Dr. Samuel Fuller
1788 - 1633
"Mayflower" Physician First in Long Line of Eminent Medical
Practitioners - Not only did the Pilgrims bring their historian
with them but also provided themselves with the first physician, Samuel
Fuller. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. fuller, died soon after they
landed but Dr. Fuller lived until 1633 and left two children.
In the early days of Plymouth County,
and the same was true after it became Plymouth County, the minister was
the most important personagage in town. No town could be
incorporated, according to the Plymouth Court, unless it had a church
and settled minister and could show reasonable ability and disposition
to support the minister. He not only ministered to the souls but
the bodies of the people. There were always plenty who "did not
believe in doctors," and they rather trusted to the prayers of the
pastor and the deacons, as they had Scriptural authority for
doing. As early as 1623, however, Dr. Samuel Fuller of
Plymouth was looked upon as the medical practitioner. This was in
the days of Massasoit, great sachem of Wampanoags, faithful keeper of
the faith with the Pilgrims, and when his son and successor, Alexander,
was taken violently ill in Marshfield, following a controversy with a
committee from Plymouth which waited upon him in his wigwam at
Monponsett Pond, in Halifax, Dr. Fuller was called into the case,
instead of the Indian medicine man.
Early medical practitioners were usually paid
for their services with butter, "taller", cider, spinning and rum, or
other articles of barter, a custom which is not wholly discontinued to
this day.
In cases of illness the stock of dried herbs
hanging from the rafters were steeped and administered by a member of
the family or a neighbor and the minister was called in. If the
doctor was called, he galloped to the door, with his remedies and
surgical instruments in his saddlebags. The lancet was always
ready at hand and most of the items in the early bills, when any were
made out, were for "visit and veesection."
The first physician in the Plymouth Colony,
incidentally the first physician in New England, was Dr. Samuel Fuller
whose home was in that part of the present town of Kingston known as
Rocky Nook. So far as known he never possessed the degree of
Doctor of Medicine, but that was a rare distinction in the early
days. His remedies included many of the homely herbs which were
believed to possess curative properties. His wife was of great
assistance to him in his professional practice, especially acting as
midwife. Governor Bradford refers to him in his history as "a man
of Godly, and forward to do good, being much missed after his
death." In 1629, soon after the settlement of Salem, Governor
Bradford received a request from Governor Endicott, for Dr. Fuller to
come to Salem and help check an epidemic which was prevailing at that
time among the Puritans. The request was acceded to and afterward
Dr. Fuller practiced for a time in Charleston. he died in 1633,
much lamented by the colonists from Cape Cod to Cape Ann.
A nephew of Dr. Fuller came over from England
in 1640, practices in Plymouth for a time, removed to Barnstable in
1652, and in 1673 was appointed surgeon-general to the Provincial
forces raised in the vicinity. He died in 1678.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Pages 117-119
Dr. Francis LeBaron
____ - 1704
Among the early physicians was Dr. Francis LeBaron, a skillful surgeon
and medical practitioner, whose coming to Plymouth was occasioned by
the wreck of a French privateer in Buzzards Bay. The crew were
made prisoners and taken to Boston, charged with cruising on the
American coast with piratical intent. The inhabitants of Plymouth
asked for the release of Dr. LeBaron that he might practice as
physician i that town. The request was granted and he and his
descendants performed exceedingly good service in the colony.
Rev. Samuel LeBaron, who settled in Mattapoisett in 1772, when it was a
part of Rochester, was one of his greatly beloved descendants.
Dr. Francis LeBaron came to Plymouth in
1694. He married the following year Mary, daughter of Edward
Wilder of Hingham. Their oldest son was Dr. Lazarus LeBaron, who
was one of the selectmen of the town of Plymouth from 1735 to 1756,
inclusive, and from 1766 to 1769, inclusive. During those years
he presided at many of the town meetings. It appears from the
records of Plymouth that Dr. Francis LeBaron bequeathed to the town of
Plymouth in his last will about ninety acres of woodland in Carver, not
far from the Middleborough line, and, at a town meeting held in the
courthouse at Plymouth November 3, 1773, a committee was chosen to make
a demand upon the executors of the will of Dr. Lazarus LeBaron of the
donation.
