Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-12-21
Remarkable Career OF a Chica go Doe.
for

did You ever hear of a blind doc.
tor?' asked an eminent surgeon of a
reporter for the Inter Ocean the Other
day.
Don't think | ever did" was the re.
ply, land don { see how n blind man
could handle a scalpel or mix pre-
scription.'
That is the natural Supposition,' he
responded; "but, remarkable as il may
seem, we nave in Chicago blind man
who is already successful in the pro.
fcssion. and promises to become emf.
nent'
"Who is he?''
'Robert Hall Babcock."
''Is he totally blind?''
''IeS. and has been from childhood.
He was born in Watertown. n. Y. i'm
1851, and moved with his parents &c
Kalamazoo. Mich, where an accident
beiell him which, while Ii married. per-
haps helped To determine his so far re.
markable career. One day, Mt the ape
of thirteen. while playing with gun.
powder, the terrible stuff exploded. sd
iniuring the poor boys eyes that. from
the ensuing Inflammation, their sioht
was forever lost. His parents sent him
TO an institution for the blind in Phila.
delrhia, where he remained three years.
AT sixteen he went to Olivet, Mich.
and there prepared for college. In 1868
he entered the FIRE hman class of the
Western Reserve College, at Hudson.
q. There he remained until the close
of the junior year. After this course
he went Ia Ann Arbor. where he went
through the senior curse. taking no
degree, inasmuch rs his studies were of
an elective character. And now be.
gins his medical work.
80 In the fall of 1864" continued the
surgeon, she entered the medical de.
pariment of Michigan University. and
took the lectures for two winters. I'm
1876 he entered the Chicago Medical
College. and here lie graduated i'm the
class of 1878. And even then he didn't
consider himS III ready. So he entered
Che College of Physicians and Surgeons
in New York City, and there he Trad.
uated, anding among the -ten honor
men in the class of 1879, with mem.
berShip of ninety-five. Then n married
man. he came to Chicago and spent the
fall and winter doing some Guizzinp NJ
the Chicago Medical College, together
with Title practice.
lin July of 1880 he and his wife
sailed for Germany. and there he mas.
tered the language. He had to. for the
young fellow was never to receive any
education through the eyes as MANY
another man partially does. but through
his senses of hearing and touch. Then
he took course of lectures at the Uni.
versity of Berlin. In October of the
next year he went to Munich. where he
studied masterfully until June of tbi.
Year. He gave his entire time to the
study OF what was to become his special
ty, diseases of the heart and lungs. foI
in that branch of medicine. YOU see, he
might make the loss of his sight com
Paratively insignificant deprivation. Sc
he studied in the chest department OF
the city dispensary, and good were the
advantages he had. Then, too, he en-
Ioyed the benefits of medical clinics un.
der Won Ziemssen and equipped him.
self most thoroughly. So, finally ready
to battle with the fate that, at any rate.
could only draw a dark curtain before
his eyes, never to- becloud his brain. the
young physician Nentured, as | have
said. To Chicago. and here YOU have
him. Ii You want to talk with him p1
down to his pleasant home on Michigan
avenue and you will be welcomed By
the hand that will soon find your own.
and see the trim figure. well-cut feat.
Ires and dark eyes of the man who has
made his way and hasn't found the end
either. - Chicago Inter Ocean.