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American physicians George McClellan
AMERICAN
PHYSICIANS
GEORGE MCCLELLAN
G
EORGE MCCLELLAN was a chsracter, an eminent surgeon, and the founder of Jefferson MedicaI CoIIege of PhiIadeIphia. He was born at Woodstock, Connecticut, December 23, 1796. His father was the principa1 of the Woodstock Academy where George received his earIy education. He bvent to YaIe and received his B.A. in 1816. After Ieaving YaIe he entered the of&e of Dr. Thomas Hubbard, Iater professor of surgery in the MedicaI CoIIege of New Haven, but after a year he moved to PhiIadeIphia, where he became a pupi of John Syng Dorsey. He entered the medica department of the University of PennsyI\,ania and received his M.D. in 1819, his thesis being, “SurgicaI Anatomy of Arteries.” WhiIe a student he was resident undergraduate in the PhiIadeIphia AImsand did on house, where he dissected the cadavers a11 the then known surgica1 operations. McCIeIIan began practice in PhiIadeIphia and became known as “a boId, talented surgeon.” He opened a dissecting room and gave private courses of Iectures. In 182 I he founded an Institution for the Diseases of the Eye and Ear, which Iived for four years. After great opposition and a spectacuIar 60 mile ride to the capita1, Harrisburg, on horseback, where he got a charter from
the IegisIature, McCIeIIan with a few coadjutors founded Jefferson Medical CoIIege (1823). There he was professor of from 1826 to 1838 when the surgery trustees vacated a11 the professorships for reasons and excIuded McCIeIIan, unknown. He at once started a third medica school. He got a charter for “The Medical Department of PennsyIvania CoIIege” (1839), the schoo1 starting with IOO pupiIs. It endured unti1 the time of the CiviI War. He was one of the pioneers in the extirpation of the parotid gIand. In 1830 he extirpated the scapuIa ind the cIavicIe for maIignancy, without anesthetic and without artery forceps. Present-day surgeons might contempIate such an operation. McCIeIIan, aIso, resectec1 the ribs, then a novel operation. S. D. Gross became his private pupil. In 1820 he married EIizabeth Brinton. They had five chiIdren; one of the grandsons was George McCIeIIan. He had a passion for the good things of Iife, fme horses and racing. He died poor . . . “He bought town Iots, buiIt houses and Iost money.” He was stiicken with “an ulcerative perforation of the smaI1 intestine” and died suddenIy, May 8, 184-. T. S. W.
PHYSICIANS
GEORGE MCCLELLAN
G
EORGE MCCLELLAN was a chsracter, an eminent surgeon, and the founder of Jefferson MedicaI CoIIege of PhiIadeIphia. He was born at Woodstock, Connecticut, December 23, 1796. His father was the principa1 of the Woodstock Academy where George received his earIy education. He bvent to YaIe and received his B.A. in 1816. After Ieaving YaIe he entered the of&e of Dr. Thomas Hubbard, Iater professor of surgery in the MedicaI CoIIege of New Haven, but after a year he moved to PhiIadeIphia, where he became a pupi of John Syng Dorsey. He entered the medica department of the University of PennsyI\,ania and received his M.D. in 1819, his thesis being, “SurgicaI Anatomy of Arteries.” WhiIe a student he was resident undergraduate in the PhiIadeIphia AImsand did on house, where he dissected the cadavers a11 the then known surgica1 operations. McCIeIIan began practice in PhiIadeIphia and became known as “a boId, talented surgeon.” He opened a dissecting room and gave private courses of Iectures. In 182 I he founded an Institution for the Diseases of the Eye and Ear, which Iived for four years. After great opposition and a spectacuIar 60 mile ride to the capita1, Harrisburg, on horseback, where he got a charter from
the IegisIature, McCIeIIan with a few coadjutors founded Jefferson Medical CoIIege (1823). There he was professor of from 1826 to 1838 when the surgery trustees vacated a11 the professorships for reasons and excIuded McCIeIIan, unknown. He at once started a third medica school. He got a charter for “The Medical Department of PennsyIvania CoIIege” (1839), the schoo1 starting with IOO pupiIs. It endured unti1 the time of the CiviI War. He was one of the pioneers in the extirpation of the parotid gIand. In 1830 he extirpated the scapuIa ind the cIavicIe for maIignancy, without anesthetic and without artery forceps. Present-day surgeons might contempIate such an operation. McCIeIIan, aIso, resectec1 the ribs, then a novel operation. S. D. Gross became his private pupil. In 1820 he married EIizabeth Brinton. They had five chiIdren; one of the grandsons was George McCIeIIan. He had a passion for the good things of Iife, fme horses and racing. He died poor . . . “He bought town Iots, buiIt houses and Iost money.” He was stiicken with “an ulcerative perforation of the smaI1 intestine” and died suddenIy, May 8, 184-. T. S. W.