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1771 - 1830 (58 years)
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Name |
Ephriam McDowell |
Prefix |
Dr. |
Born |
11 Nov 1771 |
Augusta Co. VA |
Gender |
Male |
Died |
25 June, 1830 |
Danville, Mercer Co. KY |
Buried |
McDowell Park Danville Boyle Co. KY |
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Notes |
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_McDowell
Ephraim McDowell received his early education at the classical seminary of Worley and James, then spent three years as a medical student under Dr. Alexander Humphreys in Staunton, Virginia. He attended lectures in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1793 to 1794 and studied privately with John Bell. He never received a diploma, but in 1825, the University of Maryland conferred on him an honorary M.D. degree.
In 1795, he returned from Scotland, settled in Danville, Kentucky and began his practice as a surgeon. Dr. McDowell played a prominent role in his community. He was a founder of Trinity Episcopal Church in Danville, donating the land for its first building. He was also a founder and original corporator of Centre College in Danville. Dr. McDowell became a member of the Philadelphia Medical Society in 1817.
One of his most famous patients was James K. Polk, for whom he removed a urinary stone and repaired a hernia. In 1809 he removed a 22.5 pound ovarian tumor from Jane Todd Crawford. This was the first successful removal of an ovarian tumor in the world. It was done before anesthesia and antiseptics. The operation took 25 minutes to perform. Mrs. Crawford returned to her home in Green County 25 days after the operation and lived another 32 years.
All attempts at abdominal exploration before 1809 had resulted in peritonitis and death. So, understanding the procedures taken by Dr. McDowell is important. Descriptions of McDowell include phrases like "neat and clean" or "scrupulously clean." He was not only neat, but meticulous.
In 1879, a monument in his honor was erected by the Medical Society of Kentucky in Danville. In 1929, Isaac Wolfe Bernheim donated a bronze statue of McDowell by Charles Henry Niehaus to the state of Kentucky for placement in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection. In 1959, a United States stamp was issued in his honor. Dr. McDowell's house, office, and apothecary in Danville are preserved as a museum and are designated a National Historic Landmark. Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville is named in his honor.
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Person ID |
I10218 |
Master File |
Last Modified |
5 Jul 2012 |
Father |
Colonel Samuel McDowell, b. 07 Nov 1735, Pennsylvania , d. 25 Oct 1817, Danville, Mercer Co. KY (Age 81 years) |
Mother |
Mary MCCLUNG, b. 28 Oct 1735, Coleraine, Londonderry, Ireland , d. Oct 1827, Mercer Co. KY (Age 91 years) |
Married |
17 Jan 1754 |
Augusta Co. VA |
Family ID |
F6585 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Family |
Sarah Shelby, b. 08 Oct 1785, Stanford, Lincoln Co. KY , d. 17 Oct 1846, Danville, Boyle Co. KY (Age 61 years) |
Married |
1802 |
Last Modified |
31 Dec 2011 |
Family ID |
F6586 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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