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Joseph A. White 1848-1941
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OBITUARIES
flexes through the midbrain. The second, localization of fibers from the retina to the visual cortex. The third, innervation of the eye, and the fourth, the visual system. The text figures are clear and illustrate the visual mechanism satis factorily. The entire book would be valu able to the student of ophthalmo-neurology as well as of neurology in general. Lawrence T. Post.
OBITUARIES J O S E P H A. W H I T E 1848-1941 On February 16, 1941, Dr. Joseph A. White of Richmond, Virginia, one of the earliest specialists in the South, died in his ninety-third year. Dr. White, dean of eye, ear, nose, and throat specialists of the South Atlantic seaboard, was born in Baltimore on April 19, 1848. He received his early education in the parochial schools in Bal timore and later attended college at Rock Hill College, Loyola College, and St. Mary's College, and from the latter in stitution he received the degree of Mas ter of Arts. From this institution he en tered the University of Maryland, where he was graduated from the medical de partment in 1869. Wishing to pursue his training in medicine further, he then went for study at the ficole de Medecine, Paris, France, and at the Universities of Baden, Heidelberg, and Berlin, Germany. In 1872, Dr. White returned to Bal timore to practice general surgery. Dur ing the next few years he gradually be gan to limit his practice to diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat, and seven years later he located in Richmond, Virginia, to confine himself entirely to this special ity. He often stated that his reason for leaving Baltimore was that there was not room in Baltimore for two such special
ists as Dr. Chisholm and himself. In Richmond, Dr. White very quickly established a large practice, since condi tions connected with his speciality, up to that time, had been more or less neg lected. His skill and his personality soon won for him wide recognition, and for over 60 years he continued a busy, pro gressive, and lucrative practice. Aside from his private practice, he spent much time at his own private clinic, which he founded and which was oper ated exclusively for the care of indigent patients. For many years he was active in teaching, first at the University Col lege of Medicine and later at the Medical College of Virginia when the two schools merged in 1913. His lectures were most interesting. His charming personality combined with his witticisms, personal experiences, and his succinct phraseology held the close attention of his students. He frequently used lantern slides to dem onstrate his lectures and occasionally "by mistake" a slide of some Parisienne model would get among his medical slides, much to the delight of his students. Dr. White was a frequent writer of medical papers. He contributed not only to the journals of his speciality but to journals that would bring special mes sages to general practitioners and others. Although his articles were not long they were well expressed, and always brought forth some progressive idea. About 60 different reprints of his articles are in existence but it is highly possible that he wrote over three times that number. Dr. White's charming personality and his keen intellect brought to him many posts of honor in the national societies. In 1884 and 1885 he was chairman of the Section on Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association, later president of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, president of the Tri-State Medical As-
OBITUARIES
soeiation of the Carolinas and Virginia, president of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, and president of the Medical Society of Virginia. He was also honored by membership in the American Otological Society and the American Ophthalmological Society. Dr. White originated the most com monly used antiseptic ointment in oph thalmology (White's ointment). There has been no operator with whom I have come in contact who had the calm assurance possessed by Dr. White. He studied his cases carefully before opera tion, he operated with great dexterity, and when the operation was completed he left with the feeling that he had done his best, and no worries attended his mind after office hours. He expected his patients to do well after an operation but if they did not he was not perturbed. One remarkable attribute of this noted physician was his continued youthful en thusiasm for all progressive things in ophthalmology and to a lesser extent in otolaryngology. During the past few years of his life he continued to read widely, subscribing to the best journals of this country, of France, and of Germany and digested them with thoroughness. Even beyond the age of four score he adopted the newer operations devised by others and acquired new instruments to per fect his skill in these operations. He sought companionship of his youthful as sociates and was always eager to teach them and equally eager to learn from them. He was a leader in the civic and social life of Richmond for several decades, since he was an artful dancer, brilliant conversationalist, and always a perfect gentleman. Through the death of Dr. White the South Atlantic States have lost an out standing leader in his profession, and it is difficult to realize that such a dynamic
1209
personality has been removed from his field of long usefulness. Robert H. Courtney.
THOMAS ADAMS W O O D R U F F 1866-1941 It is my sad duty to report the death of our old and valued friend, Thomas Adams Woodruff. Dr. Woodruff died at his home in New London, Connecticut, on April 15th, after a lingering illness. He was seventy-five years of age. His medical career covered a period of 50 years, the first four years of which were spent in general practice in Chicago. For 23 years thereafter he confined his practice to ophthalmology in Chicago. In 1918 he went to New London, Connec ticut, where he lived and continued to practice his specialty until the time of his death. Dr. Woodruff was born in St. Cath erines, Ontario, on June 4, 1865, the son of Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff and Jane Sanderson Woodruff. His early education was acquired at the Upper Canada College in Toronto. He took his M.D. and C M . degrees at Magill University in 1888. Postgraduate work followed in Berlin, Vienna, Gottingen, and in London, where in 1890 he became a Licentiate of the Royal Col lege of Physicians. During the 27 years of his practice in Chicago he was perhaps best known in the Chicago Ophthalmological Society, of which he was president in 1908. He served as ophthalmic surgeon on the staffs of St. Luke's and St. Anthony de Padua Hospitals, and for many years held the post of editorial secretary of the Ophthalmic Record. He held the rank of Major in the United States Army Medical Corps, and
OBITUARIES
flexes through the midbrain. The second, localization of fibers from the retina to the visual cortex. The third, innervation of the eye, and the fourth, the visual system. The text figures are clear and illustrate the visual mechanism satis factorily. The entire book would be valu able to the student of ophthalmo-neurology as well as of neurology in general. Lawrence T. Post.
OBITUARIES J O S E P H A. W H I T E 1848-1941 On February 16, 1941, Dr. Joseph A. White of Richmond, Virginia, one of the earliest specialists in the South, died in his ninety-third year. Dr. White, dean of eye, ear, nose, and throat specialists of the South Atlantic seaboard, was born in Baltimore on April 19, 1848. He received his early education in the parochial schools in Bal timore and later attended college at Rock Hill College, Loyola College, and St. Mary's College, and from the latter in stitution he received the degree of Mas ter of Arts. From this institution he en tered the University of Maryland, where he was graduated from the medical de partment in 1869. Wishing to pursue his training in medicine further, he then went for study at the ficole de Medecine, Paris, France, and at the Universities of Baden, Heidelberg, and Berlin, Germany. In 1872, Dr. White returned to Bal timore to practice general surgery. Dur ing the next few years he gradually be gan to limit his practice to diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat, and seven years later he located in Richmond, Virginia, to confine himself entirely to this special ity. He often stated that his reason for leaving Baltimore was that there was not room in Baltimore for two such special
ists as Dr. Chisholm and himself. In Richmond, Dr. White very quickly established a large practice, since condi tions connected with his speciality, up to that time, had been more or less neg lected. His skill and his personality soon won for him wide recognition, and for over 60 years he continued a busy, pro gressive, and lucrative practice. Aside from his private practice, he spent much time at his own private clinic, which he founded and which was oper ated exclusively for the care of indigent patients. For many years he was active in teaching, first at the University Col lege of Medicine and later at the Medical College of Virginia when the two schools merged in 1913. His lectures were most interesting. His charming personality combined with his witticisms, personal experiences, and his succinct phraseology held the close attention of his students. He frequently used lantern slides to dem onstrate his lectures and occasionally "by mistake" a slide of some Parisienne model would get among his medical slides, much to the delight of his students. Dr. White was a frequent writer of medical papers. He contributed not only to the journals of his speciality but to journals that would bring special mes sages to general practitioners and others. Although his articles were not long they were well expressed, and always brought forth some progressive idea. About 60 different reprints of his articles are in existence but it is highly possible that he wrote over three times that number. Dr. White's charming personality and his keen intellect brought to him many posts of honor in the national societies. In 1884 and 1885 he was chairman of the Section on Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association, later president of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, president of the Tri-State Medical As-
OBITUARIES
soeiation of the Carolinas and Virginia, president of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, and president of the Medical Society of Virginia. He was also honored by membership in the American Otological Society and the American Ophthalmological Society. Dr. White originated the most com monly used antiseptic ointment in oph thalmology (White's ointment). There has been no operator with whom I have come in contact who had the calm assurance possessed by Dr. White. He studied his cases carefully before opera tion, he operated with great dexterity, and when the operation was completed he left with the feeling that he had done his best, and no worries attended his mind after office hours. He expected his patients to do well after an operation but if they did not he was not perturbed. One remarkable attribute of this noted physician was his continued youthful en thusiasm for all progressive things in ophthalmology and to a lesser extent in otolaryngology. During the past few years of his life he continued to read widely, subscribing to the best journals of this country, of France, and of Germany and digested them with thoroughness. Even beyond the age of four score he adopted the newer operations devised by others and acquired new instruments to per fect his skill in these operations. He sought companionship of his youthful as sociates and was always eager to teach them and equally eager to learn from them. He was a leader in the civic and social life of Richmond for several decades, since he was an artful dancer, brilliant conversationalist, and always a perfect gentleman. Through the death of Dr. White the South Atlantic States have lost an out standing leader in his profession, and it is difficult to realize that such a dynamic
1209
personality has been removed from his field of long usefulness. Robert H. Courtney.
THOMAS ADAMS W O O D R U F F 1866-1941 It is my sad duty to report the death of our old and valued friend, Thomas Adams Woodruff. Dr. Woodruff died at his home in New London, Connecticut, on April 15th, after a lingering illness. He was seventy-five years of age. His medical career covered a period of 50 years, the first four years of which were spent in general practice in Chicago. For 23 years thereafter he confined his practice to ophthalmology in Chicago. In 1918 he went to New London, Connec ticut, where he lived and continued to practice his specialty until the time of his death. Dr. Woodruff was born in St. Cath erines, Ontario, on June 4, 1865, the son of Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff and Jane Sanderson Woodruff. His early education was acquired at the Upper Canada College in Toronto. He took his M.D. and C M . degrees at Magill University in 1888. Postgraduate work followed in Berlin, Vienna, Gottingen, and in London, where in 1890 he became a Licentiate of the Royal Col lege of Physicians. During the 27 years of his practice in Chicago he was perhaps best known in the Chicago Ophthalmological Society, of which he was president in 1908. He served as ophthalmic surgeon on the staffs of St. Luke's and St. Anthony de Padua Hospitals, and for many years held the post of editorial secretary of the Ophthalmic Record. He held the rank of Major in the United States Army Medical Corps, and