Dr Lazarus LeBaron was born in Plymouth,
December 26, 1698, and died in 1773, aged seventy-five years. Two
sons, Joseph and Lazarus, became physicians.
There is on Burial Hill in Plymouth a dark
slate tombstone, about eighteen inches above the ground on which
appears "Here lyes ye body of Francis Le Bararran phititian who
departed this life Aug ye 8the 1704 in ye 36 year of his age" His
name has been immortalized by Mrs. Jane G. Austin in her book, " A
Nameless Nobleman."
Opposite is a large thick stone, four feet
tall and about the same width, of gray slate on which appears the dates
of his birth and death and the following epitaph:
My flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise
And in my Saviour's image rise.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 119
Dr.
Samuel Seabury
____ - 1680
Dr. Samuel Seabury was an early physician in Duxbury. Baas'
"History of Medicine" refers to him as having died in 1680, leaving an
estate as follows:
Nicholas Culpeppier Practice of
Physic 1.4 s. o p
Nicholas Culpeppier
Anatomy
3 s
Reed's Practice of
Surgery
1 s. 6 p
Physician's Practice
1 s
Latin
Herbal
1.10 s
Art of Distillation, by Jno.
French
2 s
Surgical
Instruments
12 s
Antimonial
Cup
5 s
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 120
Dr.
James Thatcher
____ - 1844
There is a record of Dr. James Thatcher, a native of Barnstable who
became a surgeon in the Revolutionary War, and afterwards was author of
several books. Among them were: "Revolutionary Journal," "
Medical Biography," "History of Plymouth," " American Orchardist," and
"Medical Dispensary." He had studied medicine with Dr. Abner Hersey. After serving
seven and a half years as an army surgeon he settled in Plymouth and
there is this testimony recorded as coming from his quill: "I
have seen public offices courting competent men to fill them; and I
have seen them filled by men who with a religious conscientiousness
acquitted themselves of the duty: but this now seems an antiquated
morality."
Dr. Thatcher in his "Military Journal of the
Revolutionary War," refers to an occurrence in Barnstable in 1774: "A
body of men assembled and obstructed the passage of the court-house
door. The leader of this assemblage was Dr. Nathaniel Freeman of
Sandwich, a bold Son of Liberty. Col. James Otis, the venerable
chief justice, preceded by the sheriff, approached and demanded
admission. Dr. Freeman replied that it was the intention of the
people to prevent the court being opened to exercise those
unconstitutional powers with which Parliament had invested them.
The chief justice, in his majesty's name, commanded them to disperse
and permit the court to enter and proceed to business. But his
majesty's name had lost its power. It can have no charms with the
"Sons of Liberty." The judge then said he had acquitted himself
of duty, and retired. The proceedings had been discussed and
concerted prior to the court term, and Col. Otic, himself a staunch
whig, was, it is believed, not only apprised of, but actually
acquiesced in their bold measure.
----------
To return to Dr. James Thatcher, during his
long term as a physician and surgeon in the Revolutionary War, he first
served as surgeon's mate under Dr. John Warren. He was later, in
a different regiment, in the expedition of Ticonderoga, was at the
siege of Yorktown, witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis and the
execution of Major Andre. He retired from army service in 1783,
and settled in Plymouth. Through his efforts the canopy was
erected over Plymouth Rock, a picture of which for generations appeared
in most of the geographies studied throughout the united States.
The canopy had built into it the bones of some of the Pilgrim
Fathers. It was torn down ad replaced by another canopy previous
to the celebration of the Tercentenary of the Pilgrims in 1920.
Dr. Thatcher and his brother-in-law, Dr.
Nathan Hayward, established the first stage line between Plymouth and
Boston, in 1796. He heard of the burning of anthracite coal in
Pennsylvania and was the first to use that fuel in Plymouth. He
introduced the tomato plant in Plymouth. It was in those days
called "love apple," and by most people not considered suitable for
food.
