John Brodhead Beck
Encyclopedia
John Brodhead Beck was a New York physician who was an authority on miscarriage, abortion, infant physiology, and
associated forensic issues.
of Rev. Theodorick Romeyn, D.D., long principal of the Academy of Schenectady,
and one of the founders of Union College
.
While yet a child, in 1798, John Beck lost his father. After that, the
care of his education and that of his four brothers,
Theodorick Romeyn, Nicholas,
Lewis Caleb
, and Abraham, rested chiefly with his
mother.
At the age of 7, John left his home to reside with his uncle, John B.
Romeyn, then pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church
in Rhinebeck, New York. Here he began his classical
studies.
In 1804, Romeyn moved to New York City
, his nephew accompanying him,
and the young man's education continued. In 1809, Beck entered
Columbia College
, of which his uncle was a
trustee, and where John M. Mason was provost.
At Columbia, Mason was Beck's mentor throughout his college career.
In 1813, Beck graduated with the highest honors of his class, and he was
later appointed a trustee of the College. Immediately after his graduation,
Beck accompanied his uncle in a voyage to Europe, and spending some time in
London
, he there applied himself to the study of Hebrew, under the
instruction of a Rev. Mr. Humphries, a grandson of Doddridge. Beck learned
enough to later take an intelligent interest in Biblical criticism.
On his return from England, having determined to study
medicine, Beck joined the office of David Hosack.
Later medical politics would estrange them, though each always retained
a high estimate of the learning and ability of the other. In 1817,
Beck graduated from the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons. His
thesis was a treatise entitled “On Infanticide
.” The treatise was subsequently
incorporated into his brother T. Romeyn Beck's noted work on medical
jurisprudence, and became the standard work on infanticide in the
English language
.
In 1822, Beck, in company with Drs. Dyckman and Francis, established the
New York Medical and Physical Journal. Beck devoted a large portion
of his time to this journal, and published many of his own articles in it.
Among Beck's papers may be specially mentioned his paper on laryngitis
and several reviews on the contagiousness of yellow fever
. Beck continued
as the chief editor of the Medical and Physical Journal for seven years,
in later years associated with Dr. Peixotto.
In 1826, he was elected professor
of materia medica and botany in the
New York College of Physicians and Surgeons.
His appointment stemmed from the simultaneous
resignation of all the previous faculty. This mass resignation,
the crowning act of a long
series of dissensions, threw upon the successors a weight of responsibility
difficult to bear. Beck was prompt to take on his share of
this weight, and his ability as a controversialist was too well known,
and had been too sorely felt, not to insure to him a full share in any odium
which the friends of the old could throw on the leaders of the new
organization. Beck did well as a teacher, and also served the College as a
zealous promoter of its interests, and a ready defender of its policy.
In 1835, Beck was appointed as a physician of the New York Hospital,
a situation which he filled for ten years. His services at the Hospital
had a very favorable effect on Beck's
reputation as a practitioner. Hitherto, his brethren had known him only as,
for his age, a learned physician, a practised and able writer, and a judicious
and attractive lecturer. At the Hospital, he proved himself sagacious
in investigating disease at the bedside, and skillful in the application of
remedies. Beck aimed to be judicious in the use of a few remedies, rather
than to overwhelm disease by a multitude of cures.
As a practitioner, he did not
lose the opportunity of giving to the students and young physicians connected
with the establishment clinical lessons. His was distinguished by great
simplicity of language, clearness, and a devotion to utility rather than show.
In 1843, he collected together, and published in a volume, a few of the most
important of his contributions to periodical medical literature.
In 1849, his work on infantile therapeutics appeared, and was received well
both at home and abroad.
When a very young man, Beck was elected trustee of the College of Physicians
and Surgeons, and censor of the County Medical Society. He later held the
offices of vice president and president of the County Medical Society,
vice president and then president of the State Medical Society, before which
he delivered an inaugural address on the history of American medicine before
the Revolution
, which was afterwards published.
He took an earnest interest in the organization of the New York Academy of
Medicine, and was early elected one of its vice presidents, and, subsequently,
orator. Failing health compelled him to decline the latter duty.
For the last few years of his life he was a martyr to neuralgia and spasmodic
disease from which his sufferings were most intense. He continued to visit
patients and to lecture in the College till the beginning of the session of
1850-51. His funeral, two days after his death, was attended by almost all
the more eminent members of the profession in the city. An address was
delivered by the Rev. Dr. Knox, an old friend.
