Lewis Albert Sayre
Encyclopedia
Lewis Albert Sayre was a leading American orthopedic surgeon
of the 19th century. He performed the first operation to cure the hip-joint ankylosis
(stiffness) and introduced the method of suspending the patient followed by wrapping the body to correct spine distortions. He was also noted for improving the sanitary conditions in New York and stopping the spread of cholera
from the incoming ships. Sayre was a principal founder of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College
and of the American Medical Association
, to which he was elected vice-president in 1866 and president in 1880.
in a prosperous farmer family. His father died when Lewis was only 10, and the boy was raised by his uncle, a banker in Lexington, Kentucky
. Sayre graduated from the Transylvania University
in Lexington in 1839 and then studied medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons (now part of Columbia University
). He graduated in 1842-3 and was at once hired as a surgeon by the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1853 he was appointed surgeon to the Bellevue Hospital
, and in 1859 surgeon to the Charity Hospital
on Blackwells Island
. Of the latter institution he became consulting surgeon in 1873.
Sayre was mainly specializing in injuries and defects in bones and joints. In 1861 he was foremost among the organizers of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College and in the same year became professor of orthopedic surgery, fractures and dislocations at the newly established medical school of the Hospital. He afterward became also professor of clinical surgery, and continued to hold both of those chairs down to 1898, when the college became united with the New York University and he was made emeritus professor of orthopedic and clinical surgery in the consolidated institution. He was among the founders of the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Medical Association, and the New York Pathological Society. He was elected vice-president of the American Medical Association in 1866, and its president in 1880. He also helped establish its journal
in 1882.
In parallel, between 1860 and 1866, Sayre acted as the health officer for the New York City, and in that capacity was well respected by the community. In particular, he improved sanitary conditions in New York and secured compulsory vaccinations. He also understood the mechanisms by which cholera
was brought by sailors from from the incoming ships and stopped it spreading to the city by implementing quarantine. His methods were not widely accepted and for a long time New York was the only harbor to enforce quarantine regulations.
In 1854, Sayre performed his first operation for the cure of hip ankylosis, which involved removal
of part of the femur
(at its head) to facilitate movements of the hindered joint. It was the first successful operation of the kind in the US. In 1871 he made a tour in Europe, and by invitation gave demonstrations of his method before numerous medical societies. Five years later he was a delegate to the International Medical Congress at Philadelphia, and performed before that body an operation for hip disease. Joseph Lister
, the founder of antiseptic surgery, was quoted saying, "I feel that this demonstration would of itself have been a sufficient reward for my voyage across the Atlantic." The next year, 1877, he was sent by the American Medical Association to the meeting of the British Medical Association at Manchester
, where he demonstrated his new treatment of diseases and deformities of the spine by suspension and the application of plaster-of-Paris bandages, which demonstrations were then repeated, by request, in the principal hospitals throughout England.
Dr. Sayre has been a voluminous writer, chiefly on topics related to surgery. He has invented many instruments for use in operations and for the relief of deformities. Sayre was consulting surgeon to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the Northwestern Dispensary, and the Home for Incurables in New York. He was an honorary member of several leading American and European societies. In recognition for his work, the King of Sweden made him a Knight of the Order of Vasa
in 1872.
(October 15, 1859 – May 29, 1929) became a prominent orthopedic surgeon and Olympic sport shooter
.
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
of the 19th century. He performed the first operation to cure the hip-joint ankylosis
Ankylosis
Ankylosis or anchylosis is a stiffness of a joint due to abnormal adhesion and rigidity of the bones of the joint, which may be the result of injury or disease. The rigidity may be complete or partial and may be due to inflammation of the tendinous or muscular structures outside the joint or of...
(stiffness) and introduced the method of suspending the patient followed by wrapping the body to correct spine distortions. He was also noted for improving the sanitary conditions in New York and stopping the spread of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
from the incoming ships. Sayre was a principal founder of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College
New York University School of Medicine
The New York University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of New York University. Founded in 1841 as the University Medical College, the NYU School of Medicine is one of the foremost medical schools in the United States....
and of the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
, to which he was elected vice-president in 1866 and president in 1880.
Biography
Sayre was born in Bottle Hill (now Madison), in Morris County, New JerseyMorris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
in a prosperous farmer family. His father died when Lewis was only 10, and the boy was raised by his uncle, a banker in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Sayre graduated from the Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
in Lexington in 1839 and then studied medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons (now part of Columbia University
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...
). He graduated in 1842-3 and was at once hired as a surgeon by the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1853 he was appointed surgeon to the Bellevue Hospital
Bellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center, most often referred to as "Bellevue", was founded on March 31, 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the United States. Located on First Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Bellevue is famous from many literary, film and television...
, and in 1859 surgeon to the Charity Hospital
Smallpox Hospital
The Smallpox Hospital is an abandoned hospital located on Roosevelt Island in New York City...
on Blackwells Island
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island, known as Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973, and before that Blackwell's Island, is a narrow island in the East River of New York City. It lies between the island of Manhattan to its west and the borough of Queens to its east...
. Of the latter institution he became consulting surgeon in 1873.
Sayre was mainly specializing in injuries and defects in bones and joints. In 1861 he was foremost among the organizers of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College and in the same year became professor of orthopedic surgery, fractures and dislocations at the newly established medical school of the Hospital. He afterward became also professor of clinical surgery, and continued to hold both of those chairs down to 1898, when the college became united with the New York University and he was made emeritus professor of orthopedic and clinical surgery in the consolidated institution. He was among the founders of the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Medical Association, and the New York Pathological Society. He was elected vice-president of the American Medical Association in 1866, and its president in 1880. He also helped establish its journal
Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
in 1882.
In parallel, between 1860 and 1866, Sayre acted as the health officer for the New York City, and in that capacity was well respected by the community. In particular, he improved sanitary conditions in New York and secured compulsory vaccinations. He also understood the mechanisms by which cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
was brought by sailors from from the incoming ships and stopped it spreading to the city by implementing quarantine. His methods were not widely accepted and for a long time New York was the only harbor to enforce quarantine regulations.
In 1854, Sayre performed his first operation for the cure of hip ankylosis, which involved removal
Segmental resection
Segmental resection is a surgical procedure to remove part of an organ or gland. It may also be used to remove a tumor and normal tissue around it. In lung cancer surgery, segmental resection refers to removing a section of a lobe of the lung.- External links :* entry in the public domain NCI...
of part of the femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
(at its head) to facilitate movements of the hindered joint. It was the first successful operation of the kind in the US. In 1871 he made a tour in Europe, and by invitation gave demonstrations of his method before numerous medical societies. Five years later he was a delegate to the International Medical Congress at Philadelphia, and performed before that body an operation for hip disease. Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
, the founder of antiseptic surgery, was quoted saying, "I feel that this demonstration would of itself have been a sufficient reward for my voyage across the Atlantic." The next year, 1877, he was sent by the American Medical Association to the meeting of the British Medical Association at Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, where he demonstrated his new treatment of diseases and deformities of the spine by suspension and the application of plaster-of-Paris bandages, which demonstrations were then repeated, by request, in the principal hospitals throughout England.
Dr. Sayre has been a voluminous writer, chiefly on topics related to surgery. He has invented many instruments for use in operations and for the relief of deformities. Sayre was consulting surgeon to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the Northwestern Dispensary, and the Home for Incurables in New York. He was an honorary member of several leading American and European societies. In recognition for his work, the King of Sweden made him a Knight of the Order of Vasa
Order of Vasa
The Royal Order of Vasa was a Swedish Royal order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III of Sweden...
in 1872.
Criticism
While mostly hailed, the methods introduced by Sayre were also criticized by colleagues. The hip-joint operation introduced by Sayre proved to be technically challenging. In the first few decades after its introduction, about half of the patents died after the operation and only part of those who recovered regained flexibility. Therefore, it was often avoided in favor of non-surgical treatment. Some doctors (e.g. Newton Melman Shaffer) crticized the advocated by Sayre use of plaster of Paris and found it unsuitable for treating the Pott disease.Family
In 1849, Sayre married Eliza Ann Hall (January 19, 1822 – January 7, 1894), a painter from a family of artists. They had three sons and a daughter. All sons became doctors, working with their father, but two of them died in their middle age: Charles Henry Hall Sayre (1850–1880) from a fall and Lewis Hall Sayre (1851–1890) from a heart decease. The daughter, Mary Jane, never married and lived with the family, helping father with his publications. Reginald Hall SayreReginald Sayre
Reginald Hall Sayre was a prominent American orthopedic surgeon and Olympic sport shooter.-Biography:Sayre was born to Eliza Ann Hall, an artist, and Lewis Albert Sayre, the leading American orthopedic surgeon. He studied at the Churchill & Maury School and Columbia College, graduating in 1881...
(October 15, 1859 – May 29, 1929) became a prominent orthopedic surgeon and Olympic sport shooter
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
.