Many books on medical subjects were written by
Dr. Thatcher. In one of these books on "Observations on
Hydrofobia," published in 1812, he expressed the opinion that there
might
be methods of prevention or cure and that study along that line should
be encouraged. He had been a member of the Massachusetts Medical
Society at that time nearly a decade and his inclination to adopt new
ideas and his thoughts in advance of his generation attracted much
attention among his fellow-members. Among the student whom he
instructed in his office was Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff, of Carver, and
ancestor of Dr. W. D. Shurtleff of Kingston. He received the
honorary degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Medicine from Harvard
college and from Dartmouth College in 1810 and was made a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He died in 1844, one of
the most progressive citizens of Massachusetts.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Pages 120-122
Dr.
Abner Hersey
____ - 1787
Dr. Abner Hersey, to whom Dr. Thatcher
had been apprenticed when he was eighteen years of age, was one of
three sons of James Hersey of Hingham who became physicians.
Ezekiel was graduated from Harvard College in 1728 and practiced in
Hingham. Dr. James Hersey practiced in Barnstable and it was from
him that Dr. Abner Hersey obtained his early knowledge of medicine,
studying in his office. While thus engaged Dr. James died
and Dr. Abner carried on the practice.
A Vegetarian and Wore Red Flannel- The
latter
was eccentric, wore large, loose-fitting garments, his overcoat
consisting of seven calfskins lined with flannel and, as red flannel
was
supposed to have peculiarly effective remedial qualities at that time,
it is presumed that the lining was of that lurid hue. Dr. Hersey
ate principally fruit, mild and vegetables, was a vegetarian and
total abstainer from alcoholic beverages, which was, in itself,
sufficient in those days to give him a reputation for being decidedly
"queer." He was, however, a studious, skillful and much liked
physician and one of the early members of the Massachustts [sic]
Medical Society, the parent society in New England. He
accumulated an ample estate, the chief part of which he bequeathed to
the churches in Barnstable. He left five hundred pounds to
establish a professorship of anatomy and surgery at Harvard
College. He died January 9, 1787, aged sixty-six.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Pages 120-121
Dr.
Jonathan Leonard
1763 - 1849
Among those early members, in addition to those already mentioned in
that connection, was Dr. Leonard, who was born in Bridgewater, February
17, 1763. His ancestor, Solomon Leonard, was one of the
original proprietors of Bridgewater, moving to that place from Duxbury.
Dr. Leonard attended Harvard College and two
years after his graduation from that institution in 1786, settled in
Sandwich. Harvard College conferred upon him the honorary degree
of Doctor of Medicine in 1824. It has been said of him "He had
the confidence and respect of his associates and was held in esteem as
far as his name was known." His death occurred January 25, 1849,
aged eighty-six years.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 122
Dr.
Charles T. Jackson
1805 - 1880
Another of the early physicians, conspicuous in walks of honor and
service to their fellow-men, aside from their professional
requirements, included Dr. Charles T. Jackson, who was born in Plymouth
in 1805, graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1829, studied later
in Paris and was made a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, in recognition of his scientific labor and research. He
served as geologist of Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, explored
the southern shores of Lake Superior and opened a copper mine. It
is said that he suggested the possibility of communication by means of
electricity and made important discoveries before Professor Samuel F.
B. Morse secured a patent for the telegraph in 1840.
Discovery and Application of Ether- A
memorial was presented to Congress in 1852, signed by 143 physicians of
Boston, ascribing the discovery of anesthesia exclusively to Dr.
Jackson. A contradictory claim was made in behalf of Dr. W.T.G.
Morton and scientific and general opinion have been divided whether one
of the other should receive credit for this great advance in saving of
human life by surgery. The French Academy of Science decreed a
prize of 2,500 francs to Dr. Jackson for the discovery of etherization
and the same amount to Dr. Morton for the application. Dr.
Jackson received decorations from the governments of France, Prussia,
Sweden, Turkey and Sardinia, his recognition as a man of broad and
scientific learning extending into many countries. He died in
1880.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 122-3
(See "The
Unusual History of Ether" for more info & a pic of Dr. Jackson.)
Dr.
Gridley Thaxter
1756 - 1845
Dr. Gridley Thaxter, one of the Revolutionary War surgeons, was born in
Hingham, April 9, 1756. He engaged as a surgeon on the privateer
"Speedwell" and sailed from Boston in 1776, under Captain Jonathan
Greeley. He continued on her during the taking of several prized
until 1778. He served with Captain David Ropes of Salem in the
brig "Wildcat", which was a schooner of fourteen tons, in the harbor of
Halifax, which subsequently was recaptured by a schooner, brig and two
sloops. The frigate "Surprise" proved truly named to them and the
following day they were upon her deck as prisoners. Dr. Thaxter
remained on the prison ship about three months. He was exchanged
from Halifax a month later.
