Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-01-13
INTERESTING BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF THE LATE
DIR. s. P. HULLIHEN.

( life of DIR. Hullihen, correct history of his
/ professional career would be both instructive
and interesting to his fellow laborersi in surgery,
and especially grateful to his many friends; but
this can be scarcely accomplished successfully
within the limits prescribed by medical journal
/ Simon P. Hulllhen was born in Point Town
ship, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania, on
the 10th of December, 1910; his father was
Thomas Hullihen, and his mother Re5ecca
Freeze, who went from New Jersey to North
/ cumberland County when child of seven years
! of age. The grandfather of Thomas Hulihen
came from ireland, and his family from that
period continued to be industrious Pennsylvania
farmers. Mrs Rebecca Hullihen, the doctors
mother, retained, until very advanced age to
which she lived, strong prediction for simple
1 country life and habits. DIR. Hullihen was
mere child when his father died
The carly education of DIR. Hnllihcn was such
as the best school in his mothers neighborhood
afforded-the township district school; and al.
though it did not embrace very extended
course of study, yet such as was taught there
he eagerly and diligently pursued, and in every
instance successfully mastered. His academical
training terminated when he was under II
years of age, and from that period, except med
| ically, he was selfeducated and SelEmade man.
During his boyhood, when only eight OF nine
| years old, serious and most painful accident
| befe him, which no doubt exercised an impor-
tant influence both upon his mind and bodily
health for the remainder of his life; and though
lie himself HAS SOIlclllneS SIOTy-WlIU
peculiar quaintncSS not to be forgotten by those
who listened to him, he was never sufficiently
explicit to permit the occurrence to be given in
all its details of interest to the reader. While
playing with other boys in the vicinity of n
limekiln in which the fire had recently subsidized,
young Hnllihen was pushed or fell through the
opening ut the top in among the uneXtinguiShed
embers or heated stones at the bottom; before
assistance could be obtained to draw him from
his perilous situation, his feet were both badly
burned-sO severely indeed, that he was con-
fined to his bed for nearly two years, and in
| spite of his mothers constant and devoted care
he was in danger of being permanently Grip
| pie. When after long and severe trials of
patience he was able to stand, the principal in
ljuries being about the heels, he at first walked
entirely upon his toes, n necessity which grew
into habit, his feet remaining sadly defortned;
but in time, and by the MD of contrivances, he
was enabled to wear boots and to walk without
the MO OF At carly period alter his
recovery from this suffering he made accurate
plaster Paris casts of his own feet, and by send.
ing them to the last-maker obtained his first
comfortable boots as the reward of this natural
genius for mechanics.
| During the protracted illness of her son Mrs
Hullihen INDUCED the consoling thought that he
would be able to acquire such impressions rs
would give him religious turn of mind, and
that she might see him clergyman. With this
idea the pious good mother taught her boy to
read and study the Scriptures with perseverng
attention during the whole period of his con-
| inement and although her fond expectation
as to his future profession was not realized, the
Bible teachings then impaired were never for
gotten by him.
Scarcely had Hullihen approached the age of
manhood ere he eyinced decided inclinations for
medical pursuitS-principally those belonging to
practical surgery: he always had desire to
witness operations and see wounds dressed; and
even at this time he purchased some dental in
ISfrumanfS md yCOOl6 hot oxfr ~
for suffering neighbors or acquaintance. Ills
skill and kindness in this way soon became so
well known that he relieved the country doctors
from that troublesome and Improbable prac-
tice for which the better class have neither much
\ taste, time, or ability. He was ever ambitious
/ ly reading the best medical and surgical works
he could get hold of, and at the period of his
eventual success and widely extended fame MS
an operator, his medical library consisted of the
most reliable writers, and the volumes them
selves bore evident marks of long and freouent
use by their owner. ll4 L-tfi
DIR. Hullihen commenced practice as surgeon
and dentist at Canton, Stark County, Ohio, in
the year 1882, but there are no means of ascer.
tanning with what amount of good or ill fortune,
unless by inference from the fact that when he
married Miss f. Fundenburg. at Pittsburg, in
April, 1885, he Immediately transferred his resi-.
denee to Wheeling Va. Here he continued I'M
til his death, in March, 1857 The settlement
LOT young surgeon in n western town twenty
INO ears ago. ana one especially who dared to
announce himself us intending to practice den
tistry branch of his profession, was not
likely to meet with sympathy or coniiality from
tho medical practitioners already established
there; but, on the contrary, the petty iy,lousies
that proverbially belong to doctors WEI, in this
instance, more than ordinarily bitter. Yet it
may justly be a matter of astonishme, and dis
gust that these bad feelings should b. iustered
in the breast of even single man. to the degree
that would induce the circulation of gross and
malignant SANDERS, with the design and hope
of preventing success in FELLOW, practitioner.
1t was perhaps this clement of early and undo.
served persecution that greatly contributed to
excite all the ambition of noble character, and
Icaused good to come out of evil, as witnessed by
his ultimate prosperity and usefulness. 1t
would be out of place to introduce here, how
ever creditable as well rs characteristic of Hulli-
hen, detailed history of the unworthy oppo.
sition he encountered and triumphed over at
the onset of his professional career in Wheeling;
the public records there have, years ago, placed
that matter among the evidences that "truth is
mighty and will prevail" and that the humble
yirtuous man may obtain full justice ifhe has the
courage persevereingly to demand it While suf-
fering under the unkind and uniustifiable efforts
ton -