninterrupted.

896

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

Near his country seat is that of his father, qnite as pleasant and attractive as that of the son.

In 1869, Dr. Speir was married to Frances S., daughter of Peter Hegeman of New York, with whom his marriage re- lations have been pleasant and happy.

As a friend, Dr. Speir is sincere and nndeviating; lis un- pretending manners and fine conversational powers render him an attractive and instructive companion. As a citizen, he is sedulons to advance the interests of the community in which he lives.

As he has not yet passed the limits of middle life, with the pleasing surroundings we have described, he has every reason to anticipate a long and prosperous future.

ALEXANDER HUTCHINS, A.M., M.D.

ALEXANDER HUTCHINS. A. M., M.D., was born in New York city, January 24, 1835, and is descended from New England ancestry. After a preliminary course at the Peekskill Academy, he entered Williams College, in 1853, took the Greek oration in the junior year, and gradnated with the valedictory honors, Angust 5, 1857. In 1862, he took the ad eundem degree of Master of Arts. He studied medicine in the Harvard Medical School, and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the New York Medical College, in 1860. At the same time were awarded to him the Van Arken prize and a special degree in the department of Toxi- cological Chemistry. On the day after his gradnation, Dr. Hutchins was appointed Surgeon of the Star of the West, one of the New York, New Orleans and Havana steamers, a position which he held four months. Later, he was appointed Honse Surgeon in the Blackwell's Island Hospital, and, in 1861, received the appointment of Interne of Bellevue Hos- pital, New York. In July, 1861, he was commissioned a Surgeon in the United States Navy, and served in the Brook- lyn Naval Hospital, on the United States steamship Wyan- dotte, on the Harriet Lane, flagship of the Potomac flo- tilla, and afterward on the Massachusetts, supply ship to the Atlantic squadron, till July, 1863, when ill-health ren- dered his resignation necessary.

August 31, 1863, Dr. Hutchins began private practice at 796 DeKalb avenue, Brooklyn, and soon afterward became a member of the Medical Society of Kings County, and, since 1868, has been continuously connected with it officially, fill- ing the office of President during three successive terms (1876- 1878). He was instrumental in founding the Proceedings, the official organ of the society, and in establishing the society's reading-room and library. He is Visiting Physician to the Brooklyn Hospital; Consulting Physician to St. Mary's Hos- pital and the East Brooklyn and Bushwick Dispensary. He became a prominent member of the Medical Society of the State of New York, in 1874, served some years on the committee on by-laws, was awarded the Merritt H. Cash prize for 1875, on "School Hygiene, with reference to the physiological rela- tions of age and sex to mental and physical education," and was elected President of that society in 1883. He is also a member of the American Academy of Medicine. Dr. Hutchins' principal contributions to medical literature have been papers on "Nitrate of Amyl," "Jaborandi," " Apocy- num Cannabinum " "Forced Alimentation," "The Parturient Dose of Ergot," and " Calcium Salicylate in the Serons Diarr- hœas of Infants."

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The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884, Volume II, Part 62

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co Number of Pages: 1345

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co
Number of Pages: 1345