He was on the brig "Warrior" fourteen guns,
Captain William Patten, Jr., in May, 1780, when that brig was captured
by the sloop-of-war "Captain Ingalls". He was kept aboard a
prison ship three weeks in New York. After his release he shipped
on the State ship "Mars," Captain Simeon Sampson, and remained as
surgeon until 1781.
Dr. Thaxter had bought a set of dishes in
Paris which, strangely enough, he was able to retain in his possession
during several of his Revolutionary adventures. He intended them
as a gift to his bride when he should be married at the close of the
war. The dishes were still intact when he was discharged from the
service and he stored them in his father's barn in Hingham until his
approaching wedding. This took place, the bride being the
daughter of General Benjamin Lincoln of Hingham, who also served in the
Revolutionary War.
Dr. Thaxter got the girl but she never got the
dishes, as the Thaxter was burned and only two dishes were saved.
Those two, however, have come down with the story from Revolutionary
times and are still cherished possessions. One of them was
exhibited at the observance of the sixtieth anniversary of the
organization of the Plymouth District Medical Society at Abington, May
27, 1911, by Dr. Giman Osgood, at that time historian of the society.
Dr. Thaxter moved from Hingham to Abington in
1783. He died in that town in 1845, aged eighty-nine years.
Dr. Ezekiel Thaxter, son of Dr. Gridley
Thaxter, was a physician in Abington, beginning before the death of his
father, and succeeding him until his death October 11, 1856. he
was sixty-nine years of age. The last three years of his life he
suffered from paralysis. He held the office of town clerk of
Abington from 1821 to 1832.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 123-4
Dr.
John Clark
One of the most noted men in the colony was Dr. John Clark. He
early took a scientific interest in promoting agriculture and
especially in the introduction of improved breeds of horses, cattle and
other domestic animals.
Source: "History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 124
Dr.
Zaccheus Bartlett
One of the founders of the Pilgrim Society, which has done so much to
preserve sites and locations of early history, was Dr. Zaccheus
Bartlett. He was graduated from Harvard in 1789 and was orator of
the day at the observance of the Pilgrim anniversary in 1798.
Source: "History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 124
Among the early physicians of note who served in the Revolutionary War
was Dr. Harvey N. Preston.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 124
Governor Winthrop has left us a record of
Dr. Robert Child who settled in Hingham in 1644, saying he was "a man
of quality, a gentleman and a scholar."
Note: For more insight on the Dr, read:: "Dr.
Robert Child, and His Troubles with the Puritan Fathers."
Found on the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 124
Dr. David Jones of Abington settle in
that town about 1750. He was a scientific man and one of fine
distinctions. Cole brook courses through the farm which he
occupied and various reasons have been given for the name, many
supposing that it was named in honor of some person of that
name. Others have said that Cold Brook was the correct name and
it took other other name from the prevailing habit of Yankees to
neglect
sounding the final d. Dr. Jones, however, observed that
along the banks of this stream cole, a kind of kale or cabbage which
does not form a head, grew luxuriantly and he named the brook in
various references as deserving of this distinction.
He was one of the selectmen of Abington six years,
was chosen by the town to purchase a bell of about 600 pounds weight
for the First Church. In 1774, he was chosen a delegate from the
town to a county congress held in Plympton. At the convention he
was chosen one of the committee to report resolves on the oppressive
acts of the British Parliament and the rights of the Colonies. He
was a delegate to the first Provincial
Congress at Salem, October 5,
1774, and also at the third at Watertown, july 31, 1775. He was a
delegate to the convention at Cambridge in September, 1779, to form a
State Constitution. His son, Dr. David Jones, Jr., was a surgeon
in the Revolutionary War. He had a hospital for smallpox patients
in Abington for a year or two. He moved to Yarmouth, Maine, where
he practiced over thirty years.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 124
Dr. Jeremiah Hall of
Hanover settled in that town in 1749, was surgeon in Captain Joseph
Thatcher's company in 1757, during the French and Indian War, moved to
Pembroke in 1764. While a practicing physician in Pembroke he was
chosen a delegate to the Provincial
Congresses of 1774-75.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Pages 124-5
Dr. Lemuel Cushing
succeeded him as practitioner in Hanover During the Revolution he
served as surgeon in the army, by appointment of the Provincial
Congress.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 125
Another Hanover
physician of
distinction in the Revolutionary times was Dr. Peter Hobart. He
was an apprentice to Jeremiah Lincoln as an iron smith but was
ambitious to receive an education and entered Harvard College with
savings which he had earned as an iron worker. He was graduated
from Harvard in 1775, settled in Hanover at the age of twenty-five, and
was a useful citizen and skillful practitioner. On his tombstone
in Center Hanover Cemetery appears the following epitaph:
Thousands of journeys, night and day,
I've traveled weary on the way
To heal the sick-but now I am gone
A journey never to return.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 125
Dr.