Beck's intellect was characterized by energy: an end being set before him,
he pursued it with a vigor, a steadiness of purpose, and a force of will
which rarely failed to command success. He also had a clarity of perception:
he saw the object presented to his “mind's eye” with all the
distinctness of the most perfect physical vision. This quality was undoubtedly
the secret of much of his success as a practitioner of medicine, and a medical
writer and teacher. He saw disease just as it was; theories never distorted,
nor did prejudice obscure it: all was clear and perfectly distinct from every
other object. Having this quality in so eminent a degree, and being both in
English and the classics a thorough scholar, he could not fail, as a teacher,
to communicate in words a just and accurate idea of the object before him.
So in argument and controversy, he saw the question to be discussed, or the
point in dispute clearly; it was perfectly definite to his apprehension, and
consequently his arguments neither fell short of, nor flew beyond the point.
Beck's success as a teacher has already been noticed. He united
qualities often seen apart, that made him both useful and popular. His
lectures were clear, precise, and singularly practical: no merely specious
theories, no rash generalizations, no loose assertions, found place there; all
was logical, accurate, true. When the lecture was over, with a ready courtesy
he answered the questions and solved the doubts of his pupils, and removed, by
repeated and varied illustration, the difficulties in the way of their perfect
comprehension of a subject.
In regard to personal character, Beck exhibited a steady adherence to
principle, an ardent love of truth, an unhesitating, unwavering, almost
instinctive preference of the right over the expedient. He was a member of
the Reformed Dutch Church
, the church of his forefathers.
In 1831, John Beck married Anne Tucker, eldest daughter of Fanning C. Tucker,
who, with five children, survived him. Two of Beck's brothers, Theodoric Romeyn Beck
and Lewis Caleb Beck
, were distinguished physicians.
associated forensic issues.
Biography
He was the third son of Caleb Beck and Catharine Theresa Romeyn, only daughterof Rev. Theodorick Romeyn, D.D., long principal of the Academy of Schenectady,
and one of the founders of Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
.
While yet a child, in 1798, John Beck lost his father. After that, the
care of his education and that of his four brothers,
Theodorick Romeyn, Nicholas,
Lewis Caleb
Lewis Caleb Beck
Lewis Caleb Beck was an American physician, botanist, chemist, and mineralogist.-Biography:...
, and Abraham, rested chiefly with his
mother.
At the age of 7, John left his home to reside with his uncle, John B.
Romeyn, then pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
in Rhinebeck, New York. Here he began his classical
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
studies.
In 1804, Romeyn moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, his nephew accompanying him,
and the young man's education continued. In 1809, Beck entered
Columbia College
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, of which his uncle was a
trustee, and where John M. Mason was provost.
At Columbia, Mason was Beck's mentor throughout his college career.
In 1813, Beck graduated with the highest honors of his class, and he was
later appointed a trustee of the College. Immediately after his graduation,
Beck accompanied his uncle in a voyage to Europe, and spending some time in
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he there applied himself to the study of Hebrew, under the
instruction of a Rev. Mr. Humphries, a grandson of Doddridge. Beck learned
enough to later take an intelligent interest in Biblical criticism.
On his return from England, having determined to study
medicine, Beck joined the office of David Hosack.
Later medical politics would estrange them, though each always retained
a high estimate of the learning and ability of the other. In 1817,
Beck graduated from the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons. His
thesis was a treatise entitled “On Infanticide
Infanticide
Infanticide or infant homicide is the killing of a human infant. Neonaticide, a killing within 24 hours of a baby's birth, is most commonly done by the mother.In many past societies, certain forms of infanticide were considered permissible...
.” The treatise was subsequently
incorporated into his brother T. Romeyn Beck's noted work on medical
jurisprudence, and became the standard work on infanticide in the
English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
In 1822, Beck, in company with Drs. Dyckman and Francis, established the
New York Medical and Physical Journal. Beck devoted a large portion
of his time to this journal, and published many of his own articles in it.
Among Beck's papers may be specially mentioned his paper on laryngitis
Laryngitis
Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds . Dysphonia is the medical term for a vocal disorder, of which laryngitis is one cause....
and several reviews on the contagiousness of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
. Beck continued
as the chief editor of the Medical and Physical Journal for seven years,
in later years associated with Dr. Peixotto.
