David Hayes Agnew
Encyclopedia
David Hayes Agnew was an American
surgeon
.
. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania
in 1838, and a few years later set up in practice at Philadelphia
and became a lecturer at the Philadelphia School of Anatomy
. He married Margaret Irwin in 1841. He also helped found the Irwin & Agnew Iron Foundry in 1846. In 1852, he bought and revived the Philadelphia School of Anatomy, where he continued to work through 1862. He was appointed surgeon at the Philadelphia Hospital in 1854 and was the founder of its pathological museum.
For 26 years (1863–1889) he was connected with the medical faculty of the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, being elected professor of operative surgery in 1870 and professor of the principles and practice of surgery in the following year. From 1865 to 1884—except for a brief interval—he was a surgeon at the Pennsylvania Hospital
. In 1889 he became the subject of the largest painting ever made by the Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins
, called The Agnew Clinic
, in which he is shown conducting a mastectomy operation before a gallery of students and doctors. The artist can also be found to the right of the painting.
During the American Civil War
he was consulting surgeon in the Mower Army Hospital
, near Philadelphia, and acquired considerable reputation for his operations in cases of gunshot wounds. He attended as operating surgeon when President Garfield was fatally wounded by the bullet of an assassin in 1881.
He was the author of several works, the most important being The Principles and Practice of Surgery (1878–1883). He died at Philadelphia on March 22, 1892, and is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surgeon
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
.
Biography
He was born on November 24, 1818 in Lancaster County, PennsylvaniaLancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1838, and a few years later set up in practice at Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and became a lecturer at the Philadelphia School of Anatomy
Philadelphia School of Anatomy
The Philadelphia School of Anatomy was a medical college in Philadelphia that ran from 1820 to 1875. From 1868 to 1875 it was run by William Williams Keen....
. He married Margaret Irwin in 1841. He also helped found the Irwin & Agnew Iron Foundry in 1846. In 1852, he bought and revived the Philadelphia School of Anatomy, where he continued to work through 1862. He was appointed surgeon at the Philadelphia Hospital in 1854 and was the founder of its pathological museum.
For 26 years (1863–1889) he was connected with the medical faculty of the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, being elected professor of operative surgery in 1870 and professor of the principles and practice of surgery in the following year. From 1865 to 1884—except for a brief interval—he was a surgeon at the Pennsylvania Hospital
Pennsylvania Hospital
Pennsylvania Hospital is a hospital in Center City, Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System . Founded on May 11, 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond, it was the first hospital in the United States...
. In 1889 he became the subject of the largest painting ever made by the Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins
Thomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator...
, called The Agnew Clinic
The Agnew Clinic
The Agnew Clinic, or, The Clinic of Dr. Agnew, is an 1889 oil painting by American artist Thomas Eakins, Goodrich #235. It was commissioned to honor anatomist and surgeon David Hayes Agnew, on his retirement from teaching at the University of Pennsylvania.-Background:The Agnew Clinic depicts Dr....
, in which he is shown conducting a mastectomy operation before a gallery of students and doctors. The artist can also be found to the right of the painting.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he was consulting surgeon in the Mower Army Hospital
Mower Hospital
The Mower U.S. Army General Hospital was one of the largest Federal military hospitals during the American Civil War. Located in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, it operated from January 1863 through May 1865, when it was closed with the cessation of the war.The hospital complex was...
, near Philadelphia, and acquired considerable reputation for his operations in cases of gunshot wounds. He attended as operating surgeon when President Garfield was fatally wounded by the bullet of an assassin in 1881.
He was the author of several works, the most important being The Principles and Practice of Surgery (1878–1883). He died at Philadelphia on March 22, 1892, and is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery
West Laurel Hill Cemetery
West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the site of many notable burials, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1992...
.
External links
- Bio from 1893
- Agnew, D. Hayes. Practical anatomy: a new arrangement of the London dissector, (Philadelphia, 1856). From the Digital Repository of the National Library of Medicine.