Joseph Bossuet
Dr. Joseph Bossuet came from Paris, France, his native city, and joined
forces with the American colonists about the same time as
Lafayette. He was a physician and surgeon in the Washington army,
was captured by the British and suffered heavy property losses, which
is supposed to have determined his decision to remain in this country
and continue his practice. He practiced in Hanover and Higham, in
the former town in 1799 and 1800 and possibly longer.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 125
Dr. Pierre Cartier, a
Frenchman of
scholarly attainments but eccentric, came to Plymouth from the Island
of Martinique about this time and was a physician in Hanover seven
years. He practiced for a time in Hanson and returned to
Martinique.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 125
Dr. Richard Briggs practiced
in Abington
about 1780. He was a surgeon on board a public ship in the
Revolutionary War. His practice in Abington covered thirty years
and he then moved to Chesterfiled in Hampshire County. He left
numerous children, some of whom moved West.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Page 125
Dr.
Philip Bryant
____ - 1817
Grandfather of a
Poet-Dr. Philip
Bryant, a native of Middleborough, early became a resident of North
Bridgewater, to which town (now Brockton) his father moved at a time
when, as Dr. Bryant has been quoted as saying :"a greater part of it
was thought unfit for the purpose of settlement."
There was, at the same time, a Dr.
Abiel Howard in West Bridgewater, an older physician, to
whom Dr.
Bryant became an apprentice. Dr. Howard had a daughter who later
became the wife of Dr. Philip Bryant and, in time, the grandmother of
William Cullen Bryant, the noted poet. Dr. Bryant practiced
medicine in North Bridgewater until his death, at the age of
eighty-five years, in 1817.
One of his sons, Dr. Peter
Bryant, was born in North Bridgewater August 12, 1767.
He was a
pronounced student, gaining much knowledge and inspiration from his
visits to his grandfather, Dr. Abiel Howard, in West Bridgewater, who
was the possessor of an unusually good library for those times.
From both his grandfather and father he obtained a knowledge of
medicine, supplemented by study under Dr. Louis Leprilite of Norton,
Massachusetts, a French physician and surgeon of eminence.
He moved to Cummington, Massachusetts, married a
daughter of Ebenezer Snell, also a native of North Bridgewater.
Present at the wedding was the grandmother of the bride, Mrs. Abigail
Snell, who lived to see seven generations of descendants and was nearly
one hundred years of age at her death.
For several years, Dr. Peter Bryant
represented the fast-growing town of Cummington in the General Court of
Massachusetts, serving in both the House and Senate. He took a
prominent part in legislation to raise the standard of medical
education in the Commonwealth. He was a careful and successful
practitioner, using every opportunity to improve himself in his
profession and as a citizen. He traveled to ports in the Indian
Ocean, spent a time on the Isle of France perfecting himself in the
French language, wrote occasional poems and was a man of attainment
unusual in his day. In politics he served with zeal as a member
of the Federal party and some of his satirical verses, printed in the
"Hampshire Gazette,"showed alike his scholarship and uncompromising
convictions.
Note: More information on the family can
be found
in the Biography of William Cullen
Bryant on the Virtual
American Biographies Website and on the Town of
Cummington William Cullen Bryant Homestead website.
Source:
"History of
Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable Counties
Massachusetts; Volume I" by Elroy S. Thompson. Pub. 1928. Pages 125-126
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