In 1826, he was elected professor
of materia medica and botany in the
New York College of Physicians and Surgeons.
His appointment stemmed from the simultaneous
resignation of all the previous faculty. This mass resignation,
the crowning act of a long
series of dissensions, threw upon the successors a weight of responsibility
difficult to bear. Beck was prompt to take on his share of
this weight, and his ability as a controversialist was too well known,
and had been too sorely felt, not to insure to him a full share in any odium
which the friends of the old could throw on the leaders of the new
organization. Beck did well as a teacher, and also served the College as a
zealous promoter of its interests, and a ready defender of its policy.
In 1835, Beck was appointed as a physician of the New York Hospital,
a situation which he filled for ten years. His services at the Hospital
had a very favorable effect on Beck's
reputation as a practitioner. Hitherto, his brethren had known him only as,
for his age, a learned physician, a practised and able writer, and a judicious
and attractive lecturer. At the Hospital, he proved himself sagacious
in investigating disease at the bedside, and skillful in the application of
remedies. Beck aimed to be judicious in the use of a few remedies, rather
than to overwhelm disease by a multitude of cures.
As a practitioner, he did not
lose the opportunity of giving to the students and young physicians connected
with the establishment clinical lessons. His was distinguished by great
simplicity of language, clearness, and a devotion to utility rather than show.
In 1843, he collected together, and published in a volume, a few of the most
important of his contributions to periodical medical literature.
In 1849, his work on infantile therapeutics appeared, and was received well
both at home and abroad.
When a very young man, Beck was elected trustee of the College of Physicians
and Surgeons, and censor of the County Medical Society. He later held the
offices of vice president and president of the County Medical Society,
vice president and then president of the State Medical Society, before which
he delivered an inaugural address on the history of American medicine before
the Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, which was afterwards published.
He took an earnest interest in the organization of the New York Academy of
Medicine, and was early elected one of its vice presidents, and, subsequently,
orator. Failing health compelled him to decline the latter duty.
For the last few years of his life he was a martyr to neuralgia and spasmodic
disease from which his sufferings were most intense. He continued to visit
patients and to lecture in the College till the beginning of the session of
1850-51. His funeral, two days after his death, was attended by almost all
the more eminent members of the profession in the city. An address was
delivered by the Rev. Dr. Knox, an old friend.
Beck's intellect was characterized by energy: an end being set before him,
he pursued it with a vigor, a steadiness of purpose, and a force of will
which rarely failed to command success. He also had a clarity of perception:
he saw the object presented to his “mind's eye” with all the
distinctness of the most perfect physical vision. This quality was undoubtedly
the secret of much of his success as a practitioner of medicine, and a medical
writer and teacher. He saw disease just as it was; theories never distorted,
nor did prejudice obscure it: all was clear and perfectly distinct from every
other object. Having this quality in so eminent a degree, and being both in
English and the classics a thorough scholar, he could not fail, as a teacher,
to communicate in words a just and accurate idea of the object before him.
So in argument and controversy, he saw the question to be discussed, or the
point in dispute clearly; it was perfectly definite to his apprehension, and
consequently his arguments neither fell short of, nor flew beyond the point.
Beck's success as a teacher has already been noticed. He united
qualities often seen apart, that made him both useful and popular. His
lectures were clear, precise, and singularly practical: no merely specious
theories, no rash generalizations, no loose assertions, found place there; all
was logical, accurate, true. When the lecture was over, with a ready courtesy
he answered the questions and solved the doubts of his pupils, and removed, by
repeated and varied illustration, the difficulties in the way of their perfect
comprehension of a subject.
In regard to personal character, Beck exhibited a steady adherence to
principle, an ardent love of truth, an unhesitating, unwavering, almost
instinctive preference of the right over the expedient. He was a member of
the Reformed Dutch Church
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
, the church of his forefathers.
Writings
In addition to his thesis treatise, his major publications include:- Medical Essays (1843)
- Infant Therapeutics (1849)
- Historical Sketch of the State of Medicine in the Colonies (1850)
Family
Beck's mother lived to be 85 and survive four of her sons.In 1831, John Beck married Anne Tucker, eldest daughter of Fanning C. Tucker,
who, with five children, survived him. Two of Beck's brothers, Theodoric Romeyn Beck
and Lewis Caleb Beck
Lewis Caleb Beck
Lewis Caleb Beck was an American physician, botanist, chemist, and mineralogist.-Biography:...
, were distinguished physicians.