The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-28
Samuel HENRY Tewksh,,rv


regret of the death of DR.. s. H. Tewksbury.
at his home in Deering yesterday DIR.
Tewksbury, who has been an invalid for some
years past, was attacked Monday afternoon
with acute pneumonia, and succumbed to
the disease in a few hours
Samuel Henry Tewksbury was born in Ok
ford, Oxford county, Maine, March %, 1919
His father, Jacob Tewksbury, born at West
Newbury, Mass, May IT, 1882, studied medi-
cine with Drs. Brckett and Chase of Newbury-
port, and received his diploma from the Massa-
chusetts Medical Society in 1902. He was one
of the founders of the Maine Medical Society
in 1921 and was noted as skilful practitioner
He married November o. 1909 Charlotte Mel
son. and practiced chiefly in Hebron. He
died February 81, 1S4S, and his wife March %,
1869.
Samuel H., the subject of this sketch, was
the youngest son and prepared for college at
Hebron Academy, studied medicine with his
father and graduated at the Bowdoin Medical
School in 1S41. The following winter he at
tended lectures at Harvard College and in the
year 1913 began practice at Frankfort, Maine
During the winter of 1884 he studied at the
College of Physicians and, Surgeons New
York. Alter remaining short time in Frank
fort he returned to Oxford and in 1874 married
Diana Eaton, daughter of Cyrus Shaw of that
place. who survives him, and entered into
practice at Oxford with his father.
Two years after the death of his father he
removed to Portland, where he remained
in the continuous practice of medicine and
IL. Al
first in the State. He was appointed acting
assistant surgeon under Gen. Anderson. DIR.
Tewksbury was known to the citizens of Port
land as kind-hearted, outspoken and frank in
his ways, persistent to carry forward to sue
cessful completion whatever he conceived to
be right, and uncommonly encouraging to the
younger members of the profession, whom he
was ever ready to counsel and assist. He had
VAIN attachment for his many friends.
Among the first rare surgical operations per-
formed by DR.. Tewksbury was Synes' amputa-
ton at the ankle-joint, in 1856, upon lady 33
years of age. This operation was attended
with marked success, SO that when an artificial
foot was adjusted the patient had power of
locomotion to an almost perfect degree. Thel.
followed an amputation at the knee-ioint up
OH boy II years of age. In this case when
the artificial limb was applied there was no
difficulty experienced in bearing the whole
weight of the body on the stump.
This was the second operation of the kind
e7er performed in the State, the first being
made by DR.. Nathan Smith in 1884. In 1862
he made al excelsior of the knee-joint fol-
anchylosis of four years standing, the patient
being a boy Of 10 years of age. In this case
recovery took place with only two inches OF
shortening. In all he made II excisions
of this joint, nine of which proved sue.
cessful In the same year he made an excision
of the hip-jont on a boy six years of age, re-
moving over three inches of the head of the
femur. Recovery took place with only one
and half inches Of shortening, and all the
lower motions of the joint preserved. He
made many operations for excisons of joints
among them that of the wrist-joint, which was
reported at length in the Transactions of the
American Medical Association and de
voted most of his professional life to conserva
tive surgery; also paying special attention to
the relief of deformlties in treating which he
met with most marked degree of success.
For many years he stood in the front rank Of
| the profession in Maine in genealogical
| practice, and many of the operations fol
| diseases of females were first performed in the
! State by his hands. He was the first to
operate for vesico-vaginal fistula also vesico
| vaginal lithotouy. In ovariotomy, too, he
won for himself, prominent place among
| the surgeons of the country.
He early identified himself with the progress
| of the Maine Medical Association, and was
chosen president of that body in 1866, deliver
ing his inaugural in June Of the year follow.
| ing. This address deserves more than passing
| notice; for then, for the first time, did the
medical profession of the State have their at
| tention called to matters of public character
The anatomy bill was brought to the notice O
the profession, and DR.. Tewksbury laboret
zealously but unsuccessfully before the State
Legislature in its behalf. He first called at
tention to the matter of compulsory vaccina
ton. In this address, too, the matter O
establishing the Maine General Hospital wa
first mentioned, and the initiatory steps to
| wards forwarding this State charity were
upon the strength of his suggestion, adopted.