Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/151

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BARNES


BARTHOLOW


the Ira Harris Hospital, taking his degree in the meantime.

Directly after the close of the war, he settled in Pleasant Plains, New York, and began civil practice, succeeding Dr. Jesse F. Merritt, a homeopathist.

In 1866 he married Matilda Armstrong and had three children.

He also kept thoroughly in touch with all the latest in medicine and surgery. Nevertheless, he was always slow to dis- card some well-tried and well-established procedure for one untried.

Among the many valued articles writ- ten by Dr. Barnes was one upon "A New Method of Treating Colles Fracture," printed in the "Medical Record," Janu- ary 21, 1899. This was a gem, and the idea expressed in this paper was original in every respect and called forth favor- able expressions from many leaders in surgery in this country.

Dr. Barnes was president of the Dutchess County Medical Society, 1SS4- 1886, and a member of the New York Medical Association, of which he was a loyal supporter to the end.

He died January 22. 1904.

J. E. S.

Barnes, Joseph K. (1817-1883).

Joseph K. Barnes, surgeon-general of the United States Army was born in Phila- delphia July 21, 1817, and educated at Round Hill School, Northampton, Massa- chusetts and at Harvard University. He studied medicine under Dr. Thomas Harris and later attended lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, whence lie obtained his M. D. in 1838 and in 1840 entered the army as assistant surgeon ring notable service during the Mex- ican War and was present at the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Cherubusco and Molino del Key. After the war he was on duty at various military posts of I he \\ ef I and South. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was made medical director of Hunter's army. Later he served in the same capacity in the Wo-tern Depart- ment and with Halleck's army. In 1862 he was called to Washington, where he


gained the friendship of secretary Staun- ton. When Surgeon-general Hammond was deposed it devolved upon Barnes to perform the duties of surgeon-general and in 1S64 he was appointed successor to Gen. Hammond with the rank of briga- dier general. As surgeon he worked zealously to advance the medical depart- ment of the army, and under his admin- istration the Army Medical Museum and the Surgeon-General's Office Library were established. L T nder him, too, the "Medical and Surgical History of the War" was compiled. It was his sad lot to attend Lincoln and Garfield, the two martyr presidents, in their last hours. Gen. Barnes retired June 30, 18S2, and died in Washington, April 5 of the follow- ing year. A. A.

Pitcher, Surgeon-Generals of the Army, Car- lisle, Pa., 1905.

Bartholow, Roberts (1831-1904).

Army surgeon, physiologist, sani- tary reformer, writer and physician, all these and more was Roberts Bartholow, of Alsatian. English parentage. He was born in New Windsor, Maryland, November 28, 1831. His parents were sufficiently well off to let him go to the New Windsor College, Maryland, where he graduated and took his M. A., after- ward earning his M. D. at the University of Maryland.

A spirit of adventure, after he had taken the rank of army surgeon, led to his going with the force sent to maintain order among the Mormons and Indians in the West, in Brigham Young times. Four years camping in that wild country gave him wide experience in fevers and gunshot wounds, and he had no sooner returned home than the Civil War broke out and gave him three more years of military and surgical experience. But a wife and family induced him to settle down to civil practice in 1864 inCincinna I i, Ohio, and he was fortunately made professor of chemistry in the Medical Col- lege there. His predecessors had been pro- fessional chemists and the appointing of a practising physician was not welcomed