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Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury. Thereafter he had various circuits in New Jersey, New York, ami Long Island, but in 1798 he located in New York city and engaged in the practice of medicine, still preaching on Sunday. In 1806 he was readmitted to the New York conference and stationed in Al- bany, whence in 1808 he was sent to Charleston, S. C, but returned to New York city in 1811. He then filled several stations in New York and its vicinity, except during 1816, when he was in Al- bany. In 1831 he was returned as a supernumerary, and in 1824 placed on the list of retired clergy. He at one time published a magazine, and wrote a defence of Methodist ordination and the " Memoirs of Bishop Whatcoat."

PHŒNIX, Stephen Whitney, benefactor, b. in New York city, 25 May, 1839 ; 'd. there, 3 Nov., 1881. He was the son of J. Phillips Phoenix, con- gressman from New York, and his maternal grand- father was Stephen Whitney, from both of whom he inherited a large fortune. He was graduated at Columbia in 1859, and at the law-school in 1863. Subsequently he studied and travelled abroad, and on his return devoted himself largely to antiqua- rian and genealogical research. He defrayed the expense of copying for preservation the epitaphs on the tombstones in Trinity church-yard. New York city, and gave attention to neglected portraits of old New Yorkers, many of which he caused to be engraved. Mr. Phoenix was also a diligent col- lector of everything relating to New Amsterdam, as well as old New York, and upward of 3,000 drawings and prints that he had collected are in Columbia college. The records of births, bap- tisms, marriages, and deaths of the Reformed Dutch and the 1st and 2d Presbyterian churches in New York were copied at his expense and are being printed in the " New York Genealogical and Biographical Record." By his will he left his her- barium to the American museum of natural history in New York ; his books relating to heraldry and genealogy to the New York historical society, to- gether with a legacy of $15,000, the income of which is to be invested in books on kindred subjects ; his curiosities, works of art, pictures, and coins, to the Metropolitan museum of art ; and his general library of books, to be known as "The Phoenix Collection," to Columbia, with -f 500,000 for techni- cal use, eventually, in the School of mines. His published books include " The Descendants of John Phoenix " (New York. 1867) and " The Whitney Family of Connecticut and its Affiliations " (3 vols., i878), and he left in manuscript " The Fam- ily of Alexander Phoenix."

PHYSICK, Philip Syng, surgeon, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 7 July, 1768; d. there. 15 Dec, 1837. He was the son of Edmund Physick, keeper of the great seal in the colonial government, who, after the Revolutionary war, became agent of the Penn family, having charge of its estates. Philip was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1785, then began the study of medicine under Dr. Adam Kuhn, and continued it in London under Dr. John Hunter, becoming, on 1 Jan., 1790, house surgeon of St. George's hospital. In 1791 he received his license from the Royal college of surgeons in London, and was invited by Dr. Hunter to assist hira in his professional practice, but after a few months went to the University of Edinburgh, where he received his degree in 1792. He returned to the United States, and in September, 1793, be- gan to practise in Philadelphia. During the yellow- fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793 he was ap- pointed an attending physician at the yellow-fever hospital at Bush Hill. Throughout the epidemic he remained at his post, being himself attacked with fever, and also making dissections of those that died of the disease. The zeal, energy, and total disregard of personal danger that he showed were so recognized that in 1794 he was elected one of the surgeons at the Pennsylvania _ hospital, and also later a prescribing physician in the Philadelphia alms- house dispensary. The yellow fever was again prevalent in 1797, and there were 1,100 fatal cases, including those of seven physicians. Dr. Physick suf- fered a second attack at this time, and was bled to the amount of 176 ounces. Dur- ing the epidemic of 1798 he was resident

physician at the

city hospital at Bush Hill. His post-mortem ex- aminations were continued, and his researches tended to establish the gastric character of the fever and the origin of the black vomit, which he traced to the inflamed vessels of the stomach and intestines. His labors at this time received recog- nition from the managers of the hospital, who pre- sented him with a service of plate. In 1800 he began a series of lectures on surgery in the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1805 he was given the independent chair of sur- gery in the university, which he held for thirteen years. Dr. Physick was appointed surgeon extra- ordinary, and also one of the physicians of the alms- house infirmary in 1801, and he discharged the duties of the former office in connection with those at the Pennsylvania hospital until 181G. He was transferred in 1819 from the chair of surgery to that of anatomy, which he filled until 1831. This change, which was urged upon him by the faculty, was unfortunate, for as a surgeon he had few if any equals, while as an anatomist he was not specially distinguished. In 1821 he was elected consulting surgeon to the Institute for the blind, in 1822 ]iresi- dent of the Phrenological society of Philailclphia, and in 1824 president of the Philadelphia medical society. Besides holding membership in many other scientific societies at home, in 1H25 he was elected a member of the French academy of medi- cine, being, it is said, the first American to receive that honor, and in 18.'Ui he was made an honorary fellow of the Royal medical and chinirgical society of London. Toward the end of his life he gradu- ally relinquished the performing of capital ()[)era- tions. but he continued his medical practice until the end. One of the most brilliant successes of his life was accomplished in 1831, several yeai-s after he had declined to perform extensive surgical operations. It was that of enterotomy on Chief- Justice ]larshall. The result was the removal of over 1,000 calculi, and a prompt and perfect cure. Dr. Physick introduced numerous vahialile instru- ments and improved modifications of (it hers, and he applied novel methods of treatment which have since become prevalent, notably that of washing out the stomach in cases of poisoning by means of water or a suitable solvent until the excess of the poison was removed. He was called the " father of American surgery."