Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-10-20
DIR. JOSEPH j. BRYANT.
Something About the Personality of
Mr.. Cleyeland's Physician.

| Dir. Joseph D. Bryant, the man whose
name has come 50 prominently before
the public as the guardian of the
/ health OF President Cleveland, follows
not only the letter but the spirit of
that unwritten law of bis profession
which forbids a physician from adyer-
Using himself
| Had it not been for his associa ton
Wit, the president his name would
probably have remained unknown to
the majority Of people even in New
York City, where lie resides. Yet up
! to last March, when he resigned from
! the Ne!r I0r!z board of health, he had
! been for six Years one of the most
active members of that body. The
/ work lie did for the improving of the
health OF the people and his tireless
efforts to protect the city from the
| dangers arising from 4 bad sewerage
system ana the uncleanliness of certain
i sections and from imported disease
We're never known as those of an in
F., dividual member of the board. The re-
suits of his labors and his opinions and
/ suggestions were always turned over 20
! the board, from which the public re-
ceived them. In his private capacity
DR.. Bryant ranks first as an obstet-
rrclan. and his general practice in New
York is worth III the neignbOrho0l Of
j $4,000 I; year The few occasions
WheIi ilr IS departed from the strict
pursuit OF is profession have bean
chiefly due to the urging of friends
| The doctor is Il native of New York
and was q member Of the seventy
first New York regiment during the
civil war. In 1873 ha vas commission
ed major and surgeon. Ten years
later he was made surgeon general Of
the stare under Governor Cleveland
and filled the same Office under Hill and
Flower. With the first meeting be-
tween the doctor and Mr.. Cleveland
q friendship began that has grown
stronger with every year and he is now
one Of the presidents closest friends
He got TO know Mr. Lamont many
years ago and a closer tie was after
ward formed between them from the
fact that they married sisters
DR.. Bryant is only forty weight years
old. He has been professor at the
Bellevue Medical College since 1877,
visiting surgeon 10 Bellevue hospital
since 1882 and visiting surgeon to st.
VinCent's hospital since 1887. lie is
a member Of the County Medical So
ciety Of the Academy of Medicine, Of
the Physicians Medical Aid associa-
ton and Of a number of other societies.
He is also consulting surgeon to vari-
Gus medical institutions. He is the
author of work on operative surgery.
! The doctor is very reserved in man
ner and very tenacious of a position
when once taken. As member Of the
New York board Of health he held
firmly to his opinions upon all occa-
siOnS. He was not pliablC and this
fAity Of purpose occasionally caused a
, little friction between him and the
rest of the commissioners. Al the
members of the board recognized his
ability, however, and always speak of
him in the most complimentary man
ner.
In his position as state health com
missioner and as Il member Of the
New York board Of health DR.. Bryant
was an exceptionally hard working
man. 1t was no new thing for him
to extend the field Of his prescribed
duties and hunt in al sorts OF Out-of-
the-Way places for evils that threaten
ed the health Of the people Wherever
he found them he went vigorously 10
work to Sradicate them
An instance Of this sort of work oc-
cured q few years ago, when lie uneX-
nectedly dropped into the New York
morgHc he was hOrror-Struck to lind
that the bodies Of thirty drowned per-
SopS were in the place A number of
the bodies were So far advanced in
decay as to have lost all sembIanco
70 humanity The odor was sitting
SO far as could be seen no steps were
taken toward removing the bodies.
The doctor hunted around III search of
some person attached to tie morgue
The place seemed deserted. Finally
he Unearthed man whose duty it was
to serve death certificates From this
person the doctor learned that Morgue-
keeper White and his deputy, Mr.. Fin
negan, were both i'll, and that nobody
was about who felt any responsibility
for the condition of things.
A few hours of steady search and
men We're secured who set at work to
place the bodies in collins and seal
them up. Arrangements We're made
for transferring the bodies to pOtter's
field on the next day, and then the
morgue was thoroughly cleaned and
fUmigated.
The doctors habit of dropping into
odd places at unexpected hours did a
lot Of good, for he was such a stern
disciplinarian that the subordinates
Of the depart lent deemed it wiser to
perform faithfully and thoroughly the
work allotted TO them than to run the
risk Of his censure.
SO careful was DR.. Bryant TO veil
his work from the public eye that but
very few instances of his untiring labor
have ever been printed.
PROHIBITION PROPOSITION.