Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 2.djvu/39

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HUNT


23


HUNT


of Light Artillery of Maine, and served through the war.

He afterwards studied medicine at the Portland School for medical instruction, graduating at the Medical School of Maine in 1867. He then took post-grad- uate courses at Philadelphia and began to practice at Gorham until 1882, then find- ing the wear and tear of country practice too hard he moved to Portland, where he rapidly obtained a choice of clientage.

In 1884 he was chosen to the chair of physiology in the Medical School of Maine, but resigned in 1891, owing to poor health. He was a member of the Maine Medical Association, of the American Medical Association, and a visiting physician to the Maine General Hospital for many years. In 1887 he married Miss Gertrude Jewell, of Buffalo.

Henry Hunt was a type of the best class of physicians, studious, tireless, patient. His opinion was always prized. As a medical writer, Dr. Hunt showed great mastery for his subject, together with taste and skill in authorship, so that it was a matter of regret that he had not time oftener to prove his capa- bilities in that direction. Perhaps the best of his papers was one on "Diph- theria," (1886).

For several years before his death, Henry Hunt knew that he was a victim of an incurable disease due to an injury of the spinal cord.

His frequent sufferings, to which he jokingly referred as "just old fashioned rheumatism " were severe, but he kept at his work till about three months before his death.

He died November 30, 1894, and one does not see people today cry as they did at his funeral.

J. A. S. Trans. Maine Med. Assoc, 1894.

Hunt, Thomas (1808-1867).

Thomas Hunt was born in Charleston, South CaroHna, May 18, 1808 and died in New Orleans March 20, 1867. Of good lineage, his early education was under the accomplished scholar Bishop England,


his studies being directed to law, but his readings embraced all branches of litera- ture and science. His love of the classics adhered to him through life and his pro- ficiency in Greek was profound. Select- ing medicine as his profession, he received his M. D. from the University of Pennsyl- vania in 1829 then went to Paris, but was soon recalled by the death of his father and entered at once into practice. At the age of twenty-three he lectured on anatomy and operative surgery and taught practical anatomy. When the AmeHa was wrecked off Folly Island in 1832, he distinguished himself, along with Dr. Warren Stone, a passenger on that vessel, by his treatment and management of the cholera which attacked the unfor- tunate crew and voyagers.

In 1833 he removed to New Orleans, again to face cholera and to render him- self prominent in the warefare against, and conquest of, this disease. He was soon elected surgeon to the Charity Hos- pital, but held the office for a short while as it interfered with larger plans. He entered actively into the enterprise of estabhshing the Medical College in Louis- iana. The introductory lecture on anat- omy he delivered in 1834 and the existence and growth of the university were largely due to Hunt. He held the chairs of anat- omy and physiology, pathological anat- omy and practice, physiology and path- ology and special pathology; was dean of the faculty and at the time of his death president of the University of Louisiana, also surgeon to the Marine Hospital, New Orleans.

He wrote a good deal on dermatology, his pamphlets going through three edi- tions; these included:

"Practical Observations on Certain Diseases of the Skin generally pronounced Incurable," London, 1847.

"Memoir of the Medicinal Uses of Arsenic." 1849.

The professional life of Dr. Hunt ex- tended over thirty-eight years, thirty- four of which were spent in New Orleans.

J. G. R.

N. O. Med. and Surg. Jour., 1867.