Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-06-13
BYOGRAPHY.

Edward H. Dixon, NJ. D the well known
surgeon of this city, is one of those men whose
originality and force of character is well cal
culated to arrest the attention of American
youth. If we were called on to present
strong example of what may be called the ex-
ecutive temperament, we should find it difficult
to discover more distinctive one than the
subject of the present sketch; as a surgeon he
has been long celebrated for the extraordinary
delicacy and success of his operations IN all
the more difficult departments of his profess
sion it is only of late years the public has
been called on to criticize his efforts as pio-
neer in the cause of medical reform He has
demanded and received SO large portion of
attention both here and in Europe, for his
celebrated journal, the Scalpel, now in the
seventh year of its existence, that we conceive
our readers will be interested in a slight biog-
raphical sketch of its editor and originator; !;
it is furnished by a friend intimately acquain-
ted with the domestic habits of this extraor-
binary man.
He descended from English and French
parent-age, and his ancestors were amongst
the earliest inhabitants of this city. He was
born on the first day of January, 1909, and
is now in his 47th year. He is man of iron
nerve, and viii unconquerabie. A very
beautiful page of his family history may be
found In the last August number of his Seal
pei; it details with touching simplicity the
noble conduct of his maternal grandfather,
when summoned to betray General Washing
ton, who was his guest at Fort Lee In 1776.
He was seized at midnight by General Knyp-
hansen, the day after the evacuation of Fort
Lee, and conveyed from his home across the
river to Fort Washington on the New York
side, by file of Hessian soldiers; bat he re-
fused to give the least information, and was
returned by the indignant Briton, who became
ashamed of his conduct from the lofty tone of
his prisoner None who have read the incl
dent as told by DIR. Dixon, or followed him
through the pages of his journal, will be sur
prised at the following sketch of his profess
sional career; the inherits the boldness and
love OF liberty of his progenitors.
It will be seen that he is as celebrated in
the use of the actual scalpel. as that inky one
which has gained him so much reputation
his operations on the eye and In all the more
delicate departments of his profession, have
given him deserved celebrity. We have heard
| Il said, that his first operation was the ex-
! traction of the Cataract, and that 1t was done
succe ssfu2ly with common lancet Such .
thing could only be true of one who was born
| for an operator, for the operation Is conceded
| to be the most delicate one known to surgeons.
We as phrenologists, however, think it is
easily accounted for by his Immense percep-
tive faculties. extraordinary GOODNESS, and
great mechanical genius; it is known that he
| has invented greater number of surgical in
strulnents admirable for simplicity and effec-
tivencss. than any other surgeon in the coun-
try.
That no does not con6ne his attention to
the mechanical department of surgery, is am
ply proved his numerous literary contribu-
tions to the medical and surgical Journals, the
| immense amount of didactic matter from ms
pen in the pages of his